Organizers delay reopening of revamped Bolshoi Theatre

Organizers have delayed the scheduled reopening date for Russia's iconic Bolshoi Theatre, after emergency construction to shore up the foundation pushed back restoration efforts.

The historic opera house and dance hall closed in July 2005 for an extensive revamp to repair the Moscow facility's crumbling facade, walls and foundation. The project was slated for completion later this year.

"We are now planning to open on Nov. 1, 2009, with the opera Ruslan and Lyudmila," Mikhail Shvydkoi, the head of Russia's federal cultural agency, told reporters last week during a tour of the site, according to Reuters.

He also revealed that the first month's lineup would also include a performance by Italy's La Scala orchestra and choir.

According to officials, more than 1,000 workers have been toiling on the theatre, including putting in steel beams and concrete pilings to steady the historic facility's nearly 200-year-old walls.

"This is not a new construction. This is a historic building with enormous construction difficulties," Shvydkoi said.

The project was initially to have cost 15 billion roubles (about $610 million Cdn). However, new estimates have raised the price to 18 billion roubles (about $732 million Cdn) — with the funds coming from the federal government.

Catherine the Great founded the Bolshoi Theatre in 1776 and the facility has been in its current building since 1825, when it was completed.

There has been little renovation over the years, save for an interior revamp after a fire in 1856. Upgrade plans have often been shelved because of a lack of funding and disputes over the restoration plans.

Even after the current restoration was approved in 2005, the government criticized organizers for skyrocketing costs and demanded the project budget be reduced.

The theatre hosted the premiere of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake in 1877, and its audience has counted everyone from Russian tzars to music and ballet fans from around the world.