Family-Friendly Opera for the Holidays

By Catherine Patwell October 6, 2015

The Metropolitan Opera will host family-friendly opera showings this year, including The Barber of Seville and screenings of The Magic Flute, as well as half-price tickets for children younger than 18.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than a family trip to the theater? The Metropolitan Opera is offering an array of family-oriented programming this season, starting with Gioachino Rossini’s comic masterpiece, The Barber of Seville—the famous story of Count Almaviva, who falls in love with the young, beautiful, and feisty Rosina, and orchestrates an elaborate romance. The 2-hour, family-friendly English adaptation runs Dec. 16-Jan. 2, 2016. A special Family Day matinee performance on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 12:30pm will include an open house for the Met’s youngest audience members to meet the cast and crew and get a behind-the-scenes tour of the opera house. Tickets range from $25-220.

The Met is also offering half-price tickets for audience members ages 18 and younger with each full-priced ticket for any performance running from Nov. 26-Dec. 30. The Holiday Half Price promotion is available at the Met Opera Box Office or by calling 212-362-6000, and is subject to availability. This offer excludes Orchestra Premium, Orchestra Premium Aisle, or Family Circle seats. Proof of age is required.

The Met’s pre-recorded holiday encore presentation of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute can be seen on screens across New York City and around the world on Saturday, Dec. 12, at 12:55pm. In this famous opera, Prince Tamino must pass a series of tests with the help of his magical instruments in order to win the hand of his lover, Pamina. Ticket prices are $28 for adults, $26 for seniors, and $22 for children 11 and younger. Visit metopera.org/season/in-cinemas to find a viewing location near you.

Main photo: The Barber of Seville at The Metropolitan Opera
Photo by Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera