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Staatsoper Unter den Linden (Map; 2035 4555; www.staatsoper-berlin.org; Unter den Linden 7, performances at Schiller Theater, Bismarckstrasse 110; tickets €5-160) While the grand dame of Berlin’s opera houses is getting a facelift (probably until 2013), you’ll have to travel to the Schiller Theater in Charlottenburg (Map) to attend the high-calibre productions staged under Daniel Barenboim. All operas are sung in their original language.

Deutsche Oper Berlin (Map; 3438 4343; www.deutscheoperberlin.de; Bismarckstrasse 35, Charlottenburg; tickets €12-118) The acoustics of Berlin’s largest opera house are the stuff of every tenor’s dreams and thanks to its first-ever female boss, Kirsten Harms, its stuffy image has been dropped. All operas are performed in the original language.

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Cabaret & Varieté

Admiralspalast (Map; 4799 7499; www.admiralspalast.de, in German; Friedrichstrasse 101-102) This beautifully restored 1920s party palace stages crowd-pleasing plays, concerts and musicals in its elegant historic hall, and more intimate shows – including comedy, readings, dance, concerts and theatre – on two smaller stages.

Bar Jeder Vernunft (Map; 883 1582; www.bar-jeder-vernunft.de, in German; Schaperstrasse 24, Charlottenburg) Life’s still a cabaret at this intimate 1912 art-nouveau mirrored tent, which puts on song-and-dance shows, comedy and chanson evenings plus the famous Cabaret cult musical itself.

Blue Man Group (Map; 01805-4444; www.bluemangroup.de; Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 4, Mitte) This musical and visual extravaganza, starring slightly nutty and energetic guys dipped in Smurf-blue latex suits, performs at its own permanent theatre, a converted IMAX now called Bluemax.

Chamäleon Varieté (Map; 4000 5930; www.chamaeleon-variete.de; Rosenthaler Strasse 40/41, Mitte) An alchemy of art-nouveau charms and high-tech theatre, this intimate former ballroom presents classy variety shows – comedy, juggling acts and singing – often in sassy, sexy and unconventional fashion.

Friedrichstadtpalast (Map; 2326 2326; www.friedrichstadtpalast.de; Friedrichstrasse 107) Marlene Dietrich and Ella Fitzgerald have graced the stage of this 1920s vintage palace. Today, Europe’s largest revue theatre does mostly glitzy-glam Vegas-style productions with leggy showgirls in skimpy costumes and feather boas. Since it’s hard to fill the 2000 seats, its future is uncertain.

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Cinemas

Going to the movies is pretty pricey, with Saturday-night tickets at the multiplexes costing up to €11. Almost all cinemas also add a sneaky Überlängezuschlag (overrun supplement) of €0.50 to €1 for films longer than 90 minutes. Go before 5pm or on Kinotag (film day, usually Monday to Wednesday) to save up to 50%. Indie theatres are usually cheaper than the megaplexes. In summer, watching movies alfresco in a Freiluftkino (outdoor cinema) is a venerable tradition.

Most cinemas show mainstream Hollywood fare dubbed into German. Movies screened in their original language are denoted in listings by the acronym ‘OF’ (Originalfassung) or ‘OV’ (Originalversion); those with German subtitles are marked ‘OmU’ (Original mit Untertiteln).

The venues listed here all screen English-language films.

Arsenal (Map; 2695 5100; Filmhaus, Potsdamer Strasse 2, Sony Center, Tiergarten) Nonmainstream fare from around the world.

Babylon Mitte (Map; 242 5969; Rosa-Luxemburg-Strasse 30, Mitte) Modern art-house fare, silent films, themed screenings and literary readings.

Cinestar Original (Map; 2606 6260; www.cinestar.de; Potsdamer Strasse 4, Tiergarten) Hollywood blockbusters, all in English, all the time.

Eiszeit (Map; 611 6016; Zeughofstrasse 20, Kreuzberg) Obscure, alternative and experimental films.

Filmkunst 66 (Map; 882 1753; Bleibtreustrasse 12, Charlottenburg) Indie house known for offbeat flicks and annual film festival.

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Theatre

Berlin has more than 100