10 shows not to be missed in Florence theatres
The events to put on the agenda until May
A rich and diverse new theatre season will animate Florence from October 2025 to March 2026, featuring major names from opera, drama and musical theatre. From Verdi and Puccini to Romeo Castellucci and Stefano Massini, here are the must-see performances across the city’s main stages.
Here is the entire season of Maggio Musicale, here is that of Teatro della Pergola.
Pagliacci + Cavalleria Rusticana (Opera)
February 22 - March 3, 2026
Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
The double bill Pagliacci by Ruggero Leoncavallo and Cavalleria rusticana by Pietro Mascagni returns in a production by Robert Carsen for the Dutch National Opera of Amsterdam. Two verismo masterpieces brought together in one powerful evening of passion and tragedy.
Arlecchino muto per spavento (Commedia dell'Arte)
February 27, 2026
Teatro Puccini
One of the most performed plays in early 18th-century Paris, presented here for the first time in the modern era, Il muto per spavento is a great tribute to the Commedia dell'Arte and the all-Italian ability to make a virtue of necessity.
Aggiungi un posto a tavola (Musical)
27, 28 February and 1 March 2026
Teatro Verdi
The classic musical by Garinei and Giovannini, with music by Armando Trovajoli, returns to Florence starring Giovanni Scifoni and Lorella Cuccarini. The story of Don Silvestro, tasked by God to build a new ark, continues to enchant audiences of all generations.
Le Carnaval, Mascarade Royale – In Concert Form
March 7, 2026
Teatro del Maggio, Auditorium
The first modern-world performance of Lulli’s final comédie-ballet. On the podium conducting the Orchestra Modo Antiquo is Federico Maria Sardelli, while the Coro de I Musici del Gran Principi is directed by Samuele Lastrucci.
Otello (Dance)
April 14, 2026
Teatro Verdi
The Rome Opera Ballet is on tour and will be performing at the Florentine theater, bringing one of its most acclaimed Shakespearean productions, Otello, to the stage with a provocative and excessive interpretation in Fabrizio Monteverde's choreography.
The death of Klinghoffer (Opera)
April 19-26, 2026
Teatro del Maggio Musicale
A new title inaugurates the 88th Maggio Musicale Festival in Florence: The Death of Klinghoffer is an opera by John Adams, conducted by Lawrence Renes, with direction and sets by Luca Guadagnino. New production, Florentine premiere.
Un ballo in maschera (Opera)
May 12-24, 2026
Teatro del Maggio Musical
From May 12 to 24, 2026, Giuseppe Verdi's Un ballo in maschera, an opera born of a complex and troubled genesis, will be staged. In 1857, the composer was commissioned to write a new title for the Teatro San Carlo in Naples and began searching for a strong subject. Having shelved his project for a Shakespearean King Lear due to lack of time, Verdi chose Eugène Scribe's libretto, Gustave III ou Le bal masqué, inspired by the assassination of the King of Sweden during a ball in 1792. However, the theme proved to be politically explosive: the depiction of the killing of a sovereign triggered the intervention of the Bourbon censors, who imposed heavy modifications. Verdi refused to distort the opera, which was linked to an elegant 18th-century style of French origin. After the failed Neapolitan debut, Un ballo in maschera saw the light of day in Rome, at the Teatro Apollo, on February 17, 1859, establishing itself as one of the most fascinating masterpieces of Verdi's mature period.
DJ Show (DJ set/teatro)
May 22-23, 2026
Nuovo Rifredi Scena Aperta
The Sotterraneo theater company celebrates its first 20 years with an eclectic playlist of songs from every genre and era, interspersed with quick actions, short texts, and fleeting visions. It's a birthday celebration that travels from city to city, retracing the group's imagination and the era in which it developed. Halfway between a DJ set and theater, rhythm and reflection merge, generating a collective movement of awareness. Concept and direction by Sara Bonaventura, Claudio Cirri, and Daniele Villa.