Topic N3 ("At the Theatre")
    I will never forget my first visit to the Bolshoy Theatre.
It was ages ago, but this stands out in my memory quiet vividly.
My mother bought beforehand two tickets for a matinee perfomance
of the ballet "Sleeping Beauty" by Chaikovsky. We came to the
theatre long before the perfomance began. A sign at the entrance
of the theatre said that "house full". Many people were standing
at the entrace of the theatre asking if we had an extra ticket.
We left our coats in the cloak-room and bought a program from the
usher to see what the cast was. I remember we were glad to see
that Ulanova was dancing the main part. When we came into the
hall the orchestra were tuning in their instruments. We found our
seats which were in the stalls and went exploring the theatre. My
mother showed me the boxes, the pitm the dress-circle, the tieres
and balconies. At 12 sharp th lights went down. The conductor
appeared and the overtune began. After the overtune the curtain
went up. I was in raptures at what I saw on the stage. I have
never seen anything more wonderful. The scenery and the dancing
were superb. The ballet seemed to me a fairy-tale. When the last
curtain fell, the house burst out into applause. I applauded so
much, that my hands ached. The cries of encore sounded all over
the theatre. The dancers got many curtain calls and  were
presented with many flowers. The perfomance was a great success
with the public. It was one of my brightest memories.
A*.FRM*.MAC