The Bolshoi Theater’s channel on YouTube will be broadcasting live from the reopening ceremony and gala performance this Friday October 28.
The live broadcast from this landmark event will be available to online viewers from 36 states at 18.00 Moscow time on October 28. As well as Russia, the broadcast will be available to viewers in North, South and Central America. The Bolshoi Theater will be inviting viewers to leave comments and congratulations on its page.
This is definitely good news for thousands of people within Moscow and millions outside the Russian capital, as the theater administration decided not to sell tickets for the grand reopening. This truly historic event will unfold in the presence of state officials of all ranks, as well as celebrities, honorable guests and the press.
There have been reports in the media that that some ticket companies and illicit touts have already been caught selling invitations to the opening night for enormous sums of money, in some cases up to millions of roubles! The theater administration denies any involvement in the matter.
The gala performance will also be showcased on big screens in front of the theater building on Teatralnaya Square in central Moscow.
The world-famous Bolshoi Theatre is reopening after a major reconstruction that lasted over six years and is believed to be the most expensive theater renovation project ever.
This will not be the first high-profile live broadcast hosted by YouTube. Service-users have already enjoyed live concerts by U2, Paul McCartney, James Blunt and other musicians. In April 2011, YouTube also streamed a live broadcast of the epic wedding ceremony between Prince William and Kate Middleton.