The Maly Theatre for the very first time turns to the work of the Swiss playwright Friedrich Dürrenmatt. Ilan Ronen, former Artistic director of The Habima, the National Theatre of Israel, undertook to produce «The Visit of the Old Lady» on the historical stage of the Maly Theatre. 27 years ago he already worked with the renowned Moscow company – back then an Israeli director was invited to stage «Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme» by Molière. And it turns out that the director managed to repeat his success of a quarter of a century ago.

Dürrenmatt's play is a true gift for any theatre company. The work is spectacular and "heavily-populated" - 40 characters! However, Ilan Ronen picked only 16 actors, entrusting some of them with several roles.

- That's the essence of the theatre, when the actors can switch roles. And the audience loves it. Then it is immediately clear that they are in the theatre, - the director explains.

It is Lyudmila Titova, who brings the main character of Claire Zachanassian to life on the stage.. Perhaps Ilan Ronen made his choice, having seen the actress in the title role in last season’s premiere – «Vassa Zheleznova. The First Version.» The image of the "Iron lady" suits her. Claire’s former lover, Alfred Ill, is performed by Vasiliy Bochkaryov. The premiere of the performance was a gift for his anniversary - on November 22 People's Artist of Russia, Vasiliy Ivanovich celebrated his 75th birthday.

Set designer Lily Ben Nachshon created the space of the old railway station on the stage that easily turns into a reception hall and a court room. And it all begins with the huge clock counting down the minutes until the the arrival of billionaire Claire Zachanassian. The crowd of citizens led by the Mayor (Alexander Klyukvin) is visibly nervous and is preparing a speech to honour the guest. The old official knows how to welcome important guests, especially when the whole city has gone into bankruptcy. But the guest has completely different plans on her mind.

The old woman returns to her former hometown to take revenge on Alfred. 45 years ago her lover renounced her and their future child. The 17-year-old pregnant Claire was kicked out of the town in disgrace. She found a shelter in a brothel. But now she has the money, the power and the eighth husband and - a lot of property in Güllen …

The appearance of the old lady is spectacular. Through the clouds of smoke, leaning on the cane, limping Clara comes out surrounded by bodyguards and lackeys. Here we should also mention the work of the lighting designer, Andrey Izotov - with the help of shadows and light, he creates that grandiose and at the same time sinister image of the main character. After all, Claire is not a philanthropist, she is a terrible puppeteer who will play with peoples’ lives. 'Everything can be bought', says Claire. 'A billion for Güllen if someone kills Alfred Ill.'

Gradually, even those who were afraid of getting their hands dirty in exchange for a billion changed their principles. This transformation of the personality is conveyed by the costume design produced by Anat Sternschuss Bedani. If at the beginning all townspeople looked like a gray mass, then with the appearance of the Old Lady in their lives, they gradually begin to become covered in gold. Boots, ties, mufflers, hats, portfolios from stage to scene turn yellow. Only Ill remains that gray shopkeeper, betrayed and killed by his closest ones.

Zoya Igumnova, Izvestia, November 27, 2017

The play «The Visit of the Old Lady», written by the Swiss playwright and novelist Friedrich Dürrenmatt in 1956, has become quite popular recently. At the beginning of November, the premiere took place at the Stanislavsky Electrotheatre, and was directed by Oleg Dobrovolsky. And at the same time it was put on in the Maly Theatre and staged by the Israeli director, the former Artistic Director of Habima National Theatre Ilan Ronen. What is it so relevant nowadays? If the Electrotheatre took the path of research on transhumanism, then in the Maly Theatre the decided to reveal human vices. «MK» columnist with a review of the Maly’s recent production.

An empty platform, a bunch of poorly dressed people with a banner: «Welcome, our Klarochka!». At some point they decide that it's too unceremonious, and they turn the poster over to the other side, on which says: «Welcome, Ms Claire Zachanassian!» - this is how the two-faced nature of the city's residents for the first time reveals itself to the audience. As the trains sweep past, the townspeople talk, telling the story of the city of Güllen, the city where «Goethe spent the night» - and now experiencing a crisis, devastation and lack of money. They are preparing for the arrival of a famed billionaire Claire Zachanassian, who grew up here.

People's Artist of Russia Lyudmila Titova, who plays the leading role in the play, appears on stage as a character rather than a human being - an eccentric rich woman accustomed to commodity-money relations. At first we see her impressive shadow on the backscreen, then Claire herself makes appearance, a woman, who is taking away souls, an embodied revenge that knows no mercy. «The world has turned me into a whore, I will turn it into a brothel!» - she declares. And she has all the rights - 45 years ago Claire's ex-lover, Alfred Ill, betrayed her, denying her paternity claim and marrying Matilda Bluhard, the daughter of the owner of the general store. And now the old lady is back to seek justice.

The story of love and revenge, suddenly turns into a truly Gogol’s comedy. The tragic part recedes into the background, allowing comedies to play mise-en-scenes and bring heroes on stage in order to please the audience. This is how the castrated and blinded Koby (Victor Bunakov) and Loby (Mikhail Fomenko) appear, resembling Bobchinsky and Dobchinsky, as well as Claire's personal guards - «two of a kind», Roby and Toby. The Mayor (Alexander Klukvin) is also a typical Gogol’s character. And these people will determine other people's destinies! It is not surprising that when a billionaire puts her condition to the residents of the city - «check for a billion for the traitor's death», everyone is horrified, not wanting to become an executioner, but, as it often happens, the decision are changed quickly. And after some time people realize that the death of one person is a good and decent fare for the happy and comfortable life of others. Only the Schoolmaster, played by Vladimir Nosik, assumes a distinctive role as a "seer" of truth. But his fervent speeches are drowned in the roar of the crowd - it is impossible to protect the one who has condemned himself to the mistakes of the past.

Perhaps the most important problem of this production is that there are no heroes who we can easily sympathize with, they are all puppets in the director's hands. If you think about it, Dürrenmatt wrote his play as a tragicomedy. It is based on the drama of a woman who only loved once, who was betrayed by a partner, but managed to survive. And on the example of one story - from private to general - Dürrenmatt revealed the whole layer of human relations in a world where the only thing that is valuable is money. So in the play - gradually penetrating into the inhabitants of Güllen, starting with the clothing, and then capturing the lights - gold becomes the main driving force, justifying any crime of the society that fell ill with the «gold rush».

The story of one person (who betrayed his love 45 years ago, for the sake of profit) reveals the history of the whole society - a society striving for profit, capable of killing and sacrificing anyone for the sake of a beautiful life. And if logically the audience should sympathize with Claire, whose fate was broken by the man she passionately loved, that does not happen - it's hard to sympathize with the caricature. The only living character, surprisingly, is Ill performed by Vasiliy Bochkaryov - pathetic, destroyed by time and trampled by his own impotence, ingratiating and cowardly. He is the only one who changes throughout the whole performance - from the former executioner he eventually becomes a victim.

As for the main character, there is no tragedy in her, even in the failed scene of the murder (a scene in the forest), where Claire, stifled to the frenzy, kisses, is nothing real. Like the character of the film «Death Becomes Her» she rises from the dead, like a mechanical doll - unharmed and soulless. Not a woman, but a capitalist killing machine. In Ilan Ronen’s production there’s a lot of artificial – like a fake forest, a tragicomedy without tragedy, not to cry, but to feel indignant.

And then everything happens at lightning speed: the hero will be sentenced to death with instant execution. And the cost of betrayal does not really matter. The ramshackle city will be overwhelmed with money, and all for the sake of one - that the heroine could take with her the one whom she loved. Let the dead, destroyed, lying in the coffin - but belonging only to her from now on. In the finale, everyone starts dancing, but the sounds of Ill's harmonica make the residents remain standing stiff. Yet again, director Ilan Ronen decides the finale to look more like the final scene from Gogol's «The Government Inspector».

Those who strive to find a dramatic component and dramatic reading will most probably fail to detect them. However, perhaps, laughter is a much more effective weapon against the evils of society? Even Gogol knew this. Or maybe Dürrenmatt?...

Ekaterina Pisareva, «Moskovsky Komsomolets», November 21, 2017