Salzburg Marionette Theater
Salzburg Marionette Theater
Salzburg Marionette Theater
4.5
About
Famous for its puppet shows, this theater has been delighting children since 1913. It is also home to performances of opera at various times throughout the year.
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4.5
399 reviews
Excellent
269
Very good
95
Average
23
Poor
6
Terrible
6
Gys dB
Midrand, South Africa136 contributions
Dec 2019
Don't believe a word the negative reviews say - this is an age old tradition in Salzburg, and it's not a Broadway production, but Marionettes. The theater is old yes, the Marionettes most likely too, but they are works of art!
We saw a production of the Nutcracker in December 2019. All three adults in our party of 3 are post 40 and it was like reliving our childhood. I remember seeing a marionette production at my primary school in Gr1 and the sounds and images left an indelible impression on me.
This was a magical night out at the theater, seeing something totally different to the usual concert or musical.
The music is pre-recorded, because it's a small theater and obviously less costly than having a full orchestra, but who would want one for a marionette production anyway.
Can't comment on the Opera's that these guys produce, but again, pre-recorded is way easier than hiring professional singers all the time. There are "subtitles" or at least with Nutcracker, a synopsis of the production. Info is minimal, but enough to give one an idea of what is happening in the scenes.
If you find yourself in Salzburg with nothing to do in the evening, make sure you go and see one of their productions. Not only will the kids enjoy, but guaranteed, the adults will too.
We saw a production of the Nutcracker in December 2019. All three adults in our party of 3 are post 40 and it was like reliving our childhood. I remember seeing a marionette production at my primary school in Gr1 and the sounds and images left an indelible impression on me.
This was a magical night out at the theater, seeing something totally different to the usual concert or musical.
The music is pre-recorded, because it's a small theater and obviously less costly than having a full orchestra, but who would want one for a marionette production anyway.
Can't comment on the Opera's that these guys produce, but again, pre-recorded is way easier than hiring professional singers all the time. There are "subtitles" or at least with Nutcracker, a synopsis of the production. Info is minimal, but enough to give one an idea of what is happening in the scenes.
If you find yourself in Salzburg with nothing to do in the evening, make sure you go and see one of their productions. Not only will the kids enjoy, but guaranteed, the adults will too.
Written January 10, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much, GmanSA!
Written September 21, 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Lian Tiong G
Subang Jaya, Malaysia4,631 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
Located within the Festung Hohensalzburg (fortress) and an eye opener to the art and skills of string puppets. A worthwhile tour of the World of string puppets when visiting the fortress even though we did not have the time to see the puppet show. Cheers.
Written March 11, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JPDBoone_NC
Boone, NC43 contributions
Jul 2022
We viewed a showing of, "The Magic Flute." The detail on the puppets were amazing. We were impressed by the craftsmanship that goes into the making of the puppets, the skill of the puppeteers and the lifelike movements of the puppets. My husband went to the show with me reluctantly but afterwards said that it was one of his favorite events in Salzburg. I wish we could have seen all of the performances that were offered.
Written July 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you, we are very proud that we could also convience your reluctant husband :)
Written August 4, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Mary L
Hamilton, Canada50 contributions
Aug 2024 • Solo
Within 5 minutes, I forgot that the marionnettes in the show were' not real. The show, (The Magic Flute) was deeply affecting and the puppeteers who skillfully pull the strings made these puppets exceedingly graceful and real. I cannot give this review a 5 because there was no air conditioning in the theatre and it kept me from enjoying it immensely.
Written September 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much, Mary! In fact we have aircondition but this is a very old building (1893) and the airconditioning is not as effectiv as it would be in a new one.
Written December 2, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
CorneliusfudgeGM
Stockport, UK1,503 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
100 metres away from our hotel and a great way to spend a hour on New Years Day. The artistry of the puppeteers is amazing. No surprise that at the end of the show they got 3 rounds of applause. Well worth the money. I can see why young children would get restless.
Written January 1, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LizR
Midlands, UK3,312 contributions
In June 2010 I was lucky enough to be invited backstage at the world famous Salzburg Marionette Theatre. This was following a performance of The Sound of Music which, to everyone’s delight, included a scene where puppets are operating smaller puppets. The music was great and once or twice it was easy to forget that these little people were being operated by puppeteers at all.
The Marionette theatre has been in existence for ninety-seven years. Over this period of time it has provided charm, hilarity and beautiful music not only to audiences in Salzburg but also on the many world tours they have undertaken. Their repertoire is extensive. From the pen of Mozart they perform Don Giovanni; The Marriage of Figaro; The Abduction from the Seraglio and The Magic Flute. I can recommend the latter, having seen their production a couple of years ago. There is also a Best of Mozart evening when a selection of his music is performed. Mozart is not the only composer enjoyed; the Marionettes also perform Rossini’s The Barber of Seville; Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretl; Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann; Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus; Tschaikowski’s The Nutcracker and Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The theatre itself is a lovely, scaled down opera house. Very helpful for overseas tourists are the subtitles which appear to the sides of the stage in several languages.
Back stage it was fascinating to see what a tiny space the puppeteers have to work in. Every movement is synchronised, involving them switching places, leaning round each other or over shoulders. All these manoeuvres must be performed carefully to ensure a smooth action will appear below on the stage. An example of this occurs when a telegram is delivered to the Von Trapp residence. I stupidly imagined that there was a magnet holding it in place on the puppet’s hand but the telegram had its own string and is transferred from one puppeteer to another. I felt privileged to see the puppets up close and admire the fine detail of their clothing; even their shoe laces are beautifully tied.
The Marionette theatre is certainly not just an attraction for children; adults enjoy the shows just as much. I wholeheartedly recommend an evening with these wonderful puppets and the brilliant expertise of the puppeteers who make these performances possible.
The Marionette theatre has been in existence for ninety-seven years. Over this period of time it has provided charm, hilarity and beautiful music not only to audiences in Salzburg but also on the many world tours they have undertaken. Their repertoire is extensive. From the pen of Mozart they perform Don Giovanni; The Marriage of Figaro; The Abduction from the Seraglio and The Magic Flute. I can recommend the latter, having seen their production a couple of years ago. There is also a Best of Mozart evening when a selection of his music is performed. Mozart is not the only composer enjoyed; the Marionettes also perform Rossini’s The Barber of Seville; Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretl; Offenbach’s The Tales of Hoffmann; Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus; Tschaikowski’s The Nutcracker and Shakespeare’s play, A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The theatre itself is a lovely, scaled down opera house. Very helpful for overseas tourists are the subtitles which appear to the sides of the stage in several languages.
Back stage it was fascinating to see what a tiny space the puppeteers have to work in. Every movement is synchronised, involving them switching places, leaning round each other or over shoulders. All these manoeuvres must be performed carefully to ensure a smooth action will appear below on the stage. An example of this occurs when a telegram is delivered to the Von Trapp residence. I stupidly imagined that there was a magnet holding it in place on the puppet’s hand but the telegram had its own string and is transferred from one puppeteer to another. I felt privileged to see the puppets up close and admire the fine detail of their clothing; even their shoe laces are beautifully tied.
The Marionette theatre is certainly not just an attraction for children; adults enjoy the shows just as much. I wholeheartedly recommend an evening with these wonderful puppets and the brilliant expertise of the puppeteers who make these performances possible.
Written August 16, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
joemontana16
Mission Viejo, CA732 contributions
Aug 2017 • Couples
we were really looking forward to this show as my wife had read such good reviews about "the magic flute". she even read that it would be wise to read up on the story beforehand so that we would better enjoy the show. well, that did not happen. we had a good idea how the story would flow, but the subtitles that are provided were really only a gist of the story. we don't understand german so any of the talking was pretty much lost to us. as this show is attended by a lot of travelers, that really doesn't seem correct. we were told to sit in row 6 or further back in order to see the subtitles - forget that. you can see them from any row. after intermission we moved up to the 4th row primarily to get out from having to deal with people's heads in front of us blocking our view. besides, the subtitles are up for maybe 5% of the entire show so it's not like you have to spend too much time turning away from the stage. the puppets were okay, but they really didn't move too much. their mouths did not move so you could not tell who was singing. all we can say is that it was very disappointing. probably will not be visiting another puppet show any time soon, if ever. and that's too bad because it is a fun medium to witness when done properly. spent nearly $90 to witness this. money not well spent. would have left at intermission, but due to the fact that we spent all this money we were determined to see it through.
Written August 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
rb2391
Madison, WI6 contributions
Dec 2014 • Friends
A friend and I went to see The Nutcracker and it was absolutely remarkable. A number of the reviews mention children, but my friend and I (both in our 20s) thought the world of this performance and would highly recommend a show to anyone passing through Salzburg. The showmanship and artistic precision is thoroughly impressive. Everything was so lifelike, I could not believe that the show we were watching was in fact marionettes. If I pass through Salzburg again in the future, I will definitely return and would recommend that you do as well!
Written March 3, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
IndianaTravelmom
South Bend, IN340 contributions
Jul 2014 • Family
We spent 2 weeks exploring Austria last summer and this was one of the highlights of our trip. We saw SOUND OF MUSIC( done in English) and found it delightful. The puppetry was magical and the singing was very high quality. My husband, myself and our 2 thirteen year old daughters all thought it was fabulous and not to be missed
Written January 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
travelNReviewer
San Diego152 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
My wife and I visited Salzburg in early June of 2013, and we had been told there was this "puppet theater" that we should see. It turned out to be about 1 block from our hotel (Sachar) so we popped for a couple of tickets and gave it a try. The theater is very quaint, kind of like a mini opera house, with comfortable seating. We attended in the off season (just before the big tourist rush) so there were lots of empty seats in the house. The stage is well off the floor so you will probably have a good view unless someone 6 feet or higher sits in front of you.
The performance was the big surprise. The marionettes are first rate and the sets are breathtaking. The soundtrack is a full opera, with orchestra, and the singers are outstanding. The sound system really delivers the experience of a real opera. We saw Don Giovanni, which was lots of fun. They have two big screens left and right of the stage for you to see a translation in several languages of the opera text. If you sit in the first 7 rows, that will be hard to see as you would have to turn your head well right or left to view those screens. So best seating is probably about row 10. Staff was friendly and they have a very nice lobby area with lots of memorabilia about the history of marionette puppets.
Of course, Salzburg is the mecca for Sound of Music Tours, where the movie was filmed, and there was a great scene featuring a marionette show in the movie, so this was something we really wanted to see. All in all, I think you will be impressed with this show and I do recommend it if you have any interest at all in opera.
The performance was the big surprise. The marionettes are first rate and the sets are breathtaking. The soundtrack is a full opera, with orchestra, and the singers are outstanding. The sound system really delivers the experience of a real opera. We saw Don Giovanni, which was lots of fun. They have two big screens left and right of the stage for you to see a translation in several languages of the opera text. If you sit in the first 7 rows, that will be hard to see as you would have to turn your head well right or left to view those screens. So best seating is probably about row 10. Staff was friendly and they have a very nice lobby area with lots of memorabilia about the history of marionette puppets.
Of course, Salzburg is the mecca for Sound of Music Tours, where the movie was filmed, and there was a great scene featuring a marionette show in the movie, so this was something we really wanted to see. All in all, I think you will be impressed with this show and I do recommend it if you have any interest at all in opera.
Written July 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
What languages are the subtitles for The Magic Flute?
Written July 4, 2019
Scene summaries were projected on the side walls in at least 4 or 5 languages, one which was English. Sorry, I can't remember what the other languages were--thinking Italian and/or French plus a few others.
Written July 5, 2019
Will it be close in September? I checked the official website and there is no show the whole month!
Written February 25, 2019
Wir werden demnächst in die Zauberflöte gehen und freuen uns schon sehr auf das Marionetten Theater . Gibt es dort eine Bekleidungsvorschrift ? Lässig leger , schick oder sehr fein ? Was trägt man dort ?
Written September 16, 2018
We went to this theater this summer after visiting the town and it was hot outside. So we wore casual clothes and it was ok.
Written September 16, 2018
Hi,
We're planning to take our young sons to watch The Sound of Music this May. Would like to know which would be the best rows to try to get seats in from the viewpoint of our children. They are 7 & 9 years. Would the first row be too upfront ?
Thank you,
Written March 14, 2018
Hi Roshan, yes, i think the first row would be too close. I think the first row of the second section would be good as there is the aisle in between. So there will be no one blocking the view.
Written March 15, 2018
Por favor si alguien sabe si comprando entradas baratas fila 12 central se puede ver bien a las marionetas?
Written January 22, 2018
Me gustaria saber si en fila 12 central
Empieza las baratas, se ve bien.
De otra manera alguien ha esrado fila 10 a 12?
Gracias
Written January 20, 2018
Should I buy tickets before our trip and can you pick up tickets at will call at theater? Or do you think it will be ok to buy tickets that morning? There is one show the day we wanna go.
Written July 23, 2016
I would like to take my kids to the short version of the magic flute. Is casual dress ok for the 2pm show?
Written May 22, 2016
Yes. From our experience, most people wore casual dress even to the evening session.
Written May 22, 2016
chi ha esperienza degli spettacoli al teatro delle marionette? meglio acquistare on line o ci sarĂ disponibilitĂ di biglietti sul posto? quanto tempo prima occorre acquistarli?
Written August 5, 2015
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