The Bolshoi Theatre's repertoire now includes the children's opera "The Story of Kai and Gerda", based on the famous fairy tale "The Snow Queen" by Hans Christian Andersen. The opera, composed by the famous composer Sergei Banevich from Saint Petersburg, was first staged at the Mariinsky Theatre in 1980; the production has been successfully performed there for 30 years.
However, the version for the Bolshoi Theatre has been changed significantly. The author made an exclusive version of the score and wrote several new pieces of music. According to the stage director Dmitry Belyanushkin, "the set is bright and rich in the good meaning of this word". He also said: "There will be a lot of gags, tricks and special effects. No complicated equipment is necessary for any of these; still, all those effects are thrillingly beautiful. For example, the scene when the Snow Queen appears in the city has to be absolutely breath-taking". There will be 20 more performances in December and January.