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San Francisco Ballet

4.2 (318 reviews)
Closed • 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

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Michele B.

The night was spectacular! 1st time at the ballet for us and it was magical. Nutcracker 25 was amazing! Staff was friendly and helpful even with non ballet questions. The show was phenomenal! Definitely recommend attending a performance to anyone.

Mei L.

The dress rehearsal of Don Quixote was absolutely stunning, simply far beyond what you might expect from a rehearsal. From the first moment, there was a sense of energy and polish that made it feel like a full performance rather than a run through.The dancing was vibrant and full of life. It honestly really captured the playful spirit and romance at the heart of the story. The lead performers brought incredible charisma to their roles, especially in the way they balanced each precise movement with genuine emotion. Every turn, leap, and gesture felt intentional and expressive, it was sooo astoundingly beautiful, and drawing the audience into the world of Kitri and Basilio. Visually, it was breathtaking. The costumes were rich and colorful, and the staging created a warm, lively feeling in the theater that transported you straight into a sunlit Spanish village. I especially loved the moody windmill scenes. Even in rehearsal mode, the attention to detail was clear, nothing felt raw. What stood out most was the joy. You could feel it from the dancers, the music, and the entire production. There was a contagious sense of excitement and passion that made the experience really memorable. If this was just the dress rehearsal, the official performance is going to be thrilling.

Jeannie P.

If you are into art and ballet, I highly recommend that you check out SF ballet. I recently went there for a Bday party. The performers of the night was Britannia . It was spectacular. We had a party of 5 and everyone loved it. I would definitely go back!

Jo W.

If I had known that they used AI to create the Nutcracker promotional art and posters, my friend and I would not have bought tickets in the first place. I've had other friends who have supported the ballet over the years, and chose not to this year because of AI. The posters are ugly, and look more like they belong to some low-budget horror movie than for a magical classic Christmas ballet. But since the tickets aren't refundable, my friend and I went anyway. We had never seen the Nutcracker ballet before, and as two grown women, we decided to go together. For $26 for the cheapest seats, watching the ballet was a good deal. The dancers are wonderful, the costumes and sets are pure eye candy, the memorable and classic famed musical was great to listen to live, and we did enjoy watching it. We were also surprised by the diversity and representation in the cast. Great ballet, but for goodness sake, don't cut costs on art by outsourcing actual artists to artificial intelligence. I certainly won't continue supporting them in the future if they continue to do so.

12/2021 outside
Jean L.

My first time at any ballet and I'm glad it was the San Francisco Ballet. This review is for my visit from December 2021, but I still remember it like yesterday. I came for the Nutcracker and getting inside was a little hectic as there were many lines outside, with little signage/instructions. Eventually got to the front of the entrance and security checked purses/vax cards. At the time, everyone needed to be vaxed to enter the building. Everyone also needed to be masked during the entirety. Once inside, the race was on to find my seat. There were many ushers guiding guests. Restrooms are interestingly situated as the men's restroom and women's restroom are located on opposite sides of the floor of each other. A small concession stand is located on each floor and there was even a water station to the side! The Nutcracker was absolutely wonderful! There was not one empty seat in the house! Of course, this was on a Saturday night. This part of town doesn't include easy parking so best to take public transportation or be prepared to walk quite a few blocks. I hope to attend another ballet in the near future! #22/2022

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Reviews are largely positive. The impressive production quality and engaging for all ages performances, especially the Nutcracker, are often highlighted as a memorable family tradition.

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Took my daughter to the Nutcracker for the holidays and it was spectacular! Compliments to the staff and dancers for a wonderful experience.

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2 years ago

Excellent dancing, and the new repertoire brought in by the new AD is wonderful, new, inspiring and compelling.

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Review Highlights - San Francisco Ballet

“The passport performance of the Nutcracker was one of the most magical moments of my 5yr old's life to date.”

Mentioned in 129 reviews

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War Memorial Opera House - Snacks

War Memorial Opera House

4.2(233 reviews)
0.1 mi•Civic Center, Hayes Valley

I visited the Opera House to see Mary Queen of Scots and really enjoyed the venue. Both the…read moreexterior and interior is stunning with white columns outside and a plush, grand interior. I love that there's space for gallery exhibits and activations inside and compared to other performance houses I've been to, the Opera House feels a bit more spacious. The live orchestra combined with the performance, greeters, ushers and gift shop workers were all great and very helpful.

My husband and I attended The Nutcracker in December, and unfortunately the experience was so…read moreunpleasant that we have no interest in returning to the San Francisco Ballet. We were seated in the second row of the orchestra, directly behind a group in the first row who whispered, turned around, pointed, and moved almost constantly throughout the performance. Their level of fidgeting was honestly bizarre and impossible to ignore. They also had a very young child with them who repeatedly made noise and turned around during the show. It was so distracting that I barely remember the performance itself. What I remember is the group sitting in front of us. We wanted to say something during the show, but there was no usher visibly monitoring our section. We also did not feel comfortable confronting strangers directly in a dark theater and potentially escalating the situation. This is exactly why ushers should be present and attentive during a performance, rather than placing the burden on patrons to police one another. When we spoke with a manager afterward, we were told that we could have reported the issue during intermission and possibly been moved. That response was frustrating. By intermission, half the performance had already been ruined, and it did not seem fair that we would be the ones expected to leave the seats we selected and paid for while the disruptive patrons remained in place. We contacted the Ballet multiple times afterward. Initially, the response felt dismissive. We were then offered tickets for one specific date in February, which was not practical because we live in Santa Cruz and could not simply travel to San Francisco on a randomly selected day. Eventually, we were offered tickets to a spring program, but the most logical and appropriate resolution would have been replacement tickets for the following Nutcracker season, since that was the experience that had been ruined. What made this especially disappointing was not only the behavior of the patrons, but the way the Ballet handled the complaint afterward. A sincere apology and a straightforward effort to replace the experience would have gone a long way. Instead, the process felt unnecessarily difficult and left my husband unwilling to do business with the San Francisco Ballet again. For an organization charging premium prices for a formal live performance, I expected better audience monitoring and much better customer service.

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War Memorial Opera House - Dining/bar

Dining/bar

War Memorial Opera House - Rigoletto the opera

Rigoletto the opera

War Memorial Opera House - Beautiful ceiling 2024

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Beautiful ceiling 2024

San Francisco Opera at the Ballpark - Live cast!

San Francisco Opera at the Ballpark

4.5(29 reviews)
1.9 mi•South Beach

First time attending one of these free events! You gotta love San Francisco and the cultural…read morefreebies for all audiences! I could not believe my ears when a friend of mine mentioned Carmen the opera (I am usually asked if my name is Carmen like the opera and I have to answer that no, just like my mom) and the AT&T ballpark where until Saturday I only saw from outside. Kudos to the organization, to move around that many people without chaos is a skill, plus the sync with the SF Opera was perfect, even considering we were at a massive park and not in a more intimate covered setting. I went for the experience but I should have known better about the extremely cold SF summer nights. I was freezing with my mini dress. Gladly, my friend was carrying a blanket that we share and later served as coat. That was the worst part for me, including the long lines to the toilet. As per the performance, everybody did an awesome job, talented singers and performers...I just like my classic Spanish style Carmen and not this strange pastiche. I understand it is cool to deviate and modernize the script and the scenario, but calling the ladies 'bitches' in the subtitles was a little bit too much. Plus did not like the clothes, make up and the overall mise-en-scene. And, oh, so many kids in there too. For some girls in my group that were not familiar with the opera Carmen plot, I had to give a succinct explanation as they did not get the whole story.

I love Opera at the Ballpark! They did La Traviata this year and it was the opera that Richard…read moreGere took Julia Roberts to on a helicopter from NY to SF in Pretty Woman! Those parts in the movie rang familiar while watching the simulcast at the opera. Get there early with early admission at 6:30 p.m. (free online!). We brought tons of snacks and sealed drinks. Make sure you bring a winter jacket, gloves and scarf. And fleece blankets. It gets so cold. It starts at 8p and lasts until about 11p. To see the jumbotron, you can't really sit below the awning where it is warmer like you do at the Giants games. So you will be cold if you have a good seat. Lots of people left early since it was too cold. Bring all your snacks since all they sell is junk food. And bundle up! Get here early. There were over 26,000 people there last weekend.

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San Francisco Opera at the Ballpark - View from the field, La Traviata, July 5, 2014

View from the field, La Traviata, July 5, 2014

San Francisco Opera at the Ballpark - Don Giovanni July 30, 2017 excellent story. 23,000 people watching the live production, very cold at night bring winter wear.

Don Giovanni July 30, 2017 excellent story. 23,000 people watching the live production, very cold at night bring winter wear.

San Francisco Opera at the Ballpark - Yummy!  I had to get the famous garlic fries of goodness.

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Yummy! I had to get the famous garlic fries of goodness.

San Francisco Lyric Opera - Tales of Hoffman (9/07), with M Bell (Crespel), R Byrne (Hoffman), & R Gomez (Dr. Miracle)

San Francisco Lyric Opera

4.6(5 reviews)
2.1 mi•Marina/Cow Hollow

We live in a city with TWO professional opera companies. TWO. Putting on great shows at price…read morepoints that let everyone enjoy reasonably good opera. For that we should all be proud. I'm proud of Lyric Opera as a presenter of accessible offerings of opera with some really good production designs, soloists, and overall casts. I've seen several very nice productions while the company was at the Legion of Honor, including a nice Lucia di Lammermoor and a good Tales of Hoffmann. Now that they've moved to Fort Mason, I'm looking forward to a slightly easier-to-get-to theater, and I certainly can't wait to see a certain member of the chorus in Rigoletto. I've had inside reports that the solists are excellent. No matter what show you catch, enjoy Lyric Opera for bringing big opera to small theatres at even smaller prices, with lots of local talent. Keeping opera alive and kicking in the 21st century is reason enough for 5 stars--the great entertainment to be had is pure gravy, to use a decidedly non-highbrow term.

Let's face it. I have champagne taste on a Pabst Blue Ribbon budget…read more I love opera but am never willing to pay the outrageous prices at the "big" opera house. Sure, I'll go if you're treating. And I will thoroughly frickin' enjoy it, so long as it isn't some new fangled, artsy production. But I'll still go, especially if you have box seats. That said, the free tickets are few and far between and I can't get student rush tickets anymore with my dusty college ID. The "little" opera or SF Lyric Opera has always been a bright spot in my dynamic City life. (Of course, so are the metallic guys, the panhandlers with creative signs, BART, and many other less romantic things.) But SF Lyric Opera really makes the arts accessible. The ticket prices and the venue are key. No, they don't have the world's most celebrated tenor or the international divas, but they do have amazingly talented opera singers that anyone can enjoy for less than the price of dinner and drinks at any trendy spot. I would have given them five stars if it weren't for their recent move from the lovely Gould theater at the Legion of Honor to the Cowell Theater at Fort Mason. I haven't actually been to a performance there, so I will amend my review as necessary once I do. But the Gould is the most delightful little venue. You might think that Marie Antoinette invited you to a command performance, and there isn't a bad seat in the house. Wherever they may go, though, I will follow. The company is wonderfully talented and even with the bigger venue, you will have an experience you couldn't get at the "big" opera. That is unless you don't mind dropping a couple Benjamins for a seat. And if that's you, you probably wouldn't mind if I tag along...

Photos
San Francisco Lyric Opera - Turn of the Screw (5/08), with B Fisher (Miles), K Moss (Grose), A Strauss (Governess), & M Matej (Flora)

Turn of the Screw (5/08), with B Fisher (Miles), K Moss (Grose), A Strauss (Governess), & M Matej (Flora)

San Francisco Lyric Opera - Tales of Hoffman (9/07), with K Growdon (Niklausse) & R Byrne (Hoffman)

Tales of Hoffman (9/07), with K Growdon (Niklausse) & R Byrne (Hoffman)

San Francisco Lyric Opera - Turn of the Screw (5/08), with L Bruckmann (Jessel), T Costerisan (Quint), & B Fisher (Miles)

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Turn of the Screw (5/08), with L Bruckmann (Jessel), T Costerisan (Quint), & B Fisher (Miles)

San Francisco Ballet - theater - Updated October 2026

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