Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater

Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater

Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater
4.5
About
Though modest in size, The Gabriadze Theater is among of the world’s preeminent cultural institutions. Presenting mature puppet performances full of depth and meaning, it has gained the respect and recognition of international audiences and critics alike. Based in its home theater in Tbilisi, Georgia, the company is under the direction of noted artist, writer, and director Rezo Gabriadze (who’s awards include Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters of the French Republic – France’s highest recognition for cultural achievement.) Gabriadze Theater has toured extensively, with recent venues including: N.Y.’s Lincoln Center Festival; The Edinburgh Festival; Bogota Theater Festival; San Sebastian Festival, Spain; Toronto World Stage Festival; Barbican Center, London; Theater de la Ville, Paris; Kennedy Center Festival, Washington, D.C.; as well an extended 2013 run at Moscow’s Theater Art Studio.
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  • Freedom Square • 8 min walk
  • Avlabari • 10 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles520 reviews
Excellent
371
Very good
115
Average
25
Poor
3
Terrible
6

Xanerin
Alice Springs, Australia1,506 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022
Rezo Gabriadze was born in 1936 and is a theatre and film director, writer, painter and sculptor. He founded the theatre in 1981. The clock tower was added in 2011. On the hour, a window opens and a mannequin of an angel strikes the bell. Below the clock, a screen opens and shows the circle of life - boy meets girl, marriage, childbirth and funeral. So different!
Written December 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Smita B
Mumbai, India59 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2022 • Couples
I had a delightful experience at Gabriadze Theater in Tbilisi. As if the clock tower was not cute enough, I was tickled and amazed to watch the entertaining puppet/ Marionette show "The Autumn of My Springtime” whose hero (Boris) is a drunk womanizer and a foul mouthed bird! While light hearted and ironic, the play is actually a treatise on the postwar years in a deserted and impoverished Kutaisi. The mastery over the puppetry was something to gawk at. An unmissable opportunity in Tbilisi.

Shows are pricey but totally worth it.
Written July 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Tissa.travels
Rotterdam, The Netherlands2,265 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2019
Funny looking building. Watch the tower come to life at noon (don't know if it's playing every hour). Nice stop with an adjacent cafe/restaurant for a small meal or a drink. You can also watch a show inside the theatre, which we didn't.
Written January 31, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

ChrisThomasTravels
Manama, Bahrain618 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2022 • Couples
We stopped by when we spotted the crooked clock tower. Designed such that it looks to be built of blocks piled higgledy piggledy, this architectural oddity was hard to miss. Unfortunately, we did miss out on viewing a performance here! We will have to return to rectify this tragedy, should we find ourselves in Tbilisi again!
Written November 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

archil a
Tbilisi, Georgia753 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2016
It is a kind of atmospheric small theater with a vintage interior foyer, a tiny ticket office with a low door. About Tower Theater to write a lot will not, I note only that it is as strange as the performances. Nothing more strange and interesting at the same time, at the same time make you think I have not seen.
Written February 6, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Bianca Basak
Dubai, United Arab Emirates48 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2018 • Couples
It was a puppet show, for God’s sake! I didn’t expect it to be neither so heart-wrenching, nor so mind blowing, so deep, so artistic, so creative! Mustn’t be surprised at its success for so many years and popularity all over the world - I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere…

Anyhow, we opted for Stalingrad this time and will definitely be watching all the others too. There wasn’t too much dialogue but when the puppets did speak, it was in Russian and there were English subtitles above the stage. No Georgian anywhere though, strangely enough…

The theatre is small, cosy and has a very suitable vintage atmosphere, sweeping you into decades and decades ago instantly.

The tickets sell out fast and are apparently released towards the end/beginning of each month so I was able to secure them at some point since I live in Tbilisi. If you can't secure a ticket try to at least walk past it and take a photo of the crookedy, Dali-esque clock tower in front of it.

Apparently there is an automated outdoor puppet show on the clock tower that you can watch from the outside at 12 pm (I think) so try to catch a glimpse of that at least. I know I will.

If my time was limited in Tbilisi, I would skip going to a museum or dinner somewhere and would definitely opt for this instead (unless a Georgian dancing show is an option-never miss an opportunity to watch Georgian dancing if you haven’t already :-D ) 


And if you choose to watch Stalingrad, bring your tissues if war kills your little heart, just like it kills everything else…
Written December 2, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mohamed Sami
Alexandria, Egypt1,466 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2020
Didn't have the chance to attend any plays in the theatre, but still I enjoyed a lot the view of the old style architecture of the theatre and its fairy-tale clock tower. So beautiful
Written January 31, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

eatanddrinkandsleep
35 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2018 • Couples
I visited in 2015 and saw one marionette show, which was a highlight of my entire Georgia trip. I excitedly returned with my partner in tow tonight to see 'Rezo', but to our surprise - and disappointment - it was not a puppet performance, but a film. Granted, the film was excellent and a fascinating, often whimsical examination of the owner's childhood, but we do wish that someone at the box office had informed us about this, as now we don't have the time to return to see a "proper" performance.
Written June 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

maryam_yg
Manama, Bahrain19 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2017 • Family
We reached there at 12:00pm, just on time to watch the small window opens at the top of tower and an Angel comes out to strike the bell. Then below the clock, a screen opens and "the circle of life puppet show" starts.
Written May 8, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

belleretraite
Montreal, Canada7,963 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2016 • Couples
We have seen a lot of clock towers in the world but this one stands out as being one of the most original ! It had been recently repaired and we were able to see the angel at 12:00 hrs !
Written December 31, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Rezo Gabriadze Marionette Theater - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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