Taras Shevchenko National Opera Theatre

Lonely Planet review

Taras Shevchenko National Opera Theatre is a lavish theatre (1899-1901) and a performance here is a grandiose affair. True imbibers of Ukrainian culture should not miss a performance of Zaporozhets za Dunaem (Zaporizhzhyans beyond the Danube), a sort of operatic, purely Ukrainian version of Fiddler on the Roof . It tells the story of a group of Zaporizhzhyan Cossacks exiled by Catherine the Great to the Danube river basin in present-day Romania.

The opera, which plays roughly twice a month, is in Ukrainian, but has plenty of music, dance and colourful costumes to entertain all.

Tickets to classical music and opera performances are significantly cheaper than in the West. Advance tickets and schedules are available at the theatres or at teatralna kasa (theatre box offices) scattered throughout the city. Handy ones are at the entrance to Globus Mall in Maydan Nezalezhnosti and at vul Khreshchatyk 21 (near Khreshchatyk metro).