Vanemuine is one of the oldest and best theatres in Estonia. In my opinion, ballet productions are especially good and high quality. If you plan to visit some performance I suggest to buy a ticket in advance. NB! There are two building of Vanemuine Theatre, be sure to visit Old Small Theatre, not the New Big one.

I was lucky enough to see the "Phantom of the Opera" - this wonderful musical of Andrew Lloyd Webber - in the presentation of Theatre Vanemuine - Tartu. I am a volunteer in Estonia, and in Narva - where I live now -, we truly lack of some demanding theatrical shows, so I was especially happy to be part of the audience. I saw many times the Hungarian version of this musical  in my hometown ( Budapest - Hungary) as I am a big musical lover. Honestly I think it is now very hard to surprise me when talking about different staging forms of well-known musicals. I saw  many others in London and in Germany in the last 10 years, so I can say I am well experienced in this field. Despite all this the production of Theatre Vanemuine achieved my admiration. The stage was a lot smaller and the set was also not only about showing off how much they invested in the show - which I think sadly at many times is the case. Everything was working perfectly, and even better. I loved the creative ideas which thanks to a theatrical rule, let the Estonians put their own ideas to the show, and they were not obliged to copy everything from the original production. I just love when there is a small idea leads to a great outcome and makes you wonder and believe again in the magic of the theater. I guess I am not giving away great secrets when I say that all the actors were playing and singing outstandingly, giving me goose bumps at some songs ( " All I ask of you", "Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again'") and taking me far away from my seat to the present time of the story. 

I saw the "Phantome of the Opera" in Tallinn, as they played here as guests, so I did not have a chance to see the home building of the company, but I am sure it is beautiful one and it provides a place for the artist to create more breathtaking shows in the future as well. Thanks to this experience I met another European country's theatrical world that let me broaden my cultural horizon and made me even more interested in all that Estonia represents.