A Theatregoer’s Guide to Attending the Metropolitan Opera

Attending the opera for the first time can be intimidating, but with the right attitude, it’s as accessible as a night at the theatre—and a far cry from the sacrosanct experience it’s often portrayed to be.

Just a few subway stops from the marquees of Broadway, the Metropolitan Opera is currently kicking off its 2024-25 season September 23 with the house premiere of Jeanine Tesori and George Brant’s Grounded. The season, which includes six new productions and 12 revivals, will continue through June 7, 2025.

Opera offers a grand variation on traditional theatergoing, but if those massive arches seem daunting, here are a few tips and tricks to make your night at the opera one to remember.

What to See

With roughly 20 productions per season, the Met’s lineups are an eclectic mix of familiar favorites and adventurous picks, offering classic stagings and the avant garde. Here are just a few suggestions from this season’s offerings:

Stories you know: Some popular musicals are based on operas, including Rent, based on La Bohéme, and Aida, based on the opera of the same name. Both operas will be performed in the Met’s 2024–25 season. Many operas are based on classic plays, such as John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra, and Richard Strauss’ Salome, based respectively on the plays by Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde. Both will receive new productions in the upcoming season. If classic novels are more your speed, give Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick a go.

Broadway names: Many Broadway directors and stars have made their mark on the Met stage. The season opener this year is a veritable who’s who of Tony-winning talent, as Tony-winning composer Jeanine Tesori’s new opera Grounded will have its Met premiere in a production directed by Tony winner Michael Mayer, with scenic and lighting design by Tony-winning designers Mimi Lien and Kevin Adams. After he opens Swept Away on Broadway, Mayer will be back later in the season to direct a new production of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida, which will ring in the new year. The season will also include Ainadamar featuring a libretto by Tony winner David Henry Hwang; revivals of productions by Bartlett Sher (Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Rigoletto); Richard Eyre (Le Nozze di Figaro); Simon McBurney (Die Zauberflöte); and a holiday presentation of Julie Taymor’s production of The Magic Flute, sung in English.

Star power: As usual, the Met has lined up all-star casts of some of the most acclaimed opera singers in the world. Perhaps most emblematic of the array of talent on the Met stage are the two casts assembled for Il Barbiere di Siviglia, one featuring acclaimed veterans Isabel Leonard and Lawrence Brownlee, and the other showcasing rapidly rising stars Aigul Akhmetshina and Jack Swanson. Antony and Cleopatra starring Gerald Finley and Grammy-winning soprano Julia Bullock; Fidelio starring Lise Davidsen, Ying Fang, René Pape and Tomasz Konieczny; rotating casts of Tosca including Lise Davidsen, Sondra Radvanovsky, Quinn Kelsey, and Bryn Terfel; and Die Frau ohne Schatten with a remarkable trio of dramatic sopranos in Elza van den Heever, Lise Lindstrom, and Nina Stemme, make up just a few of the top-quality casts the Met has assembled for the season.

Something short: Four-plus hour run times like those of Die Frau ohne Schatten and Les Contes d’Hoffmann can be daunting to new opera-goers. If you want to be in and out of the opera house in under three hours, the Met has options for you, including Fidelio (2 hours 40 minutes), Grounded (2 hours 20 minutes), Salome (1 hour 50 minutes), and Ainadamar (1 hour 35 minutes). The Met also stages a two-hour abridged version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, sung in English and directed by Tony Award-winner Julie Taymor.

For the daring: This season will see the Met premieres of four contemporary operas, starting with the New York premiere of Jeanine Tesori and George Brant’s Grounded, which opens the season. Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang’s Ainadamar follows in October. The spring half of the season will see the Met premieres of Jake Heggie’s Moby-Dick in March, and John Adams’ Antony and Cleopatra in May. More adventurous operagoers may also have an eye on some some lesser-known classics, such as Tchaikovsky’s Gothic horror story The Queen of Spades, and Richard Strauss’ epic fairy tale Die Frau ohne Schatten.

Getting Tickets

The Metropolitan Opera sells tickets in the back of the family circle for around $40. While you’ll want to bring binoculars, opera buffs claim these seats offer the best sound quality. 

Seats closer to the stage—and ground—will cost more. But just like on Broadway, affordable options exist, including a day-of online rush and student performances.

Doing Your Homework

From the potential language barrier to the grandeur of the staging, opera can risk a sensory overload. If you’re not bothered by spoilers, go ahead and read opera’s summary on either the Met’s site or Wikipedia.

The Met does offer individual translations (located on the seat-back in front of you, more on that later). However, if you’re already loosely familiar with the plot, you can follow the captioning casually, and you’ll recognize plot points on stage without relying too heavily on them. This will also free you to take in what’s most important: the music. 

Speaking of which, get hyped for your night at the opera by giving a key aria or two from the show a listen. You may be surprised by how much you already know, and it’ll make the unparalleled experience of hearing that unamplified sound live all the more special.

What to Wear

Dress up as much or as little as you want. For some, the opera is an opportunity to go all out; no matter what you wear, there will be someone more opulent than you. Some still wear gowns and gloves. Others treat it as any other live experience; if you’re comfortable wearing it to a show on Broadway, that’ll do here, as well. 

People-watching around the Metropolitan Opera House is just as much a spectacle as the story unfolding onstage. If you’re looking for an occasion to wear that bold statement necklace or don that flashy suit, this is a safe bet. You’ll fit right in while still getting the attention you want.

What to Drink

Sparkling is the drink of choice, but not your only option. There’s also coffee, which could be a blessing during even the most exciting of Wagner epics. Keep in mind: unlike a Broadway theatre, drinks are not allowed in the auditorium itself. Drink up in the lobby.

Taking It All In

Unlike most opera houses, the Met’s captioning system is as an individual experience, located on the back of the seat in front of you. As the performance commences, press the red button once for English captions, or continue pressing it to scroll through additional language options.

The screens are tinted, so your neighbors’ screens will not be visible to you. If you’re leaning over to press their button in an attempt to help, chances are you’re doing just the opposite.

As for applause mid-performance, opera scores are generally more fluid than musical theatre, so read the room before clapping. Applause following an overture, a notable aria, or a particularly impressive vocal performance is common (especially at the Met), and in some rare cases, could even lead to an encore. Lucky you.

In general, operagoing etiquette is akin to theatregoing etiquette; don’t do anything Patti LuPone would disapprove of.

If you’re late, don’t expect to be seated during a lull in the first act as you would during most Broadway ventures. If you arrive after those auditorium doors closed, you’ll instead be sent to a separate viewing room, where you’ll be able to watch a live feed of the action (sans subtitles) until intermission.

Intermission(s)

Most productions have at least one intermission, oftentimes more. Unlike a majority of Broadway houses, there’s far more to do than browse through your Playbill and wait in line for the restroom between acts. 

As previously mentioned, people-watching is an opera tradition, so grab a spot overlooking the staircase (or on the staircase!) and catch the varying degrees of fashion. The Met also has displays and exhibits scattered through the entire house; walk around and take a glance at the galleries on the lower level or inspect some costumes up close on the grand tier.

Many intermissions are longer than the standard 15 minutes—sometimes as long as 45; those set changes are no joke. Check ahead of time to plan your breaks accordingly.

Curtain Call

Do some hand stretches now; opera curtain calls run long, with the singers, occasionally the chorus, conductor, and—on premieres of new productions—design team each enjoying their moment center stage. But don’t leave. See the rule above concerning Patti LuPone, and it can be fun to see how dramatic an opera singer can make just one bow (or several).

Occasionally, and particularly at premieres of new productions, operagoers who fancy themselves connoisseurs may “boo” the creative team. Don’t join in—especially if you’re new to the scene. The only thing more cringe-worthy than a severely misguided production is someone thinking a “boo” is a legitimate critique.

If you feel compelled to accompany your applause with an exclamation, feel free to commend the performers with a shout of Bravo!, Brava!, or, to cheer the entire company, Bravi!

For a full season lineup, visit MetOpera.org.