The performance is based on the works of F.M. Dostoevsky, F. Durrenmatt, A. Miller, A.S. Pushkina, E. De Filippo (2h50m) 16+
Artistic director of the production: Rimas Tuminas
Directors: Vladimir Ivanov, Alexey Kuznetsov, Vladimir Eremin
Artists: Yulia Borisova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Vladimir Etush, Vasily Lanovoy, Irina Kupchenko, Evgeny Knyazev
and others S 20.12.2018
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Review of "Afisha": This performance will go down in history, it is unique. Not because it is dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the theater. Evg. Vakhtangov - how many “Danish” celebrations happen? Its uniqueness lies in the composition of the participants, in the brilliance of their names and, most importantly, in the frantic ardor of the debutants with which the great actors, the honor and glory of the Vakhtangov Theater, devote themselves to the roles they have chosen for the benefit performance. The performance is woven together from fragments of various works and is performed to the incessant applause of a touched audience. A flurry of applause falls on Yulia Borisova, who has not appeared on stage for a long time, who reigns and enchants in “The Visit of the Old Lady” based on Dürrenmatt, and on Vasily Lanovoy, reading Pushkin, and on Lyudmila Maksakova, who appears as the Grandmother from Dostoevsky’s “The Gambler,” and on Vyacheslav Shalevich in the role of Galileo from Brecht's play. Vladimir Etush is magnificent in the role of old Gregory from “The Price” by A. Miller, every replica of his colorful character is a pure pearl and causes joyful laughter from the audience. Irina Kupchenko and Evgeny Knyazev brilliantly, highlighting only the most important thing, fly through the play by E. De Filippo “Filumena Marturano”. With bated breath, in ringing silence, the audience listens to Yuri Yakovlev, who so simply and wisely plays in “Dark Alleys” according to Bunin.
This is a performance of luminaries. The Vakhtangov youth are modestly crowded into the background, it cannot be otherwise: the role of the young here is admiration and admiration for the great departing theater.
But the real discovery and triumph of the performance is Galina Konovalova in Bunin’s dramatized story “Favorable Participation.” We can safely say that the actress, who had never played leading roles and was not famous, achieved real success at the age of 95. She plays an old singer, a forgotten former prima, who only lives from Christmas to Christmas, since it is around Christmas, once a year, that she receives an invitation to give a charity concert for high school students, and this concert is the anticipation for it, the preparation for it - becomes the main event of her life. Galina Konovalova’s performance amazes with its ebullient energy and combination of contrasts: sadness and irony, the subtlety of internal experiences and grotesquery, ineradicable female coquetry and self-irony. The hidden meaning of the performance is revealed: the soul of the actor knows no age. The thirst for creativity is insatiable.
The artistic director of the production is R. Tuminas. Directors: A. Dzivaev, V. Eremin, V. Ivanov, A. Kuznetsov. Artist A. Jacovskis. Costume designer M. Obrezkov. Composer F. Latenas
Elena Levinskaya
Participating in the performance: 
For several years now, there has been a pier on the stage of the Vakhtangov Theater, where from time to time all ships dock: Yulia Borisova, Vladimir Etush, Vasily Lanovoy, Lyudmila Maksakova, Sergei Makovetsky, Irina Kupchenko, Evgeniy Knyaze in... Corypheas, stars, legends, without which it is impossible to imagine the history of Russian theater. More recently, ships moored with them Yuri Yakovlev, Vladislav Shalevich, Galina Konovalova. But they are already in another dimension, continuing their journey in those unknown waters from where there is no return.
"Pier" is a performance dedicated to the memory of people and the history of the Vakhtangov Theater. This sublime and romantic performance was invented for the 90th anniversary of the theater by its artistic director Rimas Tuminas. “This is our memory, this is a mass for young people who continue the work of luminaries,” he explains. - This is a mass for all parishioners - spectators. We are all passengers in this life. There is a territory that unites us for a moment, and we think that life is eternal, beautiful, but... but... This pier is that territory, perhaps theatrical, where fleeting destinies are revealed. We leave and the curtain closes."
“Pristan” can be called a benefit evening, although it employs about fifty artists. Great artists who gave their talent and life to serving their dear Vakhtangovsky each take the stage in their own role. For everyone, exactly the play from the world classics was found in which he could reveal his individuality to the maximum. Here Yulia Borisova- the main character of the mini-play "A Lady's Visit" based on the play Friedrich Dürrenmat. She is a true Lady, in appropriate attire, surrounded by universal admiration. Her heroine named Clara returns to the city of her youth, which is associated with not the best memories: the betrayal of her lover and, as a result, the path to the panel. But fate has its own plans for everyone - and now she is the owner of a million-dollar inheritance, and with her young husband she returned to her city with the sole purpose of restoring violated justice. It doesn't matter by what means. It is important what the townspeople are willing to do for big money. Yulia Borisova is brilliant in this role, however, what role was she not brilliant in? You can’t help but remember her Cleopatra in a duet with Mikhail Ulyanov in a performance forty years ago "Antony and Cleopatra". Even now she has so much youthful enthusiasm, such energy flows from the stage into the auditorium that it is impossible to believe the age of this actress.
For Vladimir Etush, who is called the elder of the Russian stage, the creators of the play chose an excerpt from the drama Arthur Miller "Price". His hero, an old antique dealer named Solomon, does not bargain with a client for money - although he will not give up a cent. A lonely 90-year-old man is glad that he is in demand again, and at the same time he behaves like a true master of the situation. He came to evaluate furniture not for the sake of earning money, but in order to feel alive, to play in this life. And what a joy it is to hear the familiar intonations of your favorite artist, who seems absolutely adequate to his hero. For Vladimir Etush, as indeed for any older artist, to live means to play, go on stage and bathe in the love of a grateful audience.
Lyudmila Maksakova His age is still a long way off. But according to the director’s idea, she got the role of a frantic old woman who was so carried away by playing roulette that she lost her entire fortune overnight, leaving her heirs awaiting her death with nothing. Grandmother of Lyudmila Maksakova in an excerpt "Player" By Dostoevsky quickly rolls onto the stage in a wheelchair, wearing a black hat with a feather sticking out - and blows up the entire space around him.
Together with the elders, representatives of the middle generation appear on stage, having long won the love of the public not only on stage, but also in cinema. For example, an amazing duet - Irina Kupchenko And Evgeniy Knyazev in miniature "Filumena Marturano" By Eduardo de Filippo. And in the crowd you can see artists who have long become famous. Incredible costumes of the actors, which were created for all the characters by the main artist of the theater Maxim Obrezkov, add spectacle to this exciting performance.
Several directors worked on the play, each with their own style. But it turned out to be holistic largely thanks to Pushkin’s poems, which run through it as a through plot. Reads them Vasily Lanovoy. Well, there’s no need to tell you how he knows how to do it. And also the scenery. A real Temple of Art is built on the stage (scenography Adomas Jackovskis). In some ways it resembles the interior space of a cathedral with columns going up - it’s not for nothing that Tuminas calls the “Pier” a mass. At the end, solemn music sounds, as if transporting viewers into the space of a real temple. A white cloth flutters across the entire width of the stage - a sail, on which appear the faces of great directors and artists who have served this theater all their lives - from Evgenia Vakhtangova And Ruben Simonova before Mikhail Ulyanov. The ship sails, the sail lowers - and the current generation of Vakhtangov residents appears before the public, where there is a place for everyone - both luminaries and the very young. They are a team with a glorious past and a bright future.
Theater named after Vakhtangov celebrated his 90th birthday almost in Chekhov style. Without skits, fun, trivial congratulations and other similar attributes of a round anniversary. On the other hand, this could not happen if Rimas Tuminas is at the helm. In the third season, this director manages to do what many cannot do - literally, raise the Vakhtangov Theater from its knees. And the current “Pristan” is a direct confirmation of this. Despite the fact that the production brings some conclusions, the legendary Vakhtangovites are presented in it as if in an expensive frame, it is difficult to call it a requiem. Neither the majestic chorale Miserere by composer Faustas Latenas, nor the spare severity and gothic spatial scenography of Adomas Jacovskis are associated with the doom and farewell words of those who created the glory of this theater. Something resists in this production. On the contrary, there is a breath of renewal here. The theater does not die, but is reborn; finally, the real spirit of the Vakhtangov theater has awakened from its lethargic sleep! And most importantly, he has a future.
It is no coincidence that Rimas Tuminas in “The Marina” united two generations, older and younger. The average will still take its place in the performance, only a little later. Now excerpts with Sergei Makovetsky in the role of Richard III, Maria Aronova, Yulia Rutberg, Maxim Sukhanov are being prepared. But the director, making a connection between the past and the future, already knew in advance how to present a gift on such a difficult anniversary. Preserve traditions and not become a hostage to them... Through continuity. This is the whole essence of “Pristan” and the theater, as a living organism, if you like. Therefore, the traditional “Princess Turandot” did not appear on the theater stage today. But the shadow of the legendary performance will remain forever in the souls of the actors. Her heroes - Brighella, Pantalone, Tartaglia, Truffaldino, only silently appeared on the stage, peered carefully into the auditorium and disappeared, giving way to the heroes of Yulia Borisova, Vladimir Etush, Galina Konovalova, Lyudmila Maksakova, Yuri Yakovlev, Irina Kupchenko, Vyacheslav Shalevich, Vasily Lanovovo. It seemed that now this was a completely different stage for the cheerful characters of Turandot, which the founder of this theater had once created. They are a thing of the past, but not the actors. Continuity is indeed a very interesting thing, based on a simple and understandable feeling - respect. And it should not be confused with a tribute to the past. Rimas Tuminas had the courage to close an entire chapter of this theater in order to begin a new stage. He treated the Vakhtangov tradition with respect and delicacy, although he was not one himself. And therefore he will run the theater in his own way. The absence of the familiar and even slightly boring “Princess Turandot” is very symbolic.
The actors chose their own roles, each played what they had long dreamed of. The performance was opened by Vyacheslav Shalevich in the image of Brecht's Galileo. The monologue turned out to be a little drawn out and heavy, perhaps due to the actor’s long absence from major roles. Lately, the artist has been paying a lot of attention to working at the Ruben Simonov Theater. But Galileo’s sly smile revealed a certain duality in the character of the hero. It was immediately clear that he was not as simple as he seemed, cunning and wise. I will make a reservation that the genre of the performance is more reminiscent of a concert consisting of several numbers. And the theater itself warns that numbers may change and be shuffled, so don’t be blamed if you suddenly discover that some of the episodes were not shown to you. The theater reserves this right. The composition consists of works by various classics - Pushkin and Brecht, Durenmatt and Shakespeare, Dostoevsky and Bunin. But, oddly enough, it’s impossible to get lost in a theatrical kaleidoscope. Although the scenes are not united by one idea and sequence, there is no feeling of confusion. And Vasily Lanovovo’s involuntary exits between episodes hold the action together. The actor appears suddenly. The lights are dimmed, the stage along with the rest of the guests is covered with snow, a blizzard rises and, like the Unknown from “Masquerade”, Vasily Lanovoi emerges with a majestic gait. The characters freeze and, as if among the stone monuments, Pushkin’s poems sound like something eternal and unshakable. The absolutely “earthly” heroine of Galina Konovalova will destroy the imperishable severity. The dear old lady is a former famous singer from Bunin’s story “Favorable Participation.” Every year she gives a concert in honor of low-income high school students. In general, he spends his time having fun choosing outfits, wigs and teaching young girls how to sing. It is unlikely that sadness and awareness of the generally unenviable lot of an actor in old age and loneliness will slip into the eyes of this charming lady. And her performance, where everyone applauds the artist and carries her in their arms, dressed like “death gathered for a ball,” reaches the point of mind-blowing absurdity. After all, every actor dreams of this. She is pitiful, and funny, and charming. It is impossible not to remember the tragic fates of our actresses. Galina Konovalova's heroine turned out to be sparkling, light and flirty. With what grace and virtuosity she runs in heels, dresses up in different outfits, and even shows off her cleavage. There is so much humor in this funny old lady. But this actress is older than the theater itself. It concentrated the basic principles of the Vakhtangov school of acting - versatile, tragicomic, grotesque, balancing from one extreme of the image to the other. The actress is a holiday joke, but with subtext. She can no longer hear about age and jokingly calls Vakhtangovsky her young lover. Galina Konovalova came here in the thirties and only recently, with the premiere of Uncle Vanya, she became known to the general public.
The real surprise was the appearance of Yulia Borisova. At first, it is even difficult to recognize her. In a golden lace robe, with feathers on her head, heels and fiery red curls framing her face. The exit was extremely solemn and luxurious, just like the heroine herself. The actress chose the role of Clara Tsakhanassyan, the multimillionaire F. Durenmatt from “The Lady’s Visit.” The last time Borisova appeared on stage was in 1994 in the play “Dear Liar”, since then, having worked in the theater for 65 years, she rarely appeared in the theater. Clara also had coquetry, but more aristocratic, sublime. The floor-length translucent lace skirt revealed her slender legs. The soft gaze gave way to a sharp, dangerous one, I remembered her Nastasya Fillipovna from the film adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel “The Idiot”, a radiant smile and a voice, slightly creaky, melodious, sly - Borisova’s calling card. After the verdict was announced - death in exchange for money, Clara turned from a loving woman into a goddess of justice. Unbending, beautiful, fair.
It seemed impossible to see Vladimir Etush in the title role. The last more or less major role of the count was in the play “Uncle’s Dream” in 2000, and here is the Jewish antique dealer Gregory Solomon from Arthur Miller’s story “The Price.” The old man can’t name the cost of old and essentially obsolete things, but they are all so dear to him, there is so much connected with them. A harp, a huge table with carved legs, but they won’t fit into any modern apartment, or they will disturb the interior with their old-fashionedness. So the thoughts of the old seller are far from modern people; he does not understand why so many shopping centers have gone out of business. Moreover, he doesn’t hold on to his things, parting with them easily, but he can’t decide on the price. So how much should you estimate the years you have lived? He is smart and wise, a little tired of life, but he loves and respects her, is grateful to her for everything. And he doesn’t grumble like a grouch about his illnesses and doesn’t curse old age, but treats it philosophically... and his departure to another world too. “Well, then I’ll stay here a little longer? “Are you okay?” he winks slyly and kindly at the one far in the sky. Vladimir Etush’s image turned out to be very bright and sunny. There is not an ounce of shadow in him, even when the buyer with persistence, not wanting to listen, however, like all of us, to long stories about the life of the old man, hurries Solomon to speed up the transaction process. Because this is what always happens. To be honest, the warmth and sincerity with which the role is presented is a little unexpected for the viewer. The actor does not emphasize the Jewish flavor, which is especially nice. This would make the image seem unnatural and artificial.
Lyudmila Maksakova closes the benefit row. This happened at the general run-through, and at the premiere itself the deck of numbers was shuffled again. Unfortunately, we were not able to see the excerpt with Yuri Yakovlev. They say it was one of the most impressive episodes, and Yakovlev himself recalled the image of Chekhov. An episode from “Filumena Marturano” by Eduardo de Filippo with the charming, sophisticated Irina Kupchenko and the attractive Italian scoundrel Evgeny Knyazev quickly flashed before Maksakova. In a fur hat, with a whistle, like an ataman, a cheerful granny, Lyudmila Maksakova, was wheeled out in a wheelchair. She, as it turns out, is an avid “Player” of F. Dostoevsky. Having lost his entire fortune, he takes off his shaggy blond wig and, like Lady Macbett in prayer, repeats that he will build a stone church. And hides in the depths of the stage against a white background in the crowd. I’m still racking my brains about what made Maksakova’s heroine lose out like that. The actress turned out to be a rather intelligent person with the character of a granny.
In four hours, a string of premieres, a parade of legends of the Vakhtangov Theater, and almost its entire acting history flashes before the viewer. From scene to scene it takes your breath away; you don’t have time to switch from one episode to another. It is no coincidence that the director brought out those actors who today can rarely be found on stage, and even in one performance. It is obvious that some actors are already having a hard time going on stage, but there is so much inspiration, skill, sparks in the performance. The annotation to the symbolic “Pier” says that it is a mass, and the theater is a temple. So the actors came to celebrate this mass and the audience to perform it. In the finale, on a large white canvas, moving in waves from the wind, portraits of those who have long been gone and without whom it is impossible to imagine the Theater were projected. Vakhtangov - Ulyanov, Simonov, Orochko, Gritsenko, Mansurova, Goryunov, Shchukin and, of course, the teacher himself - Evgeny Vakhtangov. An entire theatrical chapter has ended, a new one begins. There is a good prospect ahead. The theater is being revived and beginning to find itself. “The Marina” is not a ceremonial performance for the anniversary, where famous actors perform solo numbers and this can be the end of it. This is a certain result, a restructuring of coordinates, a transition of tradition to a qualitatively different level, this is the passage of time. Perhaps this is why many of the theater elders were initially so resistant to Tuminas' leadership. He will lead the theater along a different path. But what he did for the anniversary deserves a special bow.
A week has passed since that unforgettable evening when I had the good fortune to attend the play “Pier” at the Theater. Vakhtangov, but he still stands before your eyes and makes you think about many things, about the undisturbed values of the artist’s words and play, about the beauty of the classical repertoire, which has not been amenable to modern reading.
You can apply many colorful epithets to the performance, but I will highlight two: unique and sad. The uniqueness of the action on stage is the participation in it not of one great actor, but of a whole constellation of great masters. Rarely does a theater boast that so many recognized audience favorites perform on its stage. All of them devoted many decades of their work to the theater, and I would like to believe that the traditions of great directors continue in the theater, and the love for their theatrical home unites and supports the entire troupe. Perhaps the brilliant idea of Rimas Tuminas is precisely this: to show not only the magnificent stars of the theater, but also the amazing studio atmosphere that was inherent in the Vakhtangov theater over the years.
The performances of this theater have always amazed us with their theatricality, festivity, and jokes on the topic of the day. But serious psychologism is also inherent in the theater. And in this production we see on stage small performances, different in spirit, each staged for its own “one actor”. The appearances of all the middle-aged masters are accompanied by applause. Everyone is great. You can grumble a little for different reasons - this mini-performance can be shortened, this one can be lengthened, and these ones can generally be swapped, and the music in the finale can be muted a little. And yet four hours pass in one breath. This is a meeting with a real Theater that has not lowered the bar and respects its audience. Bravo to Vladimir Etush, Galina Konovalova and Yulia Borisova! This is something sparkling and unattainable in terms of the level of play! And when later, at home, I found out about the age of these Artists, all I could do was bow low to them from the waist! Separately, I would like to highlight Vasily Lanovoy, who briefly appears on stage to read Pushkin’s poems. But how does he do it! There is so much tragedy and sadness in his words and appearance. I haven't had goosebumps in a theater hall for a long time. Thanks to him and everyone for these goosebumps.
There is a lot of humor in the performance, and yet at the end of the performance I was haunted by a feeling of aching sadness, sadness for the passing of Art. The performance began on a sad note - with the performance of a prayer, and ended with a huge fluttering curtain, on which portraits of the famous Vakhtangovites appear and disappear. What is this? "Gone With the Wind"? But the young artists in the first scene pray that we do not forget those who created Russian theatrical art. Now, in the age of television and films with special effects, I would like to believe that the Theater is alive and there is someone to continue its traditions. Thanks again to Rimas Tuminas for his brilliant production.
