Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
179
as “Stalin's box”). The seats are separate, movable chairs, and the balconies are divided
into separate cabins of a few seats each. Most hotels can arrange tickets, but at a hefty
markup. The official ticket office is in an adjacent building, with computer screens listing
available seats and their prices—but in Russian only. Lines are not long. Tickets must be
purchased at least a week in advance. For the main stage, prices range from 750 to 5,000
rubles, with big draws such as the ever-popular
Swan Lake
more expensive than others.
A smaller, newer stage hosts performances of the same caliber as those on the main stage,
but at about half the price. Tickets can also be purchased online before your trip.
Note:
The Bolshoi is currently undergoing extensive, much-needed renovations that
will expand it two-fold, adding a 26-meter deep second stage underground. The main
stage shut down in 2005, and full renovations are expected to take a few years (2011 is
the target year for completion of renovations). The second stage remains open, hosting
the main company and all the same performances. 1 Teatralnaya Sq.
&
495/250-7317.
www.bolshoi.ru. Metro: Teatralnaya.
Moiseyev Ballet
Founded in 1937 by Bolshoi Theater choreographer Igor Moiseyev,
this company sought to break free from the restraints of classical dance and has been
putting on brilliant performances of their mixture of ballet and folk dance ever since.
Folk dances emphasize rhythms from Russia and other former Soviet republics. The
company performs at different theaters around town (and around the world), so keep an
eye out for their posters at theater kiosks (called
teatralniye kassy
) or for ads in the Eng-
lish-language press.
31 Tverskaya St.
&
495/699-5372.
www.moiseyev.ru. Metro: Pushkinskaya.
Moscow Operetta Theater
This charming theater staged ideologically correct
musicals, mocking the aristocracy and the consumer class, for decades after its founding
in 1927, but over the years it gradually shed most of them from its repertoire. Today, the
theater mostly sticks to classics and accessible musicals, such as
The Merry Widow
and
My
Fair Lady,
but also features new Russian operettas. Performances are in Russian, but if
the fare is familiar it's well worth a visit—the performers are quite strong.
6 Bolshaya
Dmitrovka Ulitsa.
&
495/925-5050.
www.mosoperetta.ru. Metro: Teatralnaya.
Stanislavsky Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater
This opera and ballet theater is
a more modest but well-respected younger sister of the Bolshoi, with an impressive inte-
rior and talented company. The repertoire is unadventurous, though a current renovation
of the building may result in upgraded shows too. Reliable choices include
Le Corsaire,
Don Quixote,
and of course anything Tchaikovsky. It's a good option if the Bolshoi is sold
out or beyond your budget.
17 Bolshaya Dmitrovka.
&
495/629-2835.
www.stanislavskymusic.
ru. Metro: Pushkinskaya.
State Kremlin Palace
The spectacular performances by the Kremlin Ballet Com-
pany suffer from this unfortunate venue, an enormous hall built to house Communist
Party congresses. The sleek but bleak 1970s-era design kills most of the beauty and won-
der projected by the performers. Still, the performances are strong and this is a fine place
to come if you can't afford tickets anywhere else. Many organized tours include shows
here. If you're on your own, tickets cost as little as 65 rubles, but it's worth paying a bit
more to get centrally located seats instead of seats on the very-far-away balcony or at the
fringes. Concentrate on the dancing, not the surroundings, which include 6,000 seats
equipped with electronic voting buttons and earphones for simultaneous interpretation
of political congresses.
State Kremlin Palace (aka the Kremlin Palace of Congresses), on the
Kremlin grounds; entrance through Borovitsky Gates.
&
495/628-5232.
www.kremlin-gkd.ru.
Metro: Borovitskaya or Biblioteka Imeni Lenina.
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