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Moscow Nightlife Moscow Nightlife - TravelPuppy.com Discos are popular in Moscow, although there are also a growing number of pub-type bars, many of which serve food. These generally offer a happy hour, with 2-for-1 drink specials. There is no shortage of exotic entertainment and Western men tend to attract young Russian women. Some bars can be quite violent – it is best for visitors to ask for local advice on which ones to stay away from. Moscow has a number of 24-hour bars and ‘night restaurants’ that are often open until 0500hrs or 0600hrs. These combine dining, drinking and entertainment all under one roof. Otherwise, bars tend to stay open until 2400hrs or 0100hrs. The minimum drinking age is 18 years, although the minimum purchasing age is 21 years. Cover charges differ – some places actually offer free drinks for a limited time, while others charge a cover of Rb613-919/US$20-30 (or more). Live music is played all over the city but quality acts are not so easy to come by. Many of the clubs and bars are located in the larger hotels or the immediate vicinity. Because of the rocky economy, clubs and bars tend to close down and open up fairly frequently. EXile, the American expat newspaper, offers an up-to-date, if somewhat rude, guide. Bars The John Bull Pub, Kutuzovsky proezd 4, has decent music and stays open until 0300hrs at the weekend. The Irish pub Rosie O’Grady’s, Znamenka ulitsa 9/12, is a well-liked spot. Homesick Canadians head for the Moosehead Canadian Bar, Bolshaya Polyanka ulitsa 54, where buffalo wings and other bar food keeps the customers happy and beers cost Rb122-184/US$4-6 (daily 1200-0500). Chesterfield’s, Zemlyanoy val 26, has the longest bar in Russia and draws a mixed expat and Russian crowd. For those who enjoy cigar and cognac, The Embassy Club, Bryusov pereulok 8/10, provides an appropriately swanky environment. The News Bar, Petrovka ulitsa, has recently made a stylish entrance into the nightlife of Muscovites, while OGI Project, Potapovsky pereulok, has become extremely popular. Casinos There are numerous casinos in Moscow. Some of the more elegant ones are attached to the 5-star hotels. The 24-hour Casino Metropol, located in the hotel of the same name at Teatralny proezd 1/4, is a classic casino with blackjack, poker and roulette. The minimum wager is Rb166/US$25. For lower stakes, the Olympic Casino Club, aboard the Valery Brusov, Krymskaya naberezhnaya, is open 1900-0600hrs and offers roulette, blackjack and poker. Another alternative is the Casino Moskva, located inside the Leningradskaya Hotel, Kalanchevskaya ulitsa 21/40. There is an age restriction of 18 years for gambling; a passport is not always necessary and the dress code is smart-casual. Clubs Propaganda, Bolshoi Zlatoustinksy pereulok 7, is one of the city’s best dance clubs and plays non-techno tunes. Techno ravers head for Khaos, on Timirgazevskaya ulitsa 17. Brand, Smolensky ploshchad, has a more upmarket feel with bars and a disco. The big-name international DJs who appear from time to time at Club XIII, Myanitskaya ulitsa, attract foreigners and young Russians with pockets full of hard cash. Titanik, inside the Young Pioneers Stadium, Leningradsky prospekt 31, is a famous techno club with a decent but expensive chill-out area (the cover charge is Rb919/US$30). Clubs catering to gay crowd are becoming very popular in Moscow. The most frequented of these is Central Station, Bolshaya Tatarskaya ulitsa, which could almost contend with any Western gay club. Homophobia is still very much in evidence in Moscow, so it is advisable for visitors to avoid going to the gay clubs alone. Dance One of the world’s most well-known ballet and opera companies, the Bolshoi, is based in Moscow, from September to June (performances are daily at 1900 and weekend matinees). The company, formed in the year 1773, began its rise to fame in 1918. Yuri Grigorovich, who directed the company for decades, until 1995, raised the Bolshoi’s status internationally, supported by some formidable dancers. The Bolshoi Theatre, Teatralnaya ploshchad 1 (tel: (095) 299 5325), a grand neo-classical building that was constructed in 1824, is famous for its size and the quality of the acoustics. If, for some reason, tickets for the Bolshoi are not available, visitors should try the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Music Theatre (known as the Stasic) on Bol Dmitrovka ulitsa 17 (tel: (095) 229 2835) – Moscow’s ‘second Bolshoi’. Founded in 1940, the auditorium is small but the stagings are of very high quality – the Swan Lake is reputed to rival that of the Bolshoi. Film Moscow Film Festival takes place in July. English language films can be seen at the American House of Cinema, located in the Radisson Slavjanskya Hotel (tel: (095) 941 8890), the International Cinema Centre, on Krasnaya Presnaya, Druzhinnikovskaya ulitsa 15 (tel: (095) 205 7306), and the Dome Theatre, located in the Moscow Renaissance Penta Hotel (tel: (095) 931 9000). The International Cinema Centre also screens arthouse movies and houses the Cinema Museum (tel: (095) 255 9057), which screens retrospectives, documentaries and silent movies. Listings for movies can be found in the Friday edition of The Moscow Times. Sergei Eisenstein captured one of Moscow and Russia’s most unkind rulers in the films Ivan the Terrible I and II (1945 and 1958 respectively). The famous director also used the Kolisei cinema (now Sovremennik Theatre) for his Proletcult worker’s theatre. Live music Many of the clubs and bars have live music – usually rock but occasionally country, reggae or folk – for a couple of hours in the evening (generally 2200-2400/0100). For jazz and blues, the Arbat Blues Club, Aksakov pereulok 11, is considered one of the finest spots in Moscow. azz Art Club, Begovaya ulitsa 5, offers what the name suggests for a Rb214/US$7 entry fee. Bunker, Tverskaya ulitsa 12, and Tabula Rasa, Berezhkovskaya naberezhnaya 28, both feature live bands, cover charge depends on the night and who is playing. The Voodoo Lounge, Sredny Tishinsky pereulok 5/7, is a recent arrival, hosting rock and Latin music. Music The Moscow Conservatory, Nikitskaya ulitsa 13 (tel: (095) 229 8183), is an important music school, as well as the venue for the main concerts – premieres of works by Sergei Prokofiev and Dmitry Shoshtakovich took place here. Pyotr Tchaikovsky taught at the Conservatory but died before public concerts started in the year 1898. One of the students who he commended for his thesis project was Sergei Rachmaninoff. Concerts take place in both Great and Small Halls. Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, Triumphalaya ploshchad 4/30 (tel: (095) 299 3957), hosts a full programme of symphony and chamber concerts, as well as special festivals and performances of Russian national dance and organ and choral music. Arbat-Opera, Arbat ulitsa 35 (tel: (095) 248 0987), is one of the new music theatres in Moscow and, although it is small, it is ideal for chamber operas of Pergolezzi, Rimsky Korsakov, Pulenc and the like. Theatre Moscow’s pre-eminent theatre company is the MKHAT imeni Chekhova (Moscow Art Theatre, named after Chekhov), Kamergersky pereulok 3 (tel: (095) 229 8760), founded in the year 1898. It revolutionised drama in Europe, staging plays by Anton Chekhov and providing a place for the method acting techniques of Konstantin Stanislavsky. No longer futuristic, the theatre today continues the tradition of method acting. The Maly Teatr (Small Theatre), Teatralnaya ploshchad 1 (tel: (095) 923 2621), has a history of staging plays of social and political satire, notably during the 19th century. Some of Russia’s most renowned playwrights, including Nikolai Gogol, staged their very first plays here. There are performances daily at 1900hrs, although most of these are in Russian. The Taganka Drama and Comedy Theatre, Zemlyanoy val (tel: (095) 915 1015), has a very good reputation, earned through its staging of modern classics such as Doctor Zhivago and Master and Margarita.