Site Title

THE BOLSHOI

By Mike Sharp

When I met my wife, Jo, in nineteen -eighty-six, she had mentioned she would like to see the Bolshoi Ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in L.A. I checked it out… It was sixty dollars a person. Back then that was a lot of money to me. I wanted to take her, but I thought I could only afford one ticket. I considered taking her up and dropping her off.  I could pick her up when it was over, but I kind of knew that would just piss her off.

We used to go on Friday nights to T.G.I.F. events at local clubs that had free appetizers. We buy a drink and eat enough appetizers to be our dinner.

One of the nights we went to T.G.I.F. in Costa Mesa with a group. One of Jo’s friends asked me if I wanted tickets to The Virginia Slims Tennis Tournament in Torrance the next day. It just so happened that we were already going to a wedding that night in Pales Verdes, so I thought, sure we could go before the wedding, so I said “yes”. He handed me the tickets and said, “that’s sixty- bucks”! I was stunned. I gave him the sixty- bucks but I was pissed. He didn’t ask me if I wanted to BUY tickets. I was so pissed that Jo gave me sixty bucks to shut me up.

The next day, Jo and I were in Torrance, walking into the tournament. A guy approached and asked me if I wanted to sell the tickets. I said, “for how much”? He asked, “how much did you pay for them”? I said “sixty-bucks”. He said, “I’ll give you sixty bucks”. Another guy overheard us and said, “I’ll give you a hundred and twenty”. I first guy forced himself between me and the other guy, “I’m talking to this man”. I forced myself between the two of them and said, “He can talk to me”.

So, as Jo and I were walking out of the tournament I handed her the hundred and twenty bucks, since she paid the original sixty. She asked, “so, what are we going to do now until the wedding?” “let’s go to the Redondo pier and have some wine and oysters I said”. On the drive to the pier it was quiet. I think Jo was a little disappointed that we didn’t see the tournament… As I drove, all of a sudden, I remembered the Bolshoi, so I told Jo “Give me the money back”. She handed it to me, and I put the it in my shirt pocket, smiled and said, “we’re going to the Bolshoi!”

This cheered her up and we had a very pleasant time having our wine and oysters. We made it to the wedding, and all was well.

I got the tickets for the Bolshoi Ballet, and we drove up to Los Angeles.

So, we are, all dressed up, walking into the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and a guy comes over and says, “Do you want to sell your tickets?” Jo jerked me away from him before I could say anything.