Boston Opera House
Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Lin L. | Boston Opera House

Review

Boston Opera House

5 out of 5 stars
  • Theater | Performing arts space
  • Downtown
  • Recommended
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Time Out says

Small and splendid, this rococo building near the heart of Downtown Crossing has an elegance that belies a checkered past. It opened in 1928 as the B.F. Keith Memorial Theatre, part of the significant Keith-Albee chain, and was designed by Thomas Lamb, a prominent cinema architect. For over 20 years, it thrived as a cinema, but only just survived the Combat Zone era, when it became an adults-only theater. It fell into horrendous disrepair, but with the help of Senator Edward Kennedy, was renovated and reopened in 2004 with its baroque décor of fairytale white terra cotta, gilded moldings, and crystal chandeliers gleaming anew. The Opera House is the Boston Ballet’s home venue and also features top Broadway musicals, as well as big name musical artists. On a practical note, the lobby has a bar, as does the basement lounge.

Details

Address
539 Washington St
Boston
02111
Cross street:
Ave de Lafayette
Transport:
Downtown Crossing T

What’s on

The Great Gatsby

Broadway's newest take on The Great Gatsby arrives in Boston after becoming one of the season's most talked-about musicals. Rather than treating Fitzgerald's novel as a period piece, the production embraces the extravagance of the Jazz Age with towering sets, lavish costumes, and party scenes that feel every bit as over-the-top as Gatsby himself. The spectacle never completely overshadows the story, though, leaving plenty of room for the complicated relationships and quiet longing that sit beneath the glamour. Playing at the Citizens Bank Opera House as part of its first national tour, the show offers Boston audiences an early chance to see a production that has already generated plenty of attention on Broadway. It is a fresh interpretation of a familiar classic, one that leans into both the decadence and the heartbreak that have kept the novel relevant for generations.
  • Musicals

Moulin Rouge: The Musical

Based on Baz Luhrmann’s revolutionary movie from 2001, the musical Moulin Rouge has won ten Tony Awards including Best Musical. The extravagant show features romance, splendor, glitz, glamor, aristocrats, and Bohemians to create an electrifying enchantment.
  • Musicals
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