Bolshoi stars set for Grand opening

SWAN LAKE will become the first ballet to be performed at the Grand Canal Theatre, in Dublin when it opens next year.

The performance by the Russian State Ballet will feature star soloists from the Bolshoi Ballet and will be staged on March 18th, 2010.

The show is the first of over 30 productions already booked for the new venue, which was designed by Daniel Libeskind. Owned by Harry Crosbie and operated on his behalf by Live Nation, the theatre will be Ireland’s first full-scale receiving house. It can accommodate full West End and Broadway productions and will employ about 100 people.

“The capacity of the venue means that we will be able to ensure that the people of Ireland will see world-class productions at a reasonable ticket price and without the added expense of a trip to London or New York,” Mr Crosbie said.

Impresario Simon Walton, who has been bringing the finest Russian ballet companies to Ireland since 1995, said that the staging of Swan Lake was “a very exciting prospect”. “Our production team have seen the specifications of the new theatre in terms of staging, sound, lighting, and other features, and I can honestly say that the audience should experience the finest ballet production ever seen in Ireland,” he said.

Mike Adamson, chief executive of Live Nation Ireland, said that the concept of the theatre dated back to 1992 when there were constant requests to stage large-scale productions in Dublin.

Tickets for the show go on sale tomorrow through Ticketmaster.