Folk drama
Imaginary master
Characters:
Barin, in military uniform, with shoulder straps; white straw hat, mustache, cane, umbrella.
A lady, a young man in disguise: in a dress, in a cap. Tries to speak in a thin voice.
The innkeeper, in an untucked shirt, a vest, a green apron on his chest, a cap on his head.
A footman, in a tailcoat or frock coat, a cap on his head, gloves on his hands.
The headman, an old man in a sermyag, a black hat with a bowler on his head, a bag over his shoulders, bast shoes on his feet.
Master. Maria Ivanovna, let's go for a walk. ( Enter the inn, turn to the Innkeeper
.) Innkeeper!
Innkeeper.
Anything, master naked?
Innkeeper.
No, good master, I praised you!
Master.
Do you have rooms for Marya Ivanovna and I to settle down and drink tea and coffee?
Innkeeper.
There are, even upholstered with trellises, sir.
Master.
And will it be possible to have lunch?
Innkeeper.
How, sir, master, is it possible, sir.<…>
Master.
What exactly will be prepared?<…>
Innkeeper.
Roast, sir.
Master.
Which one exactly?<…>
Innkeeper.
A mosquito with a fly, a cockroach with a flea are cut into twelve parts, sir, prepared for twelve persons.
Master.
Maria Ivanovna! What a wonderful roast! (To the Innkeeper.) How much will it cost, sir?
Innkeeper.
One and a half six hryvnia, sir!
Master.
Blockhead, wouldn't it be better for you to say: two ten!<…>
Innkeeper.
Headman.
Hello, master-father, gray stallion, Mikhailo Petrovich! I was at the Nizhny Novgorod fair, saw pigs of your breed, and sold your master’s skin; at your mercy, the collar was very strong; I also brought you a gift: a goose and a turkey.
Master.
What are you, you fool, is there really a noble breed of pork?
Headman.
Your factory.
Master.
Oh yes, my factory! Do bars wear collars?
Headman.
Very durable, boyar-father!
Master.
Well, tell me, headman, where are you from?
Headman.
From your new village.
Master.
Well, how are the peasants doing in the village?
Headman.
The Porato live lustily: they jump from one leg to another, and seven households have one axe.
Headman.
Each peasant has up to seven axes.
Master.
Oh, how good! What do they do with axes?
Headman.
Headman.
They are engaged in deforestation.
Master.
Are they cutting down a lot?
Oh, how good! What do they do with axes?
Headman.
Headman.
Porato a lot, boyar-father.
Master.
How much?
Headman.
But the whole village gathers into the forest, takes a rope, ties it to the top, bends, bends... the whole village and bends it all day long.
Master.
What are you talking about, you won’t understand anything!
Headman.
Headman.
For every ax, seven trees are cut down, boyar-father!
Master.
Oh, so many! What do they make out of the forest?
Headman.
Headman.
They are building houses.
Master.
Come on big?
Master.
How big?
Headman.
Headman.
Master.
Oh, good! Our peasants even have big crops!
Headman.
Porato is big.
Headman.
Master.
How big?
Headman.
One grain in a strip, another in a furrow, and the whole crop is planted.
Headman.
Each peasant sows seven fields.
Master.
Oh, good! Do they even have good harvests?
Headman.
Master.
Headman.
How big?
Headman.
Are they cutting down a lot?
Oh, how good! What do they do with axes?
Ear from ear - no human voice is heard.
Master.
What are you talking about?
Headman.
Oh, good! Our peasants even have big crops!
Headman.
The chicken can't get through!
Master.
Master.<…>
Oh, how good! Is there such a thing as a big pressure?
Headman.
Porato big, boyar-father!
Headman.
A sheaf from a sheaf is a pillar mile, and a haystack from a haystack is a day's ride; If you drive quietly, you'll travel two.
Headman.
Each tithe becomes a hundred kopecks.
Master. Oh, how good! So, do they have big heads?.) <…>Headman.
The chicken will step over. Master. How how?
Headman.
You can't throw it with a stick!
Master.
Oh, how good! Is it possible that they have a big grind?
Headman.
They start threshing, but the grain doesn’t fly.
Headman.
From each barn, seven sacks are threshed.
Master.
Have you, elder, been to my new manor?
Headman.
How, master, was...
Master.
Is everything okay there?
Headman.
Everything is fine, boyar-father; Yes, Aunt Marfunka tucked a note into her bast shoe.
Headman.
I’ll tell you why it pricked me... How your three-story house caught fire, your mother had a zealous heart and jumped off the porch, broke her leg, and then pricked her.
Master.<…>
How, did my three-story house burn down?
Headman.
A long time ago!
Master.
Have you been to a fire?
Headman.
Well, boyar-father, he was. He ran around three times and pulled out three red bricks!
Master.
Is there really nothing left from the fire?
Headman.
No, there's a lot left...
Master.<…>
What is it?
Headman.
What do they drink tea with?
Master.
What is it, tea, or what?
<…>Headman.
No, bigger. Master. So sugar, or what?
Headman. No, blacker. Master. So coals, or what? between the courtyards of large manor houses. I even think that many old plays have proliferated in lists in Russia only through the landowners' servants. The old landowners and Moscow bar had their own theaters, composed of serf artists. And it was in these theaters that the beginning of our folk dramatic art took place, the signs of which are undeniable.
As for “Kedril the Glutton,” no matter how much I wanted, I could not find out anything about it in advance, except that they appear on stage evil spirits and carry Kedril to hell. But what does Kedril mean and, finally, why Kedril and not Kirill? Is this a Russian or foreign incident? – I couldn’t achieve this.<…>
They played the overture “The Canopy, My Canopy” again, and the curtain rose again. This is Kedril. Kedril is something like Don Juan; at least, both the master and the servant are carried off to hell by the devils at the end of the play. A whole act was given, but this was apparently an excerpt; the beginning and the end are lost. There is not the slightest sense or meaning. The action takes place in Russia, somewhere in an inn. The innkeeper brings a gentleman into the room in an overcoat and a round, distorted hat. His servant Kedril follows him with a suitcase and a chicken wrapped in blue paper. Kedril in a sheepskin coat and a lackey's cap. He is the glutton. He is played by his prisoner Potseykin, Baklushin’s rival; The master is played by the same Ivanov who played the beneficent landowner in the first play. The innkeeper, Netsvetaev, warns that there are devils in the room and goes into hiding. The gloomy and preoccupied master mutters to himself that he has known this for a long time, and tells Kedril to lay out his things and prepare dinner. Kedril is a coward and a glutton. Hearing about the devils, he turns pale and trembles like a leaf. He would run away, but the master is a coward. And besides, he wants to eat. He is voluptuous, stupid, cunning in his own way, a coward, deceives the master at every step and at the same time is afraid of him. This is a wonderful type of servant, in which Leporello’s traits are somehow vaguely and distantly reflected, and is truly wonderfully conveyed. Potseykin has decisive talent and, in my opinion, an even better actor than Baklushin. Of course, when I met Baklushin the next day, I did not fully express my opinion to him; I would upset him too much. The prisoner who played the master also played well. He spoke the most terrible nonsense, unlike anything else; but the diction was correct, lively, and the gesture was appropriate. While Kedril is busy with his suitcases, the master walks around the stage in thought and announces publicly that this evening is the end of his wanderings. Kedril listens curiously, grimaces, speaks a parte and makes the audience laugh with every word. He doesn't feel sorry for the master; but he heard about devils; he wants to know what it is, and so he enters into conversations and questions. The master finally announces to him that once in some trouble he turned to the help of hell, and the devils helped him, rescued him; but that today is the time and, perhaps, today they will come, according to the agreement, for his soul. Kedril is starting to get really scared. But the master does not lose heart and tells him to prepare dinner. Hearing about dinner, Kedril perks up, takes out the chicken, takes out the wine, and no, no, but he himself plucks off the chicken and tastes it. The audience laughs. The door creaks, the wind knocks on the shutters, Kedril is trembling and hastily, almost unconsciously, puts a huge piece of chicken into his mouth, which he cannot even swallow. Laughter again. – Is it ready? - the master shouts, pacing around the room. “Now, sir, I’ll cook it for you,” says Kedril, and he sits down at the table and calmly begins to devour the master’s food. The public, apparently, loves the agility and cunning of the servant and the fact that the master is a fool. I must admit that Potseykin was truly worthy of praise. He pronounced the words: “Now, sir, I’ll cook for you,” perfectly. Having sat down at the table, he begins to eat greedily and flinches with every step of the master, so that he does not notice his tricks; As soon as he turns on the spot, he hides under the table and drags the chicken with him. At last he satisfies his first hunger; it's time to think about the master. - Kedril, are you coming soon? - the master shouts - Ready, sir! - Kedril answers smartly, realizing that the master has almost nothing left. There really is a chicken leg on the plate. The master, gloomy and preoccupied, not noticing anything, sits down at the table, and Kedril with a napkin stands behind his chair. Every word, every gesture, every grimace of Kedril, when he turns to the audience and nods at the simpleton master, is met with uncontrollable laughter from the audience. But as soon as the master begins to eat, the devils appear. It’s impossible to understand anything here, and the devils appear somehow too unhumanly: a door opens in the side curtain and something in white appears, and instead of a head he has a lantern with a candle; another phantom, also with a lantern on his head, holds a scythe in his hands. Why the lanterns, why the scythe, why the devils in white? Nobody can explain it to themselves. However, no one thinks about this. This is exactly how it should be. The master quite bravely turns around and shouts to them that he is ready for them to take him. But Kedril is a coward like a hare; he crawls under the table, but, despite his fright, does not forget to grab the bottle from the table. The devils hide for a moment; Kedril gets out from behind the table; but as soon as the master begins to eat the chicken again, three devils burst into the room again, pick up the master from behind and carry him to the underworld. - Kedril! Save me! - the master shouts. But Kedril has no time for that. This time he stole the bottle, the plate, and even the bread under the table. But now he is alone, there are no devils, and there is no master either. Kedril gets out, looks around, and a smile lights up his face. He squints roguishly, sits down on the master’s seat and, nodding to the audience, says in a half-whisper:
- Well, now I’m alone... without a master!..
Everyone laughs because he is without a master; but now he adds in a half-whisper, confidentially addressing the audience and winking more and more cheerfully with his little eye:
- The devil took the master!..
The audience's delight is boundless! Besides the fact that the devil took the master, the ego was so expressed, with such trickery, with such a mockingly triumphant grimace, that it is truly impossible not to applaud. But Kedril's happiness does not last long. He had just disposed of the bottle, poured it into his glass and was about to drink, when suddenly the devils returned, sneaking up behind him on tiptoe and scratching him under the sides. Kedril screams at the top of his lungs; out of cowardice he does not dare turn around. He also cannot defend himself: he has a bottle and a glass in his hands, which he cannot part with. With his mouth open in horror, he sits for half a minute with his eyes bulging at the audience, with such a hilarious expression of cowardly fear that one could definitely use him to paint a picture. Finally they carry him away, carry him away; bottle with him, he dangles his legs and screams, screams. His screams can be heard backstage. But the curtain falls and everyone laughs, everyone is delighted... The orchestra begins Kamarinskaya.
Characters:
Ataman, menacing-looking, in a red shirt, a black jacket, a black hat, with a gun and a saber, with pistols in his belt; the jacket and hat are richly decorated with gold paper
Esaul, dressed almost the same as Ataman; silver paper jewelry
Robbers, dressed in red shirts, on their heads fur hats with badges made of multi-colored paper, various weapons in his belt.
Unknown (aka Bezobrazov), dressed in a soldier's uniform, with a gun in his hands and a dagger in his belt.
Rich landowner an elderly man, sometimes gray-haired, in shoes, a jacket or robe, a bowler hat on his head, and a pipe with a long stem in his hands.
The action takes place on the wide expanse of Mother Volga, on a light boat, the last scene on the shore, in the house of a rich landowner. There are no scenery, no backstage, no prompter, or any stage equipment at all.
Everyone participating in the performance enters a predetermined hut while singing a song. The most commonly performed is the following:
Let me, let me, master,
Enter the new town!
Chorus: Oh viburnum, oh raspberry!
Black currant!
Black currant!
Enter the new mountain,
Walk along the hill,
Walk along the hill,
Say the word!
In your house, master,
Is there any extra log?
If there is an extra log,
Let's knock him out!
At the end of the song, Esaul comes forward and, turning to the owner, says: “Would you like, owner, to watch the performance?” The owner usually replies: “You are welcome!”, “Welcome!” or something like that.
All participants in the performance go out to the middle of the hut and form a circle, in the middle of which Ataman and Esaul stand opposite each other.
Scene 1Ataman
(He stomps his feet and screams menacingly.)
Esaul ( He stomps his foot in the same way and shouts back.)
Ataman
Come to me quickly
Speak to me boldly
You won't come soon
You won’t speak out boldly -
Esaul
Here I am in front of you
Like a leaf before the grass!
What do you order, Ataman?
Ataman
Something is boring... Sing me my favorite song.
Esaul
I'm listening, Ataman!
He begins to sing a song and the choir joins in.
The beginning of each line is sung by Esaul.
Oh, you, my mountains, mountains.
Vorobievskie Mountains!
You’re okay, oh yes, the mountains,
They didn't argue
You just gave birth to mountains,
White-flammable stone!
Runs from under a pebble
The river is fast... etc.
The chieftain, while singing a song, walks back and forth in deep thought with his arms crossed on his chest. At the end of the song he stops, stomps his feet and screams.
Ataman
Come to me quickly
Speak to me boldly!
You won't come soon
You won’t speak out boldly -
I'll tell you to roll a hundred,
Your esaul service will be lost for nothing!
Esaul
What do you order, mighty Ataman?
Ataman
Let's go down the Mother Volga for a walk
Go to the ataman's cabin,
Look in all directions:
Esaul takes the cardboard tube and looks around.
Ataman
(Shouts.)
Look carefully, tell me quickly!
Esaul
I look, I look and I see!
Ataman
Tell me what you see?
Esaul
I see: there is a deck on the water!
Ataman
(As if I didn’t hear.)
What the hell kind of governor!
Whether there are a hundred or two hundred of them -
I know them and I'm not afraid
And if I get hot,
I'll get even closer to them!
Well done Esaul!
Take my suspicious pipe
Go to the ataman's cabin,
Look at all four sides
Are there any stumps, roots, small places?
So that our boat doesn't run aground!
Be careful, tell me quickly!
Esaul again begins to look around the surroundings. At this time, a song can be heard singing from afar:
Among the dense forests
The robbers are coming...
Ataman
(Angrily stomping and screaming.)
Who is it in my protected forests walking
And sings songs so loudly?
Take it and bring it here immediately!
Esaul
(Jumps out of the boat, but immediately returns.)
A daring alien is walking in your protected forests
And he sings daring songs,
But you can't take it:
Threatens to kill with a gun!
Ataman
You are not a captain, but a woman,
Your guts are weak!
Take as many Cossacks as you want,
Bring the daring alien!
Esaul takes several people and jumps out of the boat with them.
Scene 2Esaul and the robbers return and bring with them a bound Stranger.
Ataman
(Grozno.)
Who are you?
Stranger
Sergeant Major Ivan Pyatakov!
Ataman
How dare you walk in my protected forests
And sing daring songs?
Stranger
I don't know anyone
Wherever I want, I walk there
And I sing daring songs!
Ataman
Tell us, whose tribe are you?
Stranger
I don’t know my family and tribe,
And recently I’ve been going for a walk…
There were two of us - my brother and me.
Fed and nourished by someone else's family;
Life was not sweet,
And envy took us;
I'm tired of the bitter lot,
I wanted to take a walk at will;
My brother and I took a sharp knife
And they set out on a dangerous trade:
Will the moon rise among the heavens,
We are from the underground - into the dark forest,
Let's hide and sit
And we all look at the road:
Whoever walks along the road -
We beat everyone.
We take everything for ourselves!
Otherwise, in the dead of night
Let's lay down a daring three,
We are approaching the tavern,
We drink and eat everything for nothing...
But the good fellows didn’t walk for long,
We were soon caught
And together with his brother the blacksmiths forged,
And the guards took him to prison,
I lived there, but my brother couldn’t:
He soon fell ill
And he didn’t recognize me
And he recognized everything as some old man;
My brother soon died, I buried him,
And he killed the sentry,
He ran into the dense forest himself,
Under the cover of heaven;
Wandered through thickets and slums
And I came across you;
If you want, I will serve you,
I won’t let anyone off the hook!
Ataman
(Addressing Esaul.)
Write it down! This will be our first warrior.
Esaul
I’m listening, mighty Ataman!
(Addressing the Stranger.)
What is your name?
Stranger
Write - Bezobrazov!
The chieftain again orders Esaul to take the telescope and see if there is any danger.
Esaul
(States.)
Ataman
(As if I didn’t hear.)
What the hell
These are worms in the mountains,
There are devils in the water
There are bitches in the forest,
In the cities there are judge hooks,
They want to catch us
Yes, seat them in the prisons,
Only I'm not afraid of them,
And I’ll get closer to them myself!
Look better,
Tell me quickly
Otherwise I’ll tell you to roll in a hundred times -
Your esaul service will be lost for nothing!
Esaul
(Looking down the pipe again.)
I look, I look and I see!
Ataman
What do you see?
Esaul
I see a large village on the shore!
Ataman
It would have been like this a long time ago, otherwise our belly gave out a long time ago!
(Addressing the rowers.)
Turn it on, guys!
All the robbers
(The chorus picks up and sings the song cheerfully.)
Turn it up guys
To the steep bank, etc. until the end.
The boat approaches the shore. Ataman orders Esaul to find out who lives in this village.
Esaul
(Shouts to the public.)
Hey, semi-respectable ones, who lives in this village?
Someone from the audience responds: “Rich landowner!”
Ataman
(Sends Esaul to the Rich Landowner to find out.)
Is he happy for us?
Dear guests?
Scene 3Esaul
(He gets out of the boat and, approaching one of the participants in the performance, asks.)
Is the owner at home? Who lives here?
landowner
Rich landowner.
Esaul
We need you!
Are you happy with us?
Dear guests!
landowner
Esaul
How glad are you?
landowner
Damn it!
Esaul
How how? Repeat!
landowner
Like dear friends.
Esaul
Well, that's it!
Esaul returns back and reports everything to Ataman. The chieftain tells the robbers to go visit the Rich Landowner. The gang gets up and circles the hut several times, singing a “rolling” song: “Hey mustache! Here's the mustache! Ataman's mustache! Having finished the song, the gang approaches the Rich Landowner. The Ataman and the Landowner repeat the dialogue with Esaul almost literally.
Ataman
Do you have money?
landowner
Ataman
You're lying, is there?
landowner
I'm telling you - no!
Ataman
(Addressing the gang, he shouts.)
Hey, well done, burn the rich landowner!
There is a dump and the show ends.
Characters:
Mavrukh, in a white shirt and underpants, on his head is a white cowl, like a shroud, his face is covered, he has shoe covers on his feet. Mavrukh lies on a bench carried by four officers.
Officers, four, in black jackets, straw epaulets on their shoulders, sabers on their belts, caps or hats with ribbons and figures on their heads.
Panya, a guy dressed in a woman's dress, with a headscarf on his head.
Pan, in a long black overcoat, in a black hat.
A priest, wearing a robe of tailor's cloth, a hat on his head, in his hands wooden cross made of sticks, a book “for privilege” and a censer - a pot on a rope, and in it chicken droppings.
A clerk, in a caftan and hat, holding a book.
The officers carry Mavrukh on a bench into the hut and place him in the middle of it, with his head along the hut.
Pop ( begins to walk around the deceased, censes and speaks in a drawling voice in a sing-song voice, imitating the priest’s service).
Dead weirdo
Died on Tuesday
They came to bury -
He looks out of the window.
All ( those participating in the comedy sing).
Mavrukh went on a hike.
Miroton-ton-ton, Miroten.
Mavrukh died during the campaign.
Miroton-ton-ton, Miroten.
A gentleman rides from there in a black dress.
Miroton-ton-ton-Miroten.
- Sir, dear gentleman,
What news are you bringing?
- Madam, you will cry,
Hearing my message:
Mavrukh died on the campaign,
He died from the ground.
Four officers carry a dead man
And they sing, sing, sing:
Eternal memory to him!
Pop. My lord, father, Sidor Karpovich,
How old are you?
Mavrukh. Seventy.
Pop ( sings in a church manner)
Seventy, grandma, seventy.
Seventy, Pakhomovna, seventy.
(Asks Mavrukh.)
My lord, father,
Do you have many children left?
Mavrukh.
Seven, grandma, seven,
Seven, Pakhomovna, seven.
Pop.
What will you feed them?
Mavrukh.
Around the world, grandma, around the world,
What will you feed them?
Around the world, Pakhomovna, around the world. Pop and that's it (they repeat the same phrase while singing further).).
Around the world, grandma, around the world,
Pop (h
It is drawn out, in a church manner
At sea on the island,
On the island on Buyan,
Near a chiseled pillar,
Gilded spindles
The bull stood chiseled,
Well... crushed garlic.
Our kids found out
They walked towards this bull,
This garlic was dipped
The food was praised:
- Oh, what a dish!
Khvatsko, burlatsko,
Just Lobodytsko!
It's good to eat
Yes walk with. … far:
Twenty-five miles away,
Pop ( You can't get any closer.).
Deacon (sings).
...Terekha, peritoneum pop.
reads from a book, in a church manner
My husband gets up in the morning
I wet my eyes,
I asked my wife to have some,
And the wife answers her husband:
- What a hungry beast!
You're not in a hurry to get to work,
You just hit the food.-
The wife's husband answers:
- A good wife gets up in the morning,
Blessed, he floods the stove,
And when the wife gets up,
He floods the stove with curses,
Yes walk with. … far:
Twenty-five miles away,
He pours the pots with abuse.
A good broom will plow
And at worst the broom will wave around.
Pop (reads).
Cloud, lightning above us
With the rains.
The uterus broke,
The steering wheel broke off
There is no Korshik.
The captain is sitting in the cabin
The pilot is sitting on the bar,
They cry, they sob,
Characters:
Deaths expected:
- We walked together
We'll die suddenly.
Stepan, cab driver.
Vasily, cab driver.
Semyon Ivanovich, headman, with a badge.
Parasha, his daughter.
Ivan Petrovich, postal station supervisor, in a long robe.
A passing merchant, dressed in Siberian clothing.
Stepan and Vasily, cab drivers, enter and sing a song.
What a Vanka, daring head,
How daring is your little head,
How far does he go from me?
Who do you blame on, friend, me?
Parasha enters.
Parasha.
Hello! Stepan leaves, Vasily Petrovich is left alone, he approaches Parasha, hugs her and speaks.
Basil . Praskovya Semyonovna! Do you love me? If you don’t love me, I’ll go and say goodbye to the white light. That's right, this is my destiny! (Leaves.)
Parasha. Vasily, don’t go, Vasily, come back!
Vasily Petrovich.
Praskovya Semyonovna, do you love me? If you love me, come and give me your right hand.
Parasha comes up and offers his hand, and at this time the elder Semyon comes out, having drunk, and sings.
Headman.
Oh, what a headman! I am headman Semyon Ivanovich. Everyone knows Semyon Ivanovich the headman. Although I’m a badass, I’m still an official, at least a headman. I'll go and see Ivan Petrovich, he'll treat me. ( Pounding outside Ivan Petrovich's house.) Ivan Petrovich at home?
Ivan Petrovich. Home, home, Semyon Ivanovich, home!
Headman.
Ivan Petrovich! I'm visiting you. Will you treat me?
Ivan Petrovich. Go, go, Semyon Ivanovich, I’ll treat you, I’ll treat you.
Headman.
Ivan Petrovich! Do you know my daughter Parenka?
Ivan Petrovich.
I know, I know, Semyon Ivanovich, a good girl.
Headman.
Yes, nice girl, Ivan Petrovich! I'll give her in marriage to you,
Ivan Petrovich.
Hello! What are you talking about, Semyon Ivanovich, I heard that she is marrying the cab driver Vasily.
Headman.
Hello! What do you! My Paranka and for Vasily? Yes, I will give him as a soldier.
Leaves the caretaker.
Hello! Vasily Petrovich alone appears on stage, walks around, sad; Stepan enters. Stepan..) Ivan Petrovich at home?
Why are you, Vasily Petrovich, upset? It was as if a mouse had landed on a rump.
Hello! Eh, Stepan, how can I not grieve! One horse is worn out - where am I going to drive with one? How will I buy another horse?
Stepan.
Yes, you should go to Uncle Semyon Ivanovich and ask for money. Besides, I heard that you want to marry Paranka?
Eh, Stepan, don’t laugh, she’s far from my equal.
Hello! Stepan.
Well, go and see Ivan Petrovich. He will probably give you money for a horse.
And the truth, Stepan, go to Ivan Petrovich. (
Comes and crashes outside Ivan Petrovich’s apartment
Ivan Petrovich.
At home. What do you need?
Ivan Petrovich, I am at your mercy. My horse is out of stock and I need to buy another one. Won't you give me money?
Ivan Petrovich.
Okay, Vasily! Just bring me a horse as collateral, and even take off my boots as collateral. I'll give you money. Vasily Petrovich began to cry and walked away. Meets Stepan.
Stepan.
Well, Vasily, did the caretaker give you money?
Hello! Eh, Stepan! Yes, he demands a horse as collateral, and orders him to take off his boots.
Stepan.
Okay, Vasily! Just bring me a horse as collateral, and even take off my boots as collateral. I'll give you money. Oh, he's a disgusting mug! Here, Vasily, a hundred rubles, get by with God!
Headman.
But we still need to search you.
The merchant enters. Vasily is searched and a hundred rubles are found.
Stepan.
This money is mine: I gave it to him for a horse.
Merchant. No, these are not mine. I had five thousand, but here I only had a hundred rubles.
Hello! The headman will arrest Vasily.
Stepan.
What did Vasily travel in? Was there any money left in the carriage?
Go, Stepan, look in the cart there.
Stepan goes to look and returns with money.
Stepan.
Uncle Semyon, the money was found here.
Merchant. This is my money.
Headman.
Oh, did you blindside Vasily in vain?
The merchant gives Vasily five hundred rubles.
Headman (shouting). Vasily is a great guy, Vasily is good, I will give my daughter Paranka for Vasily.
The Warden intervenes.
Caretaker. That you, Semyon Ivanovich, wanted to give Paranka for me, and hand over Vasily as a soldier. Headman.
Oh, you vile mug! Yes, here's a pig's ear, not Paranka.
Shows the corner of the floor.
At city and later rural fairs, carousels and booths were set up, on the stage of which performances on fairy-tale and national historical themes were performed, which gradually replaced earlier translated plays. For decades, performances dating back to the dramaturgy of the early 19th century have not left the public stage - “Ermak, Conqueror of Siberia” by P. A. Plavilshchikov, “Natalia, the Boyar’s Daughter” by S. N. Glinka, “Dmitry Donskoy” by A. A. Ozerov, “The Bigamist” by A. A. Shakhovsky, later - plays about Stepan Razin by S. Lyubitsky and A. Navrotsky.
First of all, the confinement of folk ideas was traditional. Everywhere they settled down for Christmastide and Maslenitsa. These two short theatrical “seasons” contained a very rich program. Ancient ritual actions in late XIX- at the beginning of the 20th century, already perceived as entertainment and, moreover, mischief, were performed by mummers.
The Yuletide and Maslenitsa games of mummers are accompanied by small satirical plays “The Master”, “The Imaginary Master”, “Mavrukh”, “Pakhomushka”. They became a “bridge” from small dramatic forms to the big ones. The popularity of comic dialogues between master and headman, master and servant was so great that they were invariably included in many dramas.
A special role is played in folk drama by songs performed by the heroes at critical moments for them or by the choir - a commentator on the events taking place. Songs were required at the beginning and end of the performance. The song repertoire of folk dramas consists mainly of original songs of the 18th-19th centuries, popular in all strata of society. These are the soldiers’ songs “The White Russian Tsar Rode”, “Malbrouk left on a campaign”, “Praise, praise to you, hero”, and romances “I walked in the meadows in the evening”, “I’m heading off into the desert”, “What’s clouded, the clear dawn " and many others.
Drama heroes
Freedom-loving chieftain, robber, brave warrior, rebellious royal son Adolf.
The “robber” drama is especially loved by the people for its atmosphere of romantic freedom, in which it was possible to exist outside the social hierarchy of society, take revenge on offenders, and restore justice. However, the drama did not avoid dark collisions: the constant feeling of danger, the restlessness of the robbers, their “rejection” were fraught with cruelty.
The most popular of the “robber” dramas are “Tsar Maximilian” and “The Boat”.
"Tsar Maximilian":
The basis of the play is the conflict between the king and his son Adolf, who abandoned the pagan gods and believes in Jesus Christ. The king orders his son to be imprisoned, then shackled and starved. Adolf remains adamant, and his father orders his execution. The executioner also kills himself (“I chop him and destroy myself”). In parallel, another line develops: the gigantic knight threatens the king, demands an “enemy,” the king calls Anika the warrior, who defeats the knight. At the end of the play, Death appears, she does not give the king a reprieve and hits him on the neck with his scythe. The struggle for faith was interpreted as steadfastness in convictions, the ability to resist a tyrant.
"Boat":
The “Boat” is based on a plot about the voyage of robbers led by an ataman along the Volga River, their subsequent molestation at a “farmstead” or an attack on a landowner’s estate. Subsequently, the plot developed: a scene appeared in a bandit camp, a scene of the arrival of a stranger who is accepted into the gang, a scene of a girl being captured by robbers, her refusal to marry the ataman, etc. In the description of the ataman of the robbers, the hero of the drama “The Boat,” the folklore legendary traits of invulnerability are “I blow away small bullets with my spirit (i.e., breath”).
A distinctive feature of folk drama is the weekend monologues of its characters. They were often repeated and easily remembered by listeners. The hero had to tell who he was, where he came from, why he came, what he was going to (could) do. The performances were performed without a stage, curtain, wings, props and props - indispensable components of a professional theater. The action took place in the hut, among the people; The actors not participating in the scene stood in a semicircle, coming forward as needed and introducing themselves to the audience. There were no interruptions in the performance. The conventions of time and space are the brightest feature of folk theatrical performance. It required the active co-creation of the audience, who had to imagine, guided by the words of the characters, the place of events.
The main thing in this play is the originality of its language, the scope and color of the Russian character, they push the content into the background. I think the main thing here is not what it’s about, but how they say it. As a young director, I was infinitely pleased by this remark: “There are no sets, no backstage, no prompter, or any stage devices at all.” I'm being sarcastic, of course, but it struck me as remarkable. Indeed, the time of this work and even its understanding are far from us, and in my time it is completely incomprehensible to me how to make a performance out of nothing (although it seems to me that this can be organically included in the Maslenitsa script, as a prologue to fist fights). And yet, despite the fact that I understand the gulf between me and this work, I am touched by its spontaneity. After reading it, the phrase “Wow!” remains in my mind! A?! This is necessary!!!”, because the play ends in a fight! And for some reason good feeling which each of us experienced in childhood at the first contact with folk art...
Ataman. Esaul!
Come to me quickly
Speak to me boldly!
You won't come soon
You won’t speak out boldly -
I'll tell you to roll a hundred,
Your Esaul service will be lost for nothing!
Esaul. What do you order, mighty Ataman?
Ataman. We'll hang out here,
Let's go down the Mother Volga for a walk.
Build me an inert boat instantly!
Esaul. Ready, Ataman:
Rowers in places
Oars on the sides!
Everything is in perfect working order.
At this time, all the robbers sit on the floor, forming between themselves an empty space (boat), in which Ataman and Esaul walk.
Ataman (addressing Esaul) Well done! Got it soon! (Addressing the rowers.) Pray to God, guys! Fuck off.
Volga open spaces and songs, the mere thought of this inspires me, because I know what the Volga is like, you can go down to it, feel the spirit and character with which it filled its cities. Then it seems natural that the Ataman should stomp his foot every time and pronounce the same text. Is it because this play itself is more like a song...
Comments:
First published. in the book: Sipovsky V.V. Historical Reader on the History of Russian Literature, vol. 1, no. 1, 5th ed. St. Petersburg, 1911, p. 239-242. See also: Berkov P. N. Russian folk drama of the 17th-20th centuries: Texts of plays and descriptions of performances / Ed., intro. Art. and comment. P. N. Berkova. – M., 1953, p. 143-149.
Down the Mother Volga - song unknown author XVIII-early XIX century.
Among the dense forests is a song version of F. B. Miller’s poem “The Burial of the Robber (from Freiligrat).”
There were two of us - my brother and I - the monologue was based on a fragment of A. S. Pushkin’s poem “The Robber Brothers”.
Hey mustache! Here's the mustache! Ataman's mustache! - a daring or robber song, the hero of which is considered to be the robber Ivan Us, who acted in the 17th century in the Voronezh province.
The attachment:
The repertoire of Russian folk drama is small: only a few plays from a plot point of view. The plays most often called “Tsar Maximilian”, “Boat”, “Master”, “Horse”, “Mavrukh”, “Pakhomushka”. However, emphasis should be placed here on the improvised nature of folk drama, which led to the existence large number variations of the same piece. The most famous Russian folk drama is Tsar Maximilian, found in two hundred versions that differ significantly from each other. The origin of “Tsar Maximilian” has not yet been clarified. Some researchers, e.g. V.V. Kallash, assumed that this play is a dramatic alteration of the life of the martyr Nikita, the son of the persecutor of Christians Maximilian, who subjected Nikita to torture for his confession Christian faith. Others (P. O. Morozov and A. I. Sobolevsky), based on foreign names in the play (Maximilian, Adolf, Brambeul or Brambeus, Venus, Mars), it is assumed that this drama goes back to some school drama of the first half of the XVIII century, in turn based on some translated story of the late 17th - early XVIII century. But from these possible prototypes, a story and a school drama, “The Comedy about Tsar Maximilian and his son Adolf” should have retained, in any case, only very little - maybe only scenes where the pagan king demands from his Christian son the worship of “idol gods” " The rest of the content is filled with scenes borrowed, apparently, from various interludes (including “About Anika the Warrior and his struggle with death”), episodes from the nativity scene, the Petrushka Theater, as well as from other folk plays related to “Tsar Maximilian ": "Boats", "Master", etc. In addition, the text of "Tsar Maximilian" is replete with excerpts from folk songs and romances, as well as distorted quotes, folk adaptations of poems by Pushkin, Lermontov and other poets.
drama ritual round dance peasant
Robber drama "Boat"
The robber drama “The Boat” is the second most widespread Russian folk drama. The names “Boat”, “Gang of Robbers”, “Ataman” are also known, and one of the more complicated versions is “Mashenka”. In its basic scheme, this play is very close to the traditional beginning of several robber songs, often dedicated to the name of Stepan Razin: a boat is described floating down the river (“Mother Volga”) with robbers sitting in it and an ataman standing in the middle of the boat.
From this play one can trace the composition and style characteristics characteristic of folk drama. Firstly, this is a poorly defined plot core: in “The Boat” the key motive is the journey of the robbers led by the ataman and incidental meetings with the old man, captain, etc. In one of the common options, the journey begins due to the ataman’s everyday boredom and ends reprisal against the landowner. Thus, the social orientation of the work becomes clear, as well as the typical division into “us” and “strangers”, the opposition “people” and “landowners”.
The dramatic effect of the plays did not consist in complex twists and turns and the development of action, but rather was achieved through rapid changes of scenes and comic dialogue. The techniques that make up the comedy of the dialogue were simple. One of the popular techniques was oxymorons, built on the connection in one or several phrases of contradictory concepts or images: “All of us, good fellows, soaked, so that not a single thread was left wet, but all were dry”;
“Esaul. We need you! Are you happy to see us, dear guests? Landowner. Glad! Esaul. How glad are you? Landowner. What the hell!
The technique of playing with homonyms (that is, words that sound the same, but have different meanings) and synonyms (close in meaning, but different from each other in form) is also widespread. Often the play with homonyms is enhanced and facilitated by the motive of the deafness of one of the characters:
« Esaul. I see: there is a deck on the water! Ataman(as if he hadn’t heard). What the hell is the governor!”;
« Esaul(states). Black fish at sea. Ataman(as if he hadn’t heard). What the hell?
The composition is also characterized by the use of repetitions borrowed from songs. The action goes in a circle: the ataman with the same saying (“Come to me quickly, / Talk to me boldly! / If you don’t come soon, / If you don’t speak out boldly, I’ll order you to roll in a hundred, / Your Esaul service will be lost for nothing!” ) orders to first sing him a song, then look around the surroundings; Esaul, in turn, repeats “I look, I look and I see.” These elements become a kind of narrative nodes, verbal markers of action.
There is an opinion that initially such dramas arose among schoolchildren, and became most widespread among soldiers and part of the peasantry, who were separated from the village thanks to latrine trades. The conditions of barracks or artel life implied the accumulation in one place of a large number of familyless people, which of course contributed to the creation of peculiar theater groups. The plays learned in the city or in production were then spread throughout the villages, becoming an integral part of Christmas fun and involuntarily absorbing dramatic elements of traditional ritual folklore.
