The Nutcracker – Tchaikovsky
Going to the ballet in Russia is just one of those experiences it Is fun to say you have had so we bought tickets at the school last week and last night saw Tchaikovsky’s the Nutcracker performed at the Mikhailovsky Theatre. Ok so the Mikhailovsky may not be as well known as Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre or Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, but it was pretty fantastic nonetheless. It would be almost impossible for me to explain what the theatre looked like, so I will attach one of the photos we took so that you can get a better visualization. We got all dressed up, with Laura and Jessi too, and Ross called and booked us a cab long in advance so that we would have plenty of time to get there. We learned from our friends’ experience that this was a good idea because, the other night when they were supposed to have seen Swan Lake at the same theatre, they tried to order a taxi an hour before they wanted to leave, and it was too late. Then they tried to run to the metro and take that to the theatre, but they arrived 10 minutes after the ballet had started so they weren’t allowed into the theatre. We did not want to risk arriving late. We actually ended up arriving about an hour before the performance so Ross and I were able to buy a snack (really good open-faced sandwiches, his with a type of Kolbasa, tomato and mustard, and mine with cheese and red caviar yum!). The only downside to being there so early was that we had plenty of time to realize that we had over dressed! We were under the impression that going out to a theatre was one of those many dress up occasions here, and we have been told a few times that Russians all like to get dressed up when they go out, but we saw people in jeans, little kids in hooded sweaters, and all in all stood out quite a bit. The performance itself was awesome, what we could see of it that is! For the first act, the people sitting in front of us were positioned so that we could easily see most of the stage, but during the second act, they had all switched seats (they were a group of students and their teacher from France) and the main teacher, who was constantly snapping her fingers (no idea why) and waving to her students across the theatre, sat right in front of me, sat as tall as she possibly could, and then moved around as often as possible so I couldn’t see a thing. About ten minutes into the second act, I decided to stand up (we were on the isle and there was only one row of seats behind us and then just empty risers between them and the door). I actually wish I had been standing for the entire performance because I could see the entire stage. Other people, who didn’t have tickets were allowed to stand as well, I believe without paying (probably people who had shown up that night wanting tickets and were told that the show was sold out), but they definitely had a great view! Far better than my seat in the second row on the second balcony, and I am sure far better than those on the top balcony, or the people who were seated behind me.