Guests take their seats for a "pre-premiere" performance, in the new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg...
Guests take their seats for a "pre-premiere" performance, put on for veterans, senior employees of the theatre and other special guests, in the new Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg May 1, 2013. It has been variously described as a sleek piece of modernism or an ugly shopping centre, but whatever Russians think of the exterior of St Petersburg's new Mariinsky Theatre, they will finally get to see inside the much-debated building at its grand opening on Thursday. REUTERS/Alexander Demianchuk (RUSSIA - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT CITYSCAPE SOCIETY)