Entertainment in Moscow
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16 Tons
This club is widely believed to be the hottest live music venue in the capital, attracting top local and foreign bands, who almost always play to a packed house. The brassy English pub-restaurant downstairs has an excellent house-brewed bitter.
reviewed
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Real Mccoy
This ‘bootlegger’s bar’ has walls plastered in old newspapers, two-for-one happy-hour specials (5pm to 8pm) and a dance floor crowded with expats. There is live jazz and rock music in the evenings (9pm Wednesday to Sunday) then, after 11pm, the serious drinking begins. The later it gets, the more they drink. The Real McCoy is considered to be the last of Moscow’s old-fashioned debauched and depraved dive bars, where women are invited to dance on the bar (preferably without a shirt on) and men are practically guaranteed to take home a new friend, if they are not too picky.
reviewed
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Night Flight
This continues to be one of Moscow's most popular spots for business travellers on expense accounts, despite - or because of - its dubious reputation. Indeed, it's hard to miss the crowds of working women hanging around this club. Nonetheless, the restaurant continues to receive rave reviews, thanks to Swedish ingredients and chefs. And the dance floor is always hopping. No cover charge for restaurant guests.
reviewed
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Tchaikovsky Concert Hall
Home to the famous State Philharmonic (Moskovsky Gosudarstvenny Akademichesky Filharmonia), the capital’s oldest symphony orchestra, the concert hall was established in 1921. It’s a huge auditorium, with seating for 1600 people. This is where you can expect to hear the Russian classics such as Stravinsky, Rachmaninov and Shostakovich, as well as other European favourites.
reviewed
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Sportland
Non-stop sports on three giant screens and countless smaller plasma TVs around the bar. You will undoubtedly be able to catch your team's big game here, no matter who your team might be. Otherwise, there is no reason to frequent this casino-bar, unless you enjoy glaring lights, blaring slot machines and greasy food. The Rbl500-cover charge gets subtracted from your bill.
reviewed
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F
Propaganda
This long-time favourite looks to be straight from the warehouse district, with exposed brick walls and pipe ceilings. It’s a café by day, but at night they clear the dance floor and let the DJ do his stuff. This is a gay-friendly place, especially on Sunday nights.
reviewed
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Bar 30/7
This slick bar on the Boulevard Ring is somewhere to see and be seen in Moscow. If you can snag a seat in the attached 'sun room' seating area, you will enjoy a lovely view of the boulevard promenade. Good luck, as the place gets packed on weekends.
reviewed
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Bolshoi Theatre
An evening at the Bolshoi is still one of Moscow’s most romantic and entertaining options, with an electric atmosphere in the glittering six-tier auditorium. Both the ballet and opera companies perform a range of Russian and foreign works here. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Bolshoi was marred by politics, scandal and frequent turnover. Yet the show must go on – and it will. Unlike other theatres around Moscow, it is not possible to buy tickets to the Bolshoi at the teatralnaya kassa (theatre kiosk). In theory, tickets can be reserved by phone or over the internet, or (depending on the season) it is often possible to purchase tickets at the Bolshoi’s box…
reviewed
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The Most
If you want to party like the novy russky (New Russians) this is the place for you. It is certainly among the most expensive, the most exclusive and the most extravagant clubs in Moscow. Located in the basement of a fancy French restaurant, its post-industrial space is decorated with baroque architectural elements (think gold-framed mirrors bedecking red brick walls, and crystal chandeliers suspended alongside black iron pipes). Girls in gowns groove along the catwalk overlooking the dance floor. The place is co-owned by Roman Abramovich, the most rich and famous of all New Russians. PS – face control; the most.
reviewed
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Moscow Children’s Musical Theatre
Founded by theatre legend Natalya Sats (the official name of the theatre is the Natalya Sats Moscow Children’s Theatre) in 1965, this was the country’s first children’s theatre. Sats, apparently, was the inspiration for Prokofiev’s famous rendition of Peter and the Wolf, which is still among the best and most popular performances at the children’s theatre. All performances staged here are highly entertaining and educational, as actors appear in costume before the show and talk with the children.
reviewed
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Solyanka
Solyanka No 11 is a historic 18th-century merchant’s mansion that has been revamped into an edgy, post-industrial club. Wide plank-wood floors, exposed brick walls, leather furniture and funky light fixtures transform the space. By day it’s an excellent restaurant, serving contemporary, creative Russian and European food. On Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, the big bar room gets cleared of tables and the DJ spins hip hop, techno and rave. The music usually starts at 11pm (and so does the face control).
reviewed
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Chaikhona No 1
Hermitage Gardens (495-971 6842; 2pm-last guest; Chekhovskaya); Gorky Park (495-778 1756; Frunzenskaya) Housed in an inviting, exotic tent, laid with oriental rugs and plush pillows, this cool Uzbek lounge and café is one of the best chill-out spots in the city. Enjoy fruity drinks and spicy hookahs. If you are hungry, there is plov (meat and rice) and shashlyk on the menu. There are other outlets around the city but the setting can’t compare to these park cafés.
reviewed
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Satirikon Theatre
Boasting one of Moscow’s most talented theatre producers, Konstantin Raikin, as well as a host of big-name directors, the Satirikon earned a reputation in the early 1990s with its outrageously expensive production of the Threepenny Opera. It has since broken its own record for expenditure with Chantecler, which featured ducks, cockerels and hens dancing on stage. From Rizhskaya metro take any trolleybus to the Kinoteatr Gavana stop and follow the crowds.
reviewed
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Gelikon Opera
Named after famous Mt Helicon, home to the muses and inspiration for musicians, this early-1990s opera company is unique in Moscow for its innovative, even experimental, opera performances. Director Dmitry Bertman is known for ‘combining musical excellence with artistic risk’, according to one local dramaturge. The Gelikon’s 250-seat theatre provides an intimate setting that allows for some interaction between the performers and the audience.
reviewed
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Lebedinoe Ozero
The name means ‘Swan Lake’ and, yes, it overlooks a little pond where resident swans float contentedly. Aside from the idyllic setting at the southern end of Gorky Park, this place is a happening summertime haunt thanks to lounge chairs in the sun, (expensive) fruity cocktails and a small swimming pool for cooling dips or late-night aquatic dancing. To really cure the summertime blues, book some time in the massage hut (per hour R1400 to R1600).
reviewed
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Maly Theatre
‘Maly’ means small, meaning smaller than the Bolshoi across the street. Actually, these names date back to the time when there were only two theatres in town: the opera theatre was always called the ‘Bolshoi’ while the drama theatre was the ‘Maly’. This elegant theatre, founded in 1824, mainly features performances of 19th-century works by Ostrovsky and the like, many of which premiered here back in the day.
reviewed
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Petrovich
The Soviet Union is gone but not forgotten. Remember simpler times at this popular retro restaurant, which reminisces with propaganda posters, hammer-and-sickle cutlery and Soviet pop music. The menu is riddled with inside jokes about the good ol’ days. This doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would have face control, but it is, so book a table in advance to play it safe. Enter through an unmarked door in the courtyard.
reviewed
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Stanislavsky & Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theatre
This is an opera and ballet company with a similar classical repertoire to the Novaya Opera and high-quality performances. This historic company was founded when two legends of the Moscow theatre scene – Konstantin Stanislavsky and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko – joined forces in 1941. Their newly created theatre became a workshop for applying the innovative dramatic methods of the Moscow Art Theatre to opera and ballet.
reviewed
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Club Che
The revolution lives on at this popular, divey bar. The walls are covered with revolutionary graffiti and photos of the iconic namesake hero. Patrons get their groove on the dance floor to salsa and merengue music. The cuisine is more Tex-Mex than Cuban, but nobody is complaining about the huge plates of nachos and the spicy chilli. Bartenders also mix a mean mojito (rum drink with lime, sugar and mint) with Havana Club rum.
reviewed
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Moscow International House Of Music
This graceful, modern, glass building has three halls, including Svetlanov Hall, which holds the largest organ in Russia. Needless to say, organ concerts held here are impressive. This is the usual venue for performances by the National Philharmonic of Russia (www.nfor.ru), a privately financed and highly lauded classical-music organisation. Founded in 1991, the symphony is directed and conducted by the esteemed Vladimir Spivakov.
reviewed
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GQ Bar
Anything that Arkady Novikov touches seems to turn to gold. Which may explain why this joint project with Condé Nast is currently Moscow’s hippest destination for drinks, dinner and other early evening socialising. The contemporary decor features an open kitchen and a subtle Asian theme, which is echoed in the menu. If you actually intend to sit down and eat, be sure to reserve a table and bring a bucket of money.
reviewed
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Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Bulvar
Founded in 1880, this smaller circus is now named after beloved actor and clown Yury Nikulin (1921–97), who performed at the studio here for many years. Unlike performances seen at most traditional circuses, Nikulin’s shows centre on a given theme, which serves to add some cohesion to the productions. But the gist is the same – there are lots of trapeze artists, tightrope walkers and performing animals.
reviewed
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Moscow Art Theatre
Often called the most influential theatre in Europe, this is where method acting was founded over 100 years ago, by Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko. Besides the theatre itself and an acting studio-school, a small museum about the theatre’s history is also on site. Watch for English-language versions of Russian classics performed by Studio Six (www.studiosix.nyc.org), an American offspring of MKhT.
reviewed
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B2
This huge, four-storey entertainment complex has long rated among Moscow's favourite nightlife hot spots, probably because it offers something for everyone. Take your pick from several dance floors, a `chill-out room', an airy courtyard, billiards, karaoke and more. The place holds over 1500 people, which makes it an excellent venue for top music acts. This is a branch of the original club, Bunker, on Tverskaya ulitsa.
reviewed
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Hungry Duck
An infamous bar, often described as the wildest in Europe. Its reputation is that most people lose most of their clothes by midnight, with every woman dancing on the bar. This may have something to do with the policy of free drinks for women till 23:00 on some nights. Everybody agrees, for better or for worse, that this place is `not as the same as it used to be.' Enter from the courtyard next to the metro station.
reviewed