The Bolshoi Theater has updated its repertoire by substituting the previously announced Kirill Serebrennikov ballet Hero of Our Time with the production Master and Margarita. The change was communicated through the theater’s official Telegram channel, signaling a shift in the scheduled program for the spring season.
Details about the replacement were not publicly disclosed by the Bolshoi. The announcement indicated that Hero of Our Time would no longer appear on the repertoire pages, and the new performance was slated to take the stage on May 5, May 6, and May 7. The move suggests a revision of plans for that specific set of performances, with Master and Margarita taking its place in the lineup.
In practice, Master and Margarita will be staged instead of Hero of Our Time, which had been planned for the early May dates. The substitution highlights the theater’s ongoing adjustments to its dance programming, reflecting broader trends in how major institutions rotate works within a single season to accommodate creative cooperations and scheduling constraints.
A Hero of Our Time had previously disappeared from the Bolshoi repertoire during the spring of 2022. Shortly afterward, another of Serebrennikovs projects, Nureyev, was also removed from promotional materials. Officials clarified that these productions did not disappear from the repertoire permanently, but rather they were temporarily paused or rotated away from the current season’s posters and public listings.
On 14 March 2023, some observers noted that Hero of Our Time appeared again in the program lineup, though the poster did not list an author’s name. The revival raised questions about production credits and how the theater communicates cast and creative team information to audiences when changes occur close to opening nights.
Hero of Our Time was created with choreography by Yuri Possokhov, the musical score by Ilya Demutsky, and a libretto attributed to Kirill Serebrennikov. In 2016, the production earned three nominations for the prestigious Golden Mask Awards, underscoring its prominence within contemporary Russian theater and dance circles. The work’s reception and critical attention have contributed to ongoing discussions about how modern ballet can blend literary adaptation with dynamic staging and sound design.
In 2022, Kirill Serebrennikov left Russia for France, a move tied both to personal safety concerns and a public stance against Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. The director’s departure added another layer to the evolving landscape of Russian performing arts, where artists navigate state influence, censorship, and international mobility while continuing to engage with audiences both at home and abroad. The Bolshoi’s program changes during this period reflect broader shifts in leadership decisions, artistic collaborations, and the balancing act between honoring past repertory and presenting new or rotated works to satisfy diverse audience interests.