News

More Gogol to enrich the Maly Theatre's repertoire! The «Marriage» returns on the theatre's stage. Director Yuri Solomin doesn't compromise the integrity of one of the oldest theatres in Russia. The classics seems to be as popular and relevant as ever.

Yuri Solomin jokingly says that staging the «Marriage» has been his childhood dream. He postponed the production several times, but finally the «Marriage» is on! «I did not want to modernize it, because it's as plain as it can be what Gogol wrote about. You can find it all in the play - the relations between people, and the relations between classes, when there's something you would like to try, but are too afraid of it», - said the Artistic Director of the Maly Theatre, People's Artist of the USSR Yuri Solomin.

Surprisingly enough Gogol's «Marriage» appeared only twice on the stage of the Maly Theatre. The first time (as Shchepkin's benefit performance) was in the XIX century. The second (on the centenary of Gogol's birth) - in 1909. The current production in the Maly is the first one in more than a hundred years.

The stars of the theatre - Muravyova, Polyakova, Afanasyev, Ermakov, Dubrovsky are playing next to yesterday's graduates and even students. Karina Sakhanenko, who plays the bride Agafya Tikhonovna was Yuri Solomin's student at the Mikhail Shchepkin Theatre school. For Grigoriy Skryapkin, who plays Podkolyosin, this role is a dream role.

The story of a picky bride and an indecisive groom has been rehearsed for a over a year. During this time the artists managed to fall in love with the performance. «I made everyone laugh, because I said that I know the concept of the play. What is the Gogol's «Marriage»? Agafya Tikhonovna herself is a young Russia, and those, who are proposing to her are the fiances», said Lyudmila Polyakova, People's Artist of Russia.

This is the second play by Gogol in the Maly Theatre's repertoire, the first one being «The Government Inspector», also staged by Yuri Solomin is highly popular with the audience.

New Year in Moscow will begin with a great feast for theatre lovers. From December 31 to January 2, within the framework of the festival «Journey into Christmas», organised by the Moscow city government, 10 venues will be opened along Tverskaya Street, where the major theatres of the capital and the country will show selected performances in street format. The Maly Theatre will present one of its most festive performances - «Poverty is No Crime» by Alexander Ostrovsky.

The action of the comedy by Alexander Ostrovsky unfolds in Christmas time - a time of merry folk festivals, fortune-telling and gatherings.Ostrovsky reproduces the merry atmosphere of the old Russian folk carnival, svyatki with its old songs, fortune telling, jokes, frosty windows, laughter, bears with tambourines, balalaika strumming – all the childhood memories of the playwright. In the house of the merchant Gordey Tortsov, all this is banned: the owner does not accept common folk games, considering them unsuitable for his status, and forbids this kind of Christmas cheer. His daughter, however, doesn't want to abide to his rules and miss all the fun. A fragment of the Maly Theatre's production will be shown on Tverskaya Street and is dedicated to the most cheerful event: a dashing crowd of masked men barges into the house of an arrogant merchant and his family, forgetting the prohibitions, dances and sings.

Dates and times: December 31 (18: 15-18: 45), January 2 (16: 15-16: 45).

Venue: «Stone Flower» (Tverskaya street, houses 15-17).

A detailed schedule of the festival «Journey into Christmas» is available on mos.ru.

On December 21, students of the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet directed by People's Artist of Russia Nikolay Tsiskaridze performed in «The Nutcracker» by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a charity ballet on stage of the Maly Theatre.

At the beginning of the performance Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, played by People's Artist of Russia Vasiliy Bochkaryov, came onstage to tell the story of Marie and Fritz's wonderful adventures on a magical Christmas night, about the present their godfather, Drosselmeier, has made for them, about the unfortunate broken Nutcracker toy and his battle with the terrible seven-headed Mouse King.

The third act of this magical ballet, with its ravishing Tchaikovsky score and choreography by Vasily Vainonen, was performed by the students of the Academy.

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Dear friends,

As promised, today we would like to share with you a video from the performance «The Heart Is Not a Stone» by Alexander Ostrovsky that took place on December 17th and marked the 75th anniversary of People's Artist of Russia Vasiliy Bochkaryov.

Dear friends,

On December 17, the Maly Theatre celebrated the anniversary of one of its leading actors -People's Artist of Russia Vasiliy Ivanovich Bochkaryov with the performance «The Heart Is Not a Stone» by Alexander Ostrovsky. On this evening, the hero of the day appeared on stage playing Potap Potapich Karkunov. After the show the whole acting company of the theatre with Yuri Solomin taking the lead came onstage with felicitation. Today, we would like to share with you offer you a story in pictures made by Evgeniy Lyulyukin, who was on duty backsstage capturing the nuances of this special day.

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Dear guests,

On February 3, on the Main Stage, there will be an additional performance of «The Queen of Spades» by A. Pushkin. The performance shall start at 18:00. Tickets are on sale!

«Big Tours» is a large-scale project of the Federal Center for Supporting Touring Activities of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation that was conceived to revive the exchanges between Russian theatres. In 2017 over 237 theatres from 83 regions took part in the program. So far, there are four focus areas of the program: «federal» (when metropolitan theatres travel to regions), «interregional» (cities travelling to each other in the regions), «foreign» (cooperation of the Russian theatres with the theatres abroad) and a new direction- «for children and youth» (for tours of the Young Spectator’s and puppet theatres).

During the press-conference, Director General of the Maly Theatre Tamara Mikhaylova pointed out that it is important that: « it is classical Russian theatre that goes on tours, which has something to show and what to teach, and not non-repertory companies». «The performances during the tours are presented the same way they are shown in the capital – with the same set, costumes and the whole theatre’s company» - she confirmed. The Maly Theatre is among other theatres, which organize special additional activities on tours in the regions, for example, meetings of the artists with the audience.

Sergey Bezrukov, who initiated the children's direction of the «Big Tours», organized on behalf of the government (see «NG» edition of 19.06.17) explained that the tour at the expense of the federal budget, and not at the expense of the distributor, is more productive because the «ticket prices are not inflated». «After all, art for children should be affordable, but better - free», - commented the artistic director of the Moscow Provincial Theatre. According to Bezrukov, the project will be annual and will be maintained at the proper level.

Alexander Zhuravsky State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Culture of Russia noted that «as a result of the program, all technical riders of theatres across the country are known today, all their complexities.» «This analysis will help us in further decisions in regards to technical re-equipment of the theatres all across the country, if such opportunities will emerge in the coming years» said the Deputy Minister of Culture, thus responding to Alexander Kalyagin's speech about the technical condition of provincial theatres (see NG from 19.12.16). Speaking about the budget for 2018, Zhuravskiy assured that it will not be decreased. Most likely, it will be increased by means of funds for children's tours. The budget of the project in 2017 was 513 million rubles.

Elizaveta Avdoshina,«Nezavisimaya Gazeta», December 14, 2017

Artistic Director of the Maly Theatre, People’s Artist of the USSR Yuri Solomin and Director General of the Maly Theatre, Tamara Mikhaylova have been named «Person of the Year» by the Russian Biographical Institute on December 14, 2017, under the arches of the Sergievsky Hall of The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The Russian Biographical Institute grants its Person of the Year award for outstanding achievements that affect contemporary Russian society.

The award was established 25 years ago. It was first held in December 1993. The decision on the award is taken by the Person of the Year Award international council of experts sponsored by the Russian Biographical Institute. This is a non-governmental, non-profit organization. Its council of experts includes prominent Russian politicians, scientists, men of science, literature and religion.

This time the award was held to mark the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution and the restoration of the Patriarchate. The ceremony was attended by the ambassadors of China, Kazakhstan, Cuba, Bulgaria, representatives from Donetsk and the Moscow community of Donbass, led by its chairman, Joseph Kobzon.

Russian President Vladimir, along with Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov and the Russian Foreign Ministry staff, Minister of Defense of Russia Sergey Shoygu were chosen Person of the Year in recognition of their efforts to strengthen Russian positions in the international arena.

Among other winners are: Leo Bokeria, head of Bakulev Scientific Center for Cardiovascular Surgery, Archimandrite Tikhon (Shevkunov), abbot of the Sretensky Stavropegial Monastery for his educational work, filmmakers Karen Shakhnazarov, Igor Ugolnikov, book publisher Oleg Novikov, the staff of the Museum-Reserve of A.S. Pushkin (director Georgy Vasilevich), the Leo Tolstoy Museum Estate Yasnaya Polyana (director Ekaterina Tolstaya) were awarded at the ceremony, the Organizing Committee of International Military Music Festival «Spasskaya Tower», and editor-in-chief of the historical magazine «Rodina» Igor Kots.

Details are in Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper

Dear friends,

We have exciting news for you! Due to popular demand, on January 13, on the Old New Year's Eve, A.I.Sumbatov-Yuzhin's Memorial Apartment will host an additional performance of our winter fairy tale «The Adventures of the New Year’s Toys».

The show starts at 17:00.

Looking forward to seeing you all at the Bolshoy Palashevsky Lane, house 5/1.

Tickets can be purchased only at the theatre’s box office or online (tickets are not sold in the Memorial Apartment).

The ticket price for a child (with a gift) is 800 rubles, for an adult - 500 rubles.

For more information, please call +7 (916) 879-84-90.

On December 10th Mary Mark first appeared on stage as the Princess in «The Snow Queen» by Evgeny Schwartz (based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen). Congratulations to Mary! We sincerely wish her further artistic achievements!

Magic fills the air during the holiday season. It can be seen on a frosty glass window or on the silvery surface of a Christmas tree toy, when you gently pull it out of the box, unfold it, barely breathing, untangle the thread and choose a suitable place for it on a Christmas tree...

During the holiday season all of the Christmas and New Year toys magically come to life, and their hilarious adventures begin. Do you want to know about the adventures of the plasticine donkey? Or how the little puppy Tyavka became brave? Or why is it so important that there is no dust on the silver fairy? And when does the ball takes place, where all wishes and desires come true?

Then come join us in a cozy mansion in the Bolshoy Palashevsky Lane where our artists Irina Leonova and Konstantin Yudaev, as well as their friends-musicians Anton and Elena Moiseenko will tell you a fairy tale world created by the wonderful children's author Elena Rakitina. This story is woven from memories from your childhood - fluffy snow, the scents of fir needles, citrus and Christmas cheer.

We are waiting for you on January 6 (14:00 and 17:00) and January 8 (12:00 and 16:00) in A.I.Sumbatov-Yuzhin's Memorial Apartment at the address: Bolshoy Palashevsky lane, 5/1, Tverskaya or Pushkinskaya metro stations.

Tickets can be purchased only at the theatre’s box office or online (tickets are not sold in the Memorial Apartment).

The ticket price for a child (with a gift) is 800 rubles, for an adult - 500 rubles.

For more information, please call +7 (916) 879-84-90.

One year ago today, on December 6, the Maly Theatre reopened the famous doors of the main historical stage to the public.

2017 is a special year for us: we finally returned to the historical stage, a building that every art lover associates with the Maly Theatre. Having started to work actively at the end of January, by May the main stage released two premieres: «King Lear» by William Shakespeare, directed by Anton Yakovlev and «Talents and Admirers» by Alexander Ostrovsky, staged by Vladimir Dragunov.

It all started in 2012, when a special platform was put under the foundation, undercut by the Neglinka River, and new piles were installed. It was crucial to strengthen the walls of the building. The theatre, however, continued to operate and to host visitors. Sometimes the actors had to wear special masks during the rehearsals to protect themselves from construction dust, but the team was happy to be able to stay on the historical stage for as long as possible. At the same time, the underground areas of the theatre were significantly expanded and increased.

In May 2014, the main stage was closed for renovation and technical re-equipment. From now on the performances were held on Bolshaya Ordynka stage and temporarily, during two seasons, some of the shows were held at the Culture Centre of Moscow Aviation Institute.

The construction company executed big work of selective replacement of the floor slabs, underpinning of the foundations and wall brickwork. They also started the waterproofing and arrangement of foundation bearing plate. New engineering systems were integrated, all theatrical technologies were replaced - light, sound and mechanics, as well as a turntable. The wardrobe of the first floor was significantly increased.

Since the building of Maly Theatre is a unique memorial of culture and architecture and one of the main elements forming the architectural complex of Moscow Theatre Place certain premises could not be changed or rebuilt and had to be preserved. The auditorium in the first place. Perhaps the most challenging task was to preserve the unique acoustics of the auditorium. Moreover, 8 unique bells that appeared in the theatre in the 30-ies of the XX century, remained at their rightful place.

The picturesque painted ceiling was restored, and was brought back safe and sound. Works were carried out according to materials of architect A.P. Velikanov, who reconstructed the theatre in 1947. The courtyard was rebuilt and a new hall appeared, the expansion of the Shchepkinsky foyer, where exhibitions of the Maly Theatre are now held.

In addition to technical difficulties, builders faced the management's request not to open the roof over the stage. According to popular belief within the theatre's company, the souls of the Maly Theatre’s gone actors remain within its walls. If someone opens the ceiling, the souls will fly away. What is it? A fairytale? A superstition? Nevertheless, it was prohibited by the Artistic Director of the Maly Theatre Yuri Solomin and the artists to touch the ceiling. The builders were instructed to rearrange design documentation, to come up with another way to strengthen the roof, but not touch the ceiling above the stage and the auditorium under any circumstances.

Reconstruction, with completion planned for 2018, was finished earlier - the theatre was reopened in December 2016. A gala concert «Opening» that entered the Maly Theatre’s repertoire was held to commemorate this special date.

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The closing ceremony of the VIII International Slavic Art Forum «Golden Vityaz/ (Golden Knight)» was held on December 4, at the Maly Theatre, on Bolshaya Ordynka stage.

The Maly Theatre presented to the jury of the festival the new play «King Lear» staged by Anton Yakovlev, the first production that was released on the Historical Stage of the theatre after the renovation. Boris Nevzorov, who plays Lear, recited the poem of Nikolay Rubtsov at the closing ceremony.

Following the results of the VIII International Slavic Forum of Arts «Golden Vityaz», the Maly Theatre received the «Golden Diploma» «For the preservation of the traditions of the Russian realistic psychological theatre». The award was received by Deputy General Director Yuri Arkhipov.

Within the framework of the festival, the actor of the Maly Theatre and the main director of the Sphere Theatre, Alexander Korshunov, received the «Bronze Knight» award and the «Golden Diploma» for best actor (Molière, The Cabal of Hyppocrites, «Sphere» theatre).

On December 3 Alexander Naumov first appeared as King’s Adviser in «The Snow Queen» by Evgeny Schwartz (based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen). Wishing you great success with your new role. Good luck!!

On November 30 People's Artist of Russia Alexander Ermakov first appeared as Lavr Mironovich in Alexander Ostrovsky's comedy «The Last Sacrifice». Our greetings and the best wishes for Alexander Yurievich in this new chapter of his acting career.

On November 25 Mariya Dunaevskaya first appeared as the Robber Woman in «The Snow Queen» by Evgeny Schwartz (based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen). Congratulations to Mariya! Best wishes for your continued success.

On November 26 People's Artist of Russia Valeriy Afanasyev first appeared as Krutitskiy in «Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man» by Alexander Ostrovsky. Congratulations to Valeriy Alekseevich! Wishing him further bright creative achievements on the stage of the Maly Theatre!

On November 26 Klavdiya Moiseeva first appeared as Stepmother in «Cinderella» by E. Schwartz. Congratulations to Klavdiya Viktorovna and wishing her all the success for her new experience!

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

On November 25 Dmitriy Krivosheev first appeared as the Reindeer in «The Snow Queen» by Evgeny Schwartz, directed by Vitaliy Ivanov. Congratulations to Dmitriy! We would like to wish him the best of luck for the future!