The excursion to Yasnaya Polyana takes 12 hours.
Excursions to the Moscow countryside should be booked, preferably well in advance, through the Service Bureau in the hotel.
Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), founded in 1897 by Constantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, is famous by Anton Chekhov’s four major works, beginning with The Seagull. This play has been so firmly associated with the Moscow Art Theatre that the seagull became its emblem. In 1987, the theatre split into two troupes: Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre and Gorky Moscow Art Theatre. Oleg Tabakov was Chechov Moscow Art Theatre’s artistic director since 2000. The theatre is presently located just off Tverskaya Street, within walking distance of Red Square.
The Maly Theatre is the oldest theatre in Russia. Its company was founded by the Moscow University in 1756. The theatre’s artistic director is the national artist of the USSR, Yu.M.Solomin. The theatre’s repertoire mainly consists of Russian and world classics, especially plays by A.N.Ostrovskii. The theatre is well-known for its staging of A.K.Tolstoi’s dramatic trilogy about the history of the Russian state: Tsar Ivan Groznyy, Tsar Fedor Ioannovich and Tsar Boris. Must-sees at the Maly Theatre are Griboedov’s Gore ot uma and Pravda – khorosho, a schast’e luchshe.
The Obraztsov Puppet Theatre (formerly the State Central Puppet Theatre), founded by Sergey Obraztsov. Children and grown-ups alike love its puppet shows. Here children find themselves in the wonderful world of fairy-tales, meet their favourite characters, and enjoy the performances to the utmost.
The Moscow State Circus (on Vernadsky Prospekt) is an auditorium which was opened in 1971 and can seat up to 3,400 people. Performances are held each day in the afternoon and evening. The company employs several hundred performers and tours as the "Great Moscow State Circus troupe". The circus consists of a cast of thirty-one performers, including clowns, trapeze artists, aerial acrobats, springboard acrobats and illusionists, but does not feature animals. Since 2012 its director is Edgar Zapashny, a famous wild-animal tamer from a well-known circus dynasty.
Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard named after Yuri Nikulin still remains the most popular one. Among the famous performers who worked there were the clowns Karandash, Oleg Popov, and Yury Nikulin, who managed the company for fifteen years and whose name it has borne since his passing in 1997. In front of the building is a remarkable statue of Nikulin, whose son Maxim has been in charge of the circus ever since his death.
Evening performances in all Moscow theatres begin at 19:00; matinees – at 12:00. Concert and circus shows begin at 19:30.
Notes
Andrei Rublev Museum of Early Russian Art, the – Центральный музей древнерусской культуры и искусства им. Андрея Рублева
