The Bolshoi

For many years I passed by it, stood in front of it, seen it on TV, heard about it and was always interested in it but never had the chance to go in……until now! You can’t get much bigger and more legendary than The Bolshoi! Ballerinas, and opera singers spend their whole lives dreaming and working for that one opportunity to be a part of this incredible theater and production company.

Now mind you I had not worked my entire life to get in there, but it had been a dream of mine to go inside. Not one who is into ballet and opera (I’m much more of a sport’s guy than anything else), I really did not want to shell out the big bucks for a ticket. Yet, how else would I be able to see The Bolshoi?? Luckily before I came to Russia a friend from Australia (thank you Mel Smith) posted a link on Facebook to tours of The Bolshoi. I knew instantly this was literally my ticket in!

So…when I arrived in Russia I researched how, when and where to get tickets. The process was pretty easy! Tours were conducted several days a week twice a day with tours in Russian and English. When I got to The Bolshoi there was a line outside, not that long a line, but definitely a line. I knew I better get in it. A man would emerge every few minutes from the gigantic wooden doors of The Bolshoi and call in people about ten at a time. Meanwhile the rest of us were left to freeze our asses out in the 30° F or -2 C weather with a mean wind chill. I had dressed warmly but I guess not warm enough, as I was pretty cold.

As we stood there an old guy, an employee, went down the line and asked people in Russian whether they’d be taking the tour in Russian. Everyone said Russian and since I do speak Russian I said Russian. He paused and said only citizens of The Russian Federation could take tours in Russian! WTF I thought…….not only do I have to pay more than a Russian citizen for a tour but I can’t even take it in Russian? Who the hell were they to say which language I could take the tour in?! Finally after freezing for a good half hour it was my turn to go through those doors.

When I got in and paid I asked what tour I could take and they said English! I was pretty mad inside. Eventually though the English tour guide said I was more than free to join the Russian tour. So after slipping on the little plastic slippers over my shoes that protect the floor from whatever your shoes may bring in I wandered over to the Russian group. Being inside The Bolshoi was so elegant and unbelievable! I could hardly believe that I’d finally gotten in! Everything about it just oozed with culture and glamour and I hadn’t even seen a fraction of the theater.

Our first stop was a small performance room, which was built right above the metro station “Teatralnaya”. The room is soundproof and so well built that there is no hint of arriving trains below! Our next stop would be the viewing hall, which was what I was looking forward to most.

After walking through the elegantly decorated hallways and on the beautiful perfectly shined marble floors we had at last arrived in the main viewing hall!! I’d seen it so many times on TV, in pictures, in books, etc. that it was hard to believe I was standing right there in the middle of this elegant hall. From what our guide told us the theater had been closed from 2006 to 2011 for a multi-million dollar renovation, which I guess from what I read went way over budget. Over budget, under budget, whatever, the place looked stunning as if the spared no detail in the restoration of this beauty.

While we were there they were doing all types of audiovisual tests for upcoming performances. Although I had been standing there looking around for a good five minutes I still was just in awe that I was finally in The Bolshoi. One of the features I loved the most was the VIP government box. There it sat in the center in the back of the theater with the two-headed eagle proudly atop of the box in gold with velvet red curtains with gold trim on both ends.

Our tour continued upstairs to the top of The Bolshoi. There according to our guide was what you would call the student section. For a discounted price eligible students could receive a discount. I’m not sure exactly when tickets went on sale, but from what I could understand it was usually a few days in advance of a performance. It was pretty amazing just how high the seats were. Although they were pretty high up (at the very top) I still felt you could see a lot.

Bolshoi viewing hall from the top deck

 Our tour continued, this time to a different room, a room that had a very unique feature. It was built so that the person standing in the middle of the room’s voice would echo off the ceiling so everyone could hear. It was said that this was done especially for Tsar Nicholas II who was known to have a very quiet voice. So our guide demonstrated to us and sure enough when she clapped you could hear it echo throughout the room. It was amazing!

The tour continued to a number of different rooms. It was truly like visiting a museum. Although I had enjoyed the tour my feet were starting to drag and my interest level wane a bit due to fatigue. Museum /indoor tours seem to do something to my feet, making them feel as if I am wearing shoes made of rocks. Eventually the tour concluded with a few more rooms, which were all stunning. After thanking our tour guide and dispatching of my little plastic booties that went over my shoes I felt a great sense of accomplishment. Yet another item to check off my Russia To See List!