Rein Sikk states in the daily commentary of Vikerraadio that the hope is to visit the theater cafe after the theater like a big cheerful lottery.
My pre-Christmas speech is about how theaters, which aren’t exactly flush with cash, could get extra cash for themselves. But-but-but. I write when I, a simple farmer, would like to give a little more money to the theater, but I can’t. Turns out some theaters don’t want my money. I don’t want money, because they won’t let me spend money on my buffet, they whistle.
Therefore, when I, as a farmer, go from Kadrina to the city to go to the theater or a concert, I also prepare to leave some of my money in the theater buffet. It is a tradition of theater lovers to buy coffee, salad, cakes, drinks at the theater. Spend time in a nice bar, having pleasant conversations. Who among us does not know this fantastic exaggerated song that the opera also takes place in the buffet, tra-lalla-lalla-laa!
Theater buffets have been an integral and important part of Estonian theater culture for more than a century. We read memories of Estonian theaters, where actors and audiences gathered at the theater buffet after the show. And from these meetings everything that was important for Estonian culture was born.
In my opinion the best thing is to meet up with friends at the theater buffet immediately after the show. Discussing how beautiful the piece was or how incomprehensible it seemed. I want to ride the waves of catharsis for a while after the curtain closes. Praise what you have experienced over coffee and cake, let a lovely air shine in your ears.
But take the finger! As time goes by, fewer and fewer theaters and even concert institutions want my money in the buffet. The most curious were the numerous end-of-year concerts in the Jõhvi concert hall, after which the buffet is closed. But not much else, in the height of summer the buffet was closed even during the two breaks of the long concert, so during the breaks the crowd went to buy a snack in front of the Grossi shop.
I had to leave many of Tallinn’s famous theaters for the cold night after an exciting show, instead of leaving thank you money. And if the trend of presenting one-act shows continues to spread, it is very likely that less and less spectators’ money will remain in theater buffets. Sin.
“Apparently the Rakvere theater in my hometown is very good. The buffet is open every day until ten in the evening.”
As a backdrop to my sad realizations, I started researching the opening hours of buffets across Estonia. Which theaters and concert institutions think that people can still leave their impressions of the theater in the theater? It turns out that the theater in my hometown Rakvere is very good. The buffet is open every day until ten in the evening. I have experienced it even longer if there are those who want it.
The happy letter came from the Jõhvi concert hall, where the new tenant also runs the bar after the concerts. Among the famous concert halls, both the Alexela concert hall and the Unibet Arena bars are open after concerts. The Vanemuise Concert Hall directs visitors to the Shakespeare Cafe in the same building.
But the bars in Paide and Kuresaare remain closed after the shows, as does the one in Ugala. The Endla Theater café is open two days a week after shows, otherwise not.
Surprisingly, Tallinn’s largest theater complex, in central Tallinn, was found to be the least popular for post-theatre cafe experiences. This cultural mecca, where the Estonian Theater and Concert Hall and Drama Theater are next to each other. Cafes everywhere are closed after shows, which is incomprehensible to a simple farmer. He recommends going elsewhere, claiming that people don’t go to bars after shows. But isn’t it difficult to go there when these cafes are closed and don’t stay open?
In conclusion, the hope of visiting the theater bar after the theater is a big cheerful lottery. If you haven’t done enough preliminary work, you never know whether it will work or not. However, a rural person can be sure that on the way home you can still get both coffee and cake at gas stations. And it’s not forbidden to hum Mozart’s arias even in the bar. Or discuss Hamlet’s monologue.
You can listen to all of Vikerradio’s daily commentary on the Vikerradio daily commentary page.
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2023-12-20 12:00:00
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