The Bolshoi Theatre’s newly raised ticket prices are causing some anger among its regular patrons. One comment on the theatre’s Telegram channel reads:
Six months ago, performances could be seen for less than 15,000 rubles. Now the prices for ballet are up to 50,000 rubles [€500/$560] in the stalls. For higher tier seats and places with limited visibility, prices range from 6,000 to 35,000 rubles [€350]. The theatre is a State-funded cultural institution. With prices so high, the quality has often ceased to match the price.
EurAsia Daily reports that comments on the Telegram channel on this topic are ignored or deleted.
Blogger Natalia Beizerova told Moskovsky Komsomolets,
Such a dreadful increase in ticket prices began with the arrival of Valery Gergiev as director of the Bolshoi Theatre, and I would like to note that at the Mariinsky Theatre, where he is also the director, there are not these high prices.
This slap in the face is painful, insulting and unfair. I am sorry that our entire audience family is in this awful situation, and I am sorry for the artists who will now not be performing in front of those who love them, but in front of those who came just for a selfie with a chandelier.
This is the second increase in ticket prices at the Bolshoi since the beginning of the year. There was a significant increase in February, with the cheapest seats increasing by 150%. Now the traditionally lower-priced morning and matinée performances of Nutcracker for families are to be priced as the evening shows. Izvestia newspaper reports that the national theatre price increase is only 4%.
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Graham Spicer is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan, aka ‘Gramilano’. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times. He wrote the ‘Danza in Italia’ column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on ‘Codice Carla’, 2023’s documentary on Carla Fracci.
