Cultural Icon of Russia Reopens

The Nutcracker and Boris Godunov figure in the Geo Quiz: those are two famous Russian operas and they’ll be performed this season at Russia’s historic ballet and opera theater.

It dates back to around 1776 and the reign of Catherine the Great.

Can you name it?

A $ 700 million restoration has been going on for the past six years to restore its imperial splendor. On Friday this Moscow theater was all lit up in blue and gold for its grand re-opening.

Politicians, billionaires, and famous ballerinas were among the invited guests. They all crowded into this theater that’s outlasted the tsars, the Bolshevik Revolution, two world wars, and the Soviets.

The answer is Moscow’s Bolshoi Theater. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Robin Quick, who teaches theater in Maryland and is now in Moscow for the Bolshoi’s grand re-opening.