De Kleine Komedie: Theatre in Rembrandtpleinbuurt, Amsterdam

De Kleine Komedie is the cabaret theatre of Amsterdam, a 500-seat hall on the Amstel at the corner of the Halvemaansteeg, close to Rembrandtplein. Built in 1786, it is the oldest theatre in the city, and the place to see Dutch cabaret and kleinkunst in a small, ornate room. The house calls the auditorium a bonbonnière, and the programme is close to single-minded: comedians and theatre makers with humour and something to say. It works with the Nederlands Theater Festival on the Cabaret Collectie, a yearly selection from the past season. There are no regular opening hours as such. The box office and bar work around the shows, so check the agenda for what is on. It opened as a French-language theatre and opera house, with Louis Napoleon and King William I among the regulars, and later became a German theatre, a Scottish mission church from 1856 and, during the war, a bicycle store. The Perin-Bouwmeester couple reopened it in 1947 as De Kleine Komedie, and Wim Kan and Toon Hermans played here. The fire brigade condemned the building in 1973 and it stood empty until a privately funded renovation in 1978. When subsidy cuts threatened it in 1988, Youp van 't Hek took up its cause. The box office answers the phone on show days from 16:00, or from 13:00 for a matinee, and is closed on days without a show. Of the 500 seats, 400 have a full view of the stage. You can collect a hearing support system from the box office, and guide dogs are welcome if you mention them when you book. Tram 24 stops at Muntplein, and metro lines 51, 53 and 54 stop at Waterlooplein.