MOSCOW -- Already the environs of Bolshoi are very telling. Downtown Moscow recently got a cheap face lift, and all its one-time numerous kiosks that supplied the Russian capital with the mercurial atmosphere of a grand bazaar are gone or, rather, have been displaced into dark alleyways and underground crossings.
The shabby but sweet garden in front of the theater has disappeared too, replaced by what the city authorities call its improved replica -- in reality, a boring and very formal installation, reminiscent of an old-fashioned ink pot, albeit a horribly expensive and gaudy one.
A more vivid sign of new prosperity, however, is a finished two-liter bottle of Johnny Walker forgotten by somebody on a sidewalk.