Bolshoi's Facelift

The curtain will come down on Moscow's Bolshoi theater next year - though just temporarily. After planning and then putting off repairs for years, the historic theater has announced it will close for at least two seasons starting next May for badly needed renovations.

If a single building can represent the greatness of Russian culture--its Moscow's Bolshoi Theater. And though its dancers and divas are renowned, its building is run-down after decades of neglect.

Despite lucrative tours of the West, and constant sell outs at home, the Bolshoi hasn't had enough cash to renovate its home in more than 50 years. The long-delayed and badly needed rehab aims to keep the theater's classic elegance but add state-of-the-art equipment.

Aleksei Ratmansky, ballet director of the Bolshoi Theater says, "It has an atmosphere that we hope will stay, because it's very important to have this feeling of tradition. But technically, it's very old fashioned inside."

Bolshoi means "big" in Russian - and its building holds a maze of rehearsal halls and practice rooms behind the giant theater. Though the dancing is sublime, the surroundings are shabby.

The dancers may float like swans, but on the warped floors they land like ostriches. Officials here have known for years that the Bolshoi Theater needs a "bolshoi" renovation. But coming up with the money to renovate this Moscow landmark has been no small task.

The UN's cultural arm, UNESCO, tried for years to find private donors to fund the repairs but failed, perhaps because Russia didn't offer tax breaks. Eventually, the Russian government jumped in with several hundred million dollars.

The renovation is expected to last two and a half years, but the final cost and timeline really depend on what lies under the theater's five golden tiers after years of decay.

"We really don't know what's under there," warns the Bolshoi's general director, Anatoly Iksanov. "When renovating a large historical building like this one, there can be major surprises,"

The government also funded the construction of a new, smaller stage for the Bolshoi. And that's where the show will go on during the renovations, no matter how long it takes to give the face of Russian culture a face-lift.

By Beth Knobel