Moments from Carre

Koninklijk Theater Carre began not as a theatre at all but as a permanent circus building, commissioned by Oscar Carre in 1887 after Amsterdam authorities grew tired of granting his traveling circus temporary permits year after year and told him to build something permanent or stop asking. The result, a grand round building on the Amstel river, still shows its circus DNA in its circular auditorium and sightlines, even though it now runs a program of musicals, concerts, cabaret, and dance far more often than anything involving actual animals.

Its riverside setting is part of the draw independent of whatever's on stage, the building's reflection in the Amstel at night is one of Amsterdam's recognizable views, and several canal cruise routes pass directly in front of it. If you're attending a specific performance, arrive early enough to appreciate the building itself, the ornate circular interior and the history embedded in its round shape reward a slow look before the house lights go down, something most audiences, focused on finding their seats, tend to rush straight past.