I made a post from pieces, excerpts from books and articles. When you put the puzzles of text and video together, I hope that you will feel the atmosphere of the theater, or rather of one very interesting performance, this is exactly what I wanted to express in my post:
During Brecht's lifetime, his relationship with the Soviet theater was, to put it mildly, not particularly successful. The main reasons were ideological rejection official theater Brecht's artistic searches, as well as the paradoxical figure of Brecht, who greatly irritated the authorities. The dislike was mutual. On the one hand, in the 1920s–1950s, domestic theaters hardly staged Brecht’s plays. On the other hand, the German playwright’s own acquaintance with Soviet theatrical practice more than once plunged him into despondency.
Brecht found himself in the Soviet chalk circle. Only at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s, after his death, rare productions of his plays appeared. Among the first and most significant it should be mentioned: “The Dreams of Simone Machar” at the Moscow Theater. M. Ermolova, directed by Anatoly Efros (1959); “Mother Courage and Her Children” at the Moscow Academic Theater. Vl. Mayakovsky (production by Maxim Strauch) (1960); “The Good Man from Szechwan” at the Leningrad Academic Theater. Pushkin (1962, director – Rafail Suslovich); “Career of Arturo Ui” in the Leningrad Bolshoi drama theater them. Gorky (1963, director – Erwin Axer).
However, these and some other Brecht Thaw productions pale in comparison to the significance of one educational student performance. In 1963, young Vakhtangov students, third (!) year students of the B.V. Theater School. Shchukin, presented the fruit of their six-month work - the play “The Good Man from Szechwan” staged by the course teacher Yuri Lyubimov.
His success was stunning. In the last year of the thaw, in the small hall of the Shchukin school on Old Arbat (later it was played on other stage venues in Moscow), the performance was watched by I. Erenburg, K. Simonov, A. Voznesensky, E. Evtushenko, B. Okudzhava, B. Akhmadulina, V. Aksenov, Y. Trifonov, A. Galich, O. Efremov, M. Plisetskaya, R. Shchedrin... It would seem that another student production was perceived by the Moscow public not only as a theatrical breakthrough, but also as a kind of social manifesto , a banner that promised changing times. It is very symptomatic that a year later, on April 23, 1964, Lyubimov’s “The Good Man from Szechwan” will open a new theater - the Taganka Theater, where it continues to this day.
(Excerpt from an article about Brecht’s work.)
Moscow is an amazing city - everyone there knows everything by rumors. Rumors spread that some interesting performance was being prepared. And since everyone is bored, and diplomats too, if something is interesting, it means there will be a scandal. As my late friend Erdman said, “if there is no scandal around a theater, then it is not a theater.” So, in this sense, he was a prophet in relation to me. And so it was. Well, it’s boring, and everyone wants to come and see, and they know that if it’s interesting, it will be closed. Therefore, it took a long time for the performance to begin; the audience rushed into the hall. These diplomats sat down on the floor in the passage, a fireman ran in, a pale director, the rector of the school, said that “he won’t allow it, because the hall might collapse.” In the hall, where there are seats for two hundred and forty people, there are about four hundred sitting - in general, there was a complete scandal. I stood with a flashlight - the electrics there were very bad, and I myself stood and moved the flashlight. Brecht's portrait was highlighted in the right places. And I kept driving this lantern and shouting:
For God's sake, let the performance continue, what are you doing, because they will close the performance, no one will see it! Why are you stomping around, don’t you understand where you live, you idiots!
And yet I calmed them down. But, of course, everything was recorded and reported. Well, they closed it after that.
Excerpt from Yuri Lyubimov's book "Stories of an Old Talker"
"a kind person from Sichuan" Bertolt Brecht (German: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan) · 1940
Brief summary of the play (for those who don’t know what it’s all about)))
The main city of Sichuan Province, which summarizes all the places in globe and any time in which a person exploits a person is the place and time of the play.
Prologue. For two millennia now the cry has not stopped: this cannot continue! No one in this world is able to be kind! And the concerned gods decreed: the world can remain as it is if there are enough people capable of living a life worthy of a person. And to check this, the three most prominent gods descend to earth. Perhaps the water-carrier Wang, who was the first to meet them and treat them to water (by the way, he is the only one in Sichuan who knows that they are gods), is a worthy person? But his mug, the gods noticed, had a double bottom. The good water-carrier is a swindler! The simplest test of the first virtue - hospitality - upsets them: in none of the rich houses: neither Mr. Fo, nor Mr. Chen, nor the widow Su - can Wang find lodging for them for the night. There is only one thing left: turn to the prostitute Shen De, because she cannot refuse anyone. And the gods spend the night with the only kind person, and the next morning, having said goodbye, they leave Shen De an order to remain just as kind, as well as a good payment for the night: after all, how can one be kind when everything is so expensive!
I. The gods left Shen De a thousand silver dollars, and she bought herself a small tobacco shop with them. But how many people in need of help turn out to be next to those who were lucky: the former owner of the shop and the previous owners of Shen De - husband and wife, her lame brother and pregnant daughter-in-law, nephew and niece, old grandfather and boy - and everyone needs a roof over their heads and food. “The little boat of salvation / Immediately goes to the bottom. / After all, too many drowning people / Grabbed the sides greedily.”
And then the carpenter demands one hundred silver dollars, which the previous owner did not pay him for the shelves, and the landlady needs recommendations and a guarantee for the not very respectable Shen De. “My cousin will vouch for me,” she says. “And he will pay for the shelves.”
II. And the next morning, Shoi Da, Shen De’s cousin, appears in the tobacco shop. Having decisively driven away the unlucky relatives, skillfully forcing the carpenter to take only twenty silver dollars, prudently making friends with the policeman, he settles the affairs of his too kind cousin.
III. And in the evening, in the city park, Shen De meets the unemployed pilot Sun. A pilot without a plane, a postal pilot without mail. What in the world should he do, even if he read all the books about flying in Beijing school, even if he knows how to land a plane, as if it were his own ass? He is like a crane with a broken wing and has nothing to do on earth. The rope is at the ready, and there are as many trees as you like in the park. But Shen De does not allow him to hang himself. To live without hope is to do evil. The song of the water carrier selling water during the rain is hopeless: “Thunder rumbles and rain pours, / Well, I sell water, / But the water is not sold / And it is not drunk at all. / I shout: “Buy water!” / But no one buys. / Nothing gets into my pocket for this water! / Buy some water, dogs!”
And Shen De buys a mug of water for his beloved Yang Song.
Vladimir Vysotsky and Zinaida Slavina in the play “The Good Man from Szechwan”. 1978
IV. Returning after a night spent with her beloved, Shen De sees for the first time the morning city, cheerful and giving joy. People are kind today. The old carpet merchants from the shop opposite give dear Shen De a loan of two hundred silver dollars - this will be enough to pay the landlady for six months. Nothing is difficult for a person who loves and hopes. And when Sun’s mother Mrs. Yang says that for the huge sum of five hundred silver dollars her son was promised a place, she happily gives her the money she received from the old people. But where to get another three hundred? There is only one way out - turn to Shoy Da. Yes, he is too cruel and cunning. But a pilot must fly!
Sideshows. Shen De enters, holding a mask and a Shoi Da costume in his hands, and sings “The Song about the Helplessness of Gods and Good People”: “The good ones in our country / cannot remain good. / To reach the cup with a spoon, / You need cruelty. / The good are helpless, and the gods are powerless. / Why don’t the gods declare there, in the ether, / That it’s time to give all the good and the good / The opportunity to live in a good, kind world?”
V. Smart and prudent Shoi Da, whose eyes are not blinded by love, sees deception. Yang Song is not afraid of cruelty and meanness: let the place promised to him be someone else’s, and the pilot who will be fired from it has a large family, let Shen De part with the shop, except for which she has nothing, and the old people will lose their two hundred dollars and lose their home , - just to achieve his goal. This cannot be trusted, and Shoi Da seeks support in a rich barber who is ready to marry Shen De. But the mind is powerless where love operates, and Shen De leaves with Sun: “I want to leave with the one I love, / I don’t want to think about whether it’s good. / I don't want to know if he loves me. / I want to leave with the one I love.”
VI. In a small cheap restaurant in the suburbs, preparations are being made for the wedding of Yang Song and Shen De. The bride in a wedding dress, the groom in a tuxedo. But the ceremony still does not begin, and the boss looks at his watch - the groom and his mother are waiting for Shoi Da, who should bring three hundred silver dollars. Yang Song sings “The Song of Saint Never’s Day”: “On this day evil is taken by the throat, / On this day all the poor are lucky, / Both the owner and the farmhand / Walk together to the tavern / On Saint Never’s day / The skinny one drinks at the fat one’s house.” . / We can’t wait any longer. / That’s why they should give us, / People of hard work, / The Day of Saint Never, / The Day of Saint Never, / The Day when we rest.”
“He will never come again,” says Mrs. Yang. Three are sitting, and two of them are looking at the door.
VII. Shen De's meager belongings were on the cart near the tobacco shop - the shop had to be sold in order to repay the debt to the old people. The barber Shu Fu is ready to help: he will give his barracks to the poor people whom Shen De helps (you can’t keep goods there anyway - it’s too damp), and write a check. And Shen De is happy: she felt in herself a future son - a pilot, “a new conqueror / Of inaccessible mountains and unknown regions!” But how to protect him from the cruelty of this world? She sees the carpenter's little son looking for food in a garbage can, and swears that she will not rest until she saves her son, at least him alone. It's time to turn into a cousin again.
Mr. Shoi Da announces to those gathered that his cousin will not leave them without help in the future, but from now on the distribution of food without reciprocal services will stop, and those who agree to work for Shen De will live in the houses of Mr. Shu Fu.
VIII. The tobacco factory that Shoi Da set up in the barracks employs men, women and children. The taskmaster - and cruel - here is Yang Song: he is not at all saddened by the change in fate and shows that he is ready to do anything for the sake of the interests of the company. But where is Shen De? Where is the good man? Where is she who many months ago, on a rainy day, in a moment of joy, bought a mug of water from the water carrier? Where is she and her unborn child that she told the water-carrier about? And Sun would also like to know this: if his ex-fiancee was pregnant, then he, as the father of the child, can claim the position of owner. And here, by the way, is her dress in the knot. Didn't a cruel cousin kill the unfortunate woman? The police come to the house. Mr. Scheu Da will have to appear in court.
X. In the courtroom, Shen De's friends (water carrier Wang, the old couple, grandfather and niece) and Shoi Da's partners (Mr. Shu Fu and the landlady) are waiting for the hearing to begin. At the sight of the judges entering the hall, Shoi Da faints - these are gods. The gods are by no means omniscient: under the mask and costume of Shoi Da, they do not recognize Shen De. And only when, unable to withstand the accusations of the good and the intercession of the evil, Shoi Da takes off his mask and tears off his clothes, the gods see with horror that their mission has failed: their good man and the evil and callous Shoi Da are one person. It’s impossible in this world to be kind to others and at the same time to yourself, you can’t save others and not destroy yourself, you can’t make everyone happy and yourself together with everyone! But the gods have no time to understand such complexities. Is it really possible to abandon the commandments? No never! Recognize that the world needs to change? How? By whom? No, everything is okay. And they reassure people: “Shen De did not die, she was only hidden. There remains a good person among you.” And to Shen De’s desperate cry: “But I need a cousin,” they hastily answer: “Just not too often!” And while Shen De desperately stretches out his hands to them, they, smiling and nodding, disappear above.
Epilogue. The actor’s final monologue before the audience: “Oh, my honorable audience! The ending is unimportant. I know this. / In our hands the most beautiful fairy tale suddenly received a bitter denouement. / The curtain is down, and we stand in confusion - the questions have not been resolved. / So what's the deal? We are not looking for benefits, / And that means there must be some sure way out? / You can’t imagine what for money! Another hero? What if the world is different? / Or maybe other gods are needed here? Or no gods at all? I am silent in alarm. / So help us! Correct the trouble - direct your thought and mind here. / Try to find good ways for good. / Bad ending - discarded in advance. / He must, must, must be good!”
Retold by T. A. Voznesenskaya.
Honestly, this is a performance after which not a single critic discounts the Pushkin Theater anymore. The first powerful work after the death of Roman Kozak, who headed the theater from 2001 to 2010 and set a course for “serious” theater.
The premieres that appeared in the theater before “The Good Man…” were by no means bad. All of these were high-quality productions, but - to be honest - with an entertaining message, mostly comedies. In this context, the tragic performance of Bertolt Brecht for the Pushkin Theater is a serious milestone in history.
PLOT
In search of a good person, the gods descend to earth. In the main city of Sichuan province, no one wants to accept them for the night, except for the prostitute Shen Te. In gratitude, the gods give Shen Te some money - with it she buys a small tobacco shop. And then begins what is usually called “the road to hell is paved with good intentions.” People take advantage of Shen Te's kindness. Things are going very badly at the shop. To save herself from ruin, the girl dresses up in men's suit and pretends to be his cousin Shui Ta, a cruel and calculating businessman.
Shui Ta conducts business harshly, refuses everyone who turns to him for help, and, unlike Shen Te, things are going well for his “brother.” In a chain of rapidly developing events, Shui Ta forces numerous parasites to work for Shen Te and eventually opens a small tobacco factory. It all ends with Shui Ta being accused of murdering his cousin. The gods undertake to judge him. That's it in short.
ABOUT THE TIME
Brecht wrote the play for 11 years, from 1930 to 1941. Although the location of the events is designated as the Chinese province of Sichuan, Brecht explains in the stage directions that this could happen anywhere on the globe, “where man exploits man.”
Meanwhile, the following is happening in the world:
Benito Mussolini puts forward the idea of a corporate state, that is, the idea of the state as the power of corporations representing and harmonizing the interests of all segments of the population (as opposed to parliamentary democracy as the power of parties). Fascist ideology originated in Italy in the late 1910s, with the Italian Fascist Party coming to power and establishing Mussolini's dictatorship in 1922.
Begins Civil War in Spain. As historians write, this was a battle test between fascism and communism. While the Republicans turned to the USSR for military assistance, Italy and Germany provided assistance to the nationalists. The Comintern began recruiting people into anti-fascist international brigades.
World War II begins. With the coming to power of the National Socialist Workers' Party led by Adolf Hitler in 1933, Germany begins to ignore all the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles - in particular, it restores conscription into the army and quickly increases the production of weapons and military equipment. On October 14, 1933, Germany withdraws from the League of Nations and refuses to participate in the Geneva Disarmament Conference. On July 24, 1934, Germany attempted to carry out the Anschluss of Austria.
On March 7, 1936, German troops occupy the Rhineland demilitarized zone. Great Britain and France do not offer effective resistance to this, limiting themselves to formal protest. On November 25 of the same year, Germany and Japan concluded the Anti-Comintern Pact on the joint fight against communism. On November 6, 1937, Italy joined the pact.
From 1939 to 1945, about 40 million people died in Europe - 2 million Western Europeans, almost 7 million Germans and more than 30 million Eastern Europeans and citizens of the USSR.
AUTHOR
Bertolt Brecht- German poet, prose writer, playwright, also known as a theater reformer and revolutionary. His work has always caused a lot of controversy; any premiere was accompanied by scandals. Nevertheless, Brecht's theory of epic theater revolutionized the theater of the 20th century.
Brecht contrasted his theory with the “psychological” theater (“theater of experience”), which is associated with the name of K. S. Stanislavsky.
What's the point?
A combination of drama and epic.
The principle of distancing, allowing the actor to express his attitude towards the character.
The destruction of the so-called fourth wall, separating the stage from the auditorium, and the possibility of direct communication between the actor and the audience (the latter has become very firmly established in European theatrical culture).
Performance as a form of reflection of reality, including political reality.
Refusal to recreate the environment, conventional design, only the main signs of place and time.
The action is often accompanied by inscriptions that are projected onto the curtain or onto the backdrop of the stage.
Music as an effective element that enhances the text (zongs).
Ragged rhythm as “a protest against the smoothness and harmony of ordinary verse.”
The performance is a calling to build a new world.
Plays are Brecht's main legacy, which made him world famous. He wrote them on the topic of the day and, in his words, dreamed of a time when the world around him would change so much that everything he wrote would be irrelevant. Alas. “The Good Man from Szechuan” (translation option “The Good Man from Szezuan”, German: Der gute Mensch von Sezuan) is a play completed in 1941 in Finland, one of the most striking embodiments of the theory of epic theater. Originally called "The Goods of Love" (Die Ware Liebe) and was conceived as a domestic drama.
Brecht dedicated “The Good Man...” to his wife, actress Elena Weigel, and the main role was intended for her.
QUOTES
“Your world is cruel! Too much need. Too much despair! You extend your hand to a poor man, and he snatches it away! You help a lost person and you disappear yourself!.. There is probably some kind of falsehood in your world.”
“Good people / In our country cannot remain good for long, / Where the plates are empty, the eaters constantly fight. / Ah, the commandments of the gods / Do not help when there is nothing to eat. / Why don’t the gods come to our markets, / And open the cornucopia to us with a smile, / And don’t allow us, refreshed with bread and wine, / From now on to be friendly and kind to each other?”
“I saw the need, / And wolf rage filled my heart. Then / I realized that transformation was inevitable - my mouth / Became a cleft palate, kind words / Burned my tongue, but still / I wanted to be an “angel of the suburbs.” I couldn’t refuse the pleasure / Help. Just one / Happy smile - and I was already floating in the clouds. / Judge me, but know that I committed these crimes / to help my neighbors, / To love my beloved, and to / Save my own son from poverty. / I’m sorry, but I, a mere human, cannot fulfill divine plans. Help!"
DIRECTOR
Yuri Butusov graduated from the shipbuilding institute. In 1996 he graduated from the directing department at the academy. theatrical arts in St. Petersburg. He staged his first performances with fellow actors: Konstantin Khabensky, Mikhail Porechenkov, Mikhail Trukhin. He made his debut at the Lensovet Theater in 1997 with the play “Woyzeck” based on the play by Georg Büchner, including songs by Tom Waits. Today Butusov - main director The Lensovet Theater also stages performances not only on the leading stages of Russia, but also in Norway, Bulgaria, and South Korea.
Winner of the National Theater Award " Golden mask", the highest theater award of St. Petersburg "Golden Sofit", the theater award named after. K. S. Stanislavsky, “Chaika” Prize.
Signs of the director's style: a penchant for the tragic farce genre, eccentricity, deliberateness, sensuality, audacity, hysteria combined with a philosophical search. Experiments with theatrical form. Always a brutal soundtrack, a mix of pop, rock and jazz hits.
Scandal around Yuri Butusov: In the spring of 2012, Butusov had an acute conflict with the then chairman of the Culture Committee, Dmitry Meskhiev, who tried to prohibit the director from working in other cities and abroad. Butusov threatened to leave the theater, he was supported by the theater community, and Meskhiev soon resigned.
Alexander Matrosov, performer of the role of Wang:“Butusov is a man of utmost honesty with himself. We all take so much time for ourselves. But he doesn't. She never flirts, she puts out what she has.
He doesn’t feel sorry for you or himself. This is his strength and wisdom. At this stage of life - to hell with this word - Butusov is my idol.” Alexander Arsentiev, performer of the role of Young Sun: “Yuri Nikolaevich and I worked together on only one performance, and all these notions about a tyrant are a big theatrical myth. Yuri Nikolaevich is very vulnerable, literally crystal inside. He is a very educated, gifted director with an interesting way of thinking. And, what is most important for me, Yuri Nikolaevich creative person
with a big heart. Everything he does, he does with mental effort.”
“Theater is a convention. The general agreement is that there, on the stage, there can be castles, fields, another time, space - anything. Magic occurs when we all begin to believe in these proposed circumstances. We are all united by a common desire for truth. It seems to me that this is the most important thing in Yuri Nikolaevich - the ability to discern the truth. Moreover, on stage everything can be turned upside down: a woman can play a man, an old man can play a young man, a young man can play an old man. Everything that happens in Butusov’s performances is true.”
A decisive and uncompromising director's statement. It’s not at all about the social motivations of revolutions and the injustice of society. But about how poorly the world works in general.
Grandiose acting work, especially by Alexandra Ursulyak (performer of the role of Shen Te and Shui Ta).
Detachment from era and place.
The fierce frankness with which the director reveals the terrible truth to the viewer: there is no hope and there never will be.
Critics saw only one “flaw” in the performance. Thus, he was accused of being an “imperfect ensemble.” The reason is that most of the actors are used to playing comedies. It was difficult for them to adjust.
Alexander Matrosov, performer of the role of Wang: “For the artists who are involved in it, this performance changed the consciousness. We have grown both as people and as professionals. If we take the Pushkin Theater as a phenomenon, I think we were ready for such a performance since it happened. Just as athletes set their record, so do we. After “The Good Man...” it is impossible to play badly. Even Evgeny Aleksandrovich Pisarev noticed that we had become different. This is the standard we have set, and we are already building on it.”
Alexandra Ursulyak, performer of the roles of Shen Te and Shui Ta:“This performance is a precedent and a serious statement. But this does not mean that the Pushkin Theater was green and now suddenly turned red. It doesn't happen that way. You cannot create something good on bad soil. And our theater has always been good. We have a wonderful troupe, hard-working, real. I believe that any director will find it pleasant and interesting to work with us. Yuri Nikolaevich we really love
Alexander Arsentiev,performer as Young Sun: “Nothing just happens. Roman Efimovich Kozak set a serious direction for the theater, and Evgeny Aleksandrovich Pisarev picked it up. And, apparently, for such a performance as “A Good Man...”, the time has come, and we have “ripened”: we have become older, more experienced. But no one set the troupe the task of taking the heights. To be honest, we didn’t expect success at all. We thought it was just another experiment. But everything turned out the way it did. The performance was created by touch, by inspiration. It was as if we were weaving a web that you could blow on and it would break. Therefore, every detail in the performance and a healthy atmosphere inside is important for “The Good Man...”.”
WHAT CHANGED?
Butusov refuses criticism and social pathos. He fundamentally removed any hints of rebellion against the regime and placed emphasis not on the political component of Brecht’s play, but on the universal one.
Butusov came up with a plastic “feature” for each character: the landlady Mi Jiu (Irina Petrova) moves sideways, Mrs. Shin (Natalya Reva-Ryadinskaya) constantly waves her arms, the water seller Wang becomes a cripple with cerebral palsy.
Godless challenge. Brecht wrote a play as a challenge to society.
Butusov did not include all the zongs in the performance; he abandoned openly moralizing ones, including the final one. Brecht ended the play with the lines: “The bad ending is discarded in advance - it must, must, must be good.”
MUSIC
Music in Butusov's play is a full participant in the action (according to Brecht). The chamber ensemble of soloists “Pure Music” by Igor Gorsky performs works by composer Paul Dessau. The sound is sharp, expressive, alarming. And it's ubiquitous. Even when the zongs are not playing, the ensemble continues to play.
Zongs are the reference points of the director's concept. They sound in German (again, according to Brecht - removal of the author). The interlinear text is shown as a creeping line on a special screen.
ARTIST
Alexander Shishkin is Butusov’s regular collaborator. Among domestic theater artists, he is one of the most sought-after, productive and successful. Works mainly with directors of his generation - Yuri Butusov, Victor Kramer, Andrei Moguchiy, etc. Winner of the theater awards “The Seagull” (2002), “Crystal Turandot” (2004), “Golden Mask” (2008), Stanislavsky Prize (2009).
At the same time with theater work Alexander Shishkin continues to be an easel artist. He is engaged in both traditional painting and unusual digital painting, creating huge, very similar oil works using a computer (in 2003, his exhibition was held at the Russian Art Festival in Nice). Shishkin’s track record also includes performances: he organized large events in Turin (“Parade of City Creatures”) and in Helsinki (“Pillar Incubator”).
The scenery for The Good Man of Szechwan is spare and symbolic. Before the viewer is a picture of the end of times. The stage is bare, the backdrop is a brick wall that serves as a video screen - portraits of the characters and modern video art are projected onto it. Boards and sacks are scattered everywhere, and there is an old rusty bed in the corner. There is a door, but it leads to nowhere. In one of the scenes, bare, dry trees come down from the grate.
The lights are dim all the time. The costumes are laconic and extremely simple.
COMPLEXITY OF REHEARSAL
There are legends in theater circles about how difficult it is to rehearse with Yuri Butusov. Some are sure that there is no more gloomy and silent director in the whole country. On this score, the performers of the main roles in “A Good Man...” express the exact opposite opinion.
Alexandra Ursulyak, performer of the role of Shen Te and Shui Ta:“Yuri Nikolaevich is a wonderful director, one of the brightest of our time. But there are situations when the director must overcome the actor's fear, the artist's reluctance to work, or misunderstanding. Then Butusov uses more aggressive methods. He sometimes says himself: “I come into conflict with the artist.” An uncomfortable situation for him is something like soil on which something can grow. We tried to be attentive to him in order to feel and understand the coordinate system in which he exists. The further we went into work, the more we felt the warmth from him. Yuri Nikolaevich is very reserved and never demonstrates his attitude. But personally, what I feel is enough for me. You don't have to say everything out loud. He's quiet, that's true. But he also knows how to explain, believe me. And if he doesn’t say something, then there is intent in this too. And sometimes his silence just means that everything is fine. Because when it’s bad, he speaks right away.”
B. Brecht worked on a parabolic play about a kind man for a total of twelve years. The original plan dates back to 1930 - at that time the play was to be called “The Goods of Love” (“Die Ware Liebe” - in German this combination is ambiguous, it can be understood by ear and as “True Love”). In 1939 in Denmark, Brecht returned to an old sketch containing five scenes. In May 1939, the first version was completed in Liding (Sweden). Two months later, in July, Brecht began reworking the first scene, followed by a radical revision of the text of the entire play. A year later, the playwright returned to her, hoping to complete the work in April 1940. But on June 11, he wrote in his diary: “Once again, together with Greta, word by word, I am revising the text of The Good Man from Sichuan.” In August, Brecht begins to doubt the central spring of his drama: whether he showed clearly enough “how easy it is for a girl to be kind, and how difficult it is for her to be evil.” Another six months later, the last poems included in the text of the play were written: “Song of Smoke”, “Song of the Eighth Elephant”, “Tercet of the Gods Flying Away on a Cloud”. Still, Brecht did not consider the work completed. “You can’t be sure that a play is ready until you try it on the theater,” he noted. Finally, in April 1941, Brecht, already in Finland, stated that the play was completed.
According to Brecht, he received the impetus to write the play after reading an article in a newspaper.
Basically, Brecht retained the originally conceived plot, but objectified the water-carrier's story, turning his explanations into a fairy-tale dramatic action. Thus, the play, originally conceived as a domestic drama, acquired the form of a dramatic legend, a fantastic parabolic play. Brecht dramaturgically processed the anecdotal incident in Sichuan, presenting it as if from the point of view of the water carrier Wang. To correctly perceive the parabola, the viewer must internalize this naive poetic point of view.
The first production took place on February 4, 1943 in Zurich (Switzerland). Director - Leonhard Steckel, artist - Theo Otto. Some time later, the play was staged by another Swiss theater in Basel, the premiere was on March 10, 1944. The director was Leongard Steckel, the artist was Eduard Gunzinger, the composer was Fru. The role of Shen De was played by Friedl Wald. Only more than eight years later, with a performance in Frankfurt am Main, the history of the German “The Good Man” began (premiere November 16, 1952). The performance was staged by director Harry Bukvitsa as a dramatic fairy tale; the artist was the same Theo Otto, who participated in the creation of the Zurich performance. Otto installed several tall red poles on the stage, along which woven square mats slid, they limited the various stage areas. Solveig Thomas successfully performed the role of Shen De, Otto Rouvel played Van, Arno Assmann played Yang Sun, and Ernstwalter Mitulski played the barber. Theater criticism, noting the artistic integrity of the performance and the original interpretation of a number of roles, in particular Van the philosopher and the ominously comic barber, recognized the Frankfurt performance as one of the most significant theatrical events in the post-war years.
The most famous performances of other theaters in West Germany are:
Wuppertal, 1955. Director - Franz Reichert, artist - Hanna Jordan. Cast: Shen De - Sigrid Marquard, Vana - Horst Tappert. The gods and the barber in this performance wore masks.
Schleswig, 1955 - a performance patronized, oddly enough, by the Evangelical Academy. Director - Horst Gnekow, artist - Rudolf Sojka. In the role of Shen De - Ilzelore Mene.
Hanover, 1955. Director - Kurt Erhardt, artist - Ernst Rufer. Marilena von Bethmann plays the role of Shen De. IN last performance Critics noted the well-known eclecticism of the design (the combination of a conventional bamboo panorama with a naturalistic drainpipe where the water-carrier Wang sleeps) and the non-Brechtian acting of Bethmann, who was so naturally imbued with the gentle kindness of Shen De that she could not move on to the severity of her cousin.
An event in the theatrical life of Germany was the sensational production of “The Good Man” at the Munich theater “Kammerspiele”, the premiere took place on June 30, 1955. The director of the play was Hans Schweickart (critic V. Kiyaulein wrote angrily in the Munich Merkur that Schweickart was so moved by what was happening on stage, that sometimes he forgot to move the action further), artists - Kaspar Neher, whose design combined lyricism and naked convention (in the depths of the stage - the roofs of houses over which stylized clouds floated - and a cloud carrying the gods, descending from the grates open to the viewer thick ropes), and Liselotte Erler (costumes). The role of Shen De was played by Ernie Wilhelmy, Yang Suna - Arno Assmann (who played the same role in Frankfurt), Yang Suna's mother was the famous actress Teresa Riese, one of the best performers of the role of Mother Courage, Vana - at that time already seventy-year-old Paul Bildt (this was one of the last and best roles of the major German actor, who died in 1957). The production was advised by Brecht (see Abendzeitung newspaper report dated April 3, 1955), who arrived in Munich with Elena Weigel. Controversy broke out in the press around the play: “Munchener Merkur” condemned the “propaganda” nature of Brecht’s dramaturgy and the production of “Kammerspiele”, other newspapers refuted this preconceived point of view, noted the high poetry of the parabolic play, the soulful performance of Ernie Wilhelmi (“Frankfurter Allgemeine”, 5 June) and the work of a director and artist (Bayerisches Yolksecho, July 8).
The first production in the GDR was the performance of the Volkstheater in Rostock (April 1956), staged by Brecht's student Benno Besson in the ascetic design of Willy Schröder, with the participation of Käthe Reichel in the role of Shen De. Critics noted that as Shoi Da she was somewhat grotesque, reminiscent of Chaplin, but she played the girl with amazing warmth (“Deutsche Kommentare”, Stuttgart, 1956, May 26). Her success was explained not only by the fact that she went through the Brechtian school of acting, but also by the deep lyricism of her performance (Nazionalzeitung, Basel, June 8). The Berlin Ensemble staged The Good Man after Brecht's death. Director - Benno Besson, artist - Karl von Appen, with the participation of the same Käthe Reichel. In this performance (premiere on September 5, 1957), the social essence of the drama was emphasized - for example, in the picture of the tobacco factory, the entire stage was covered with high prison bars. The performance in Leipzig (1957–1958, director - Arthur Jopp, designer - Bernhard Schröder, in the role of Shen De - Gisela Morgen) was designed in the style of conventional theater and enjoyed significant success. From 1956 to 1962, the play was staged in ten theaters in the GDR.
Large stage history“The Good Man” also has a presence outside of Germany. Three years before the Frankfurt production, a performance was staged by American students at the Carnegie College of Fine Arts in Pittsburgh (1949, translated by E. Bentley, directed by Lawrence Kappa). It was followed by student productions at the universities of Minnesota and Illinois. The New York performance at the Phoenix Theater (1957, artist - Theo Otto) with Uta Hagen in leading role(according to the critic, she “caught the poster character of the role and only after the disappearance of the gods gave vent to her feelings”). In the scenery of the same Theo Otto, the play was staged in London in 1956. The director was George Devine. Shen De is played by Peggy Ashcroft. Brilliant - according to the unanimous assessment of progressive critics - was the performance of the Milanese Piccolo Teatro. Premiere in February 1958. Director - the famous George Strehler, artist - Luciano Domiani. The lead actress is Valentina Fortunata, and Moretti plays Van. In this performance the stage was almost completely empty, only a few hints of a house or a tree replaced the scenery, and the gods descending on a cloud were dressed in bright silk clothes, like theatrical generals, with long white beards (see review by G. Singer in “ Frankfurter Allgemeine" dated February 28, 1958).
In France, “The Good Man” was first shown in the Hebrew language by the Hakameri Theater from Tel Aviv (Israel) touring Paris (1957–1958). Later, in 1960, the National People's Theater (TIP) staged the play in Paris. The premiere took place in December. Translation by Genevieve Serrault and Jeanne Stern.
The director is André Steiger under the direction of Jean Vilar, the artist is André Accard. Performers - Michel Nadal (Chen De), Maurice Garel (Yang Song), Gilles Leger (Wang). This performance became a milestone in the history of one of the best theaters in France. In the program released by the theater, each scene was accompanied by a moral. For example, to scene VIII: “Why not rise above others if they bend their backs?” or to scene X, the last: "If the world is unfair, the only thing that is fair is to change it." The press unanimously noted the significance of the play and performance. A critic of the newspaper “Lettres francaises” of December 1, 1960 wrote: “...Andre Steiger, with all possible care, revealed for the viewer the true meaning of the play and managed to find means of expression as close as possible to those that Brecht considered the best for the execution of his drama. Steiger did this with deep understanding, striving not to copy, not to imitate, not to mechanically apply ready-made recipes, but to find the very spirit of Brechtian aesthetics.” Jean-Albert Cartier wrote in Beaux-Arts on January 20, 1961: “André Accard kept the sets and costumes in a wonderful brown tones. His share in the success of the performance is great.”
One of the last bright stage incarnations of “The Good Man” should be called the performance staged on the stage of the Institute for the Study of Theater Arts at New York University (premiere - March 10, 1963) under the direction of Gert Weimann, who was previously an assistant to such masters German theater, as G. Grundgens and B. Barlog. The roles were successfully performed by: Shen De - Diana Barth and Natalie Ross, Vana - David Frank and Eric Tavares, Yang Suna - Bill Berger and Frank Savino.
In people's democracies (Budapest, Warsaw, Belgrade, Ljubljana), the play “The Good Man” was performed by numerous theater groups.
The most significant of the Soviet productions of “The Good Man” was the performance of the Leningrad Academic Theater. Pushkin. Premiere - June 1962, Russian text by Yu. Yuzovsky and E. Ionova, poetry translated by E. Etkind. Director - R. Suslavich, artist - S. Yunovich. The role of Shen De was played by N. Mamaeva, who, according to the unanimous opinion of the reviewers, found an accurate, laconic drawing of her role and with great naturalness moved from the kind Shen De to the cruel Shoy Da. N. Pesochinskaya in the article “Two People from Sichuan” noted: “N. Mamaeva’s entire stage behavior is built on the fact that the actress consistently poses question after question to the viewer, forcing them to think deeply about their solution... The magnificent plasticity, accurate and economical selection amazes stage aids. The details in Mamaeva’s performance (both when the affectionate Shen De is in front of us, and when the decisive and arrogant Shoi Da) nowhere obscure the typical, main thing. Feeling life truth never cheats on the artist” (“Leningradskaya Pravda”, 1962, August 21). The director and actress found an interesting solution for performing songs. Artists G. Kolosov (Shu Fu), E. Karyakina (landlady Mi Ju), V. Tarenkov (Wang), A. Volgin (Yan Song), E. Medvedeva (Mrs. Yang Song), V. Kovel (widow) also enjoyed success. Shin), V. Yantsat, K. Adashevsky, G. Soloviev (gods), Yu. Svirin (carpenter Lin To),
The work of the director and artist was noted as an achievement of Soviet theatrical culture. “The play “The Good Man from Sichuan,” wrote R. Benyash, “has its own consistency and integrity. It was especially evident in the appearance of the performance. The talented scenery of S. Yunovich pleases with its organic correspondence to the nature of the work and the strict nobility of the design. There is nothing superfluous on stage. Matting and simple unplaned boards. Economical but mood-accurate color. A lonely bare tree, a piece of cloud against a muted background. Unmistakably verified symmetry, creating a feeling of unbiased truth. And now a strangely uninhabited, unkind world appears on the stage, where a person, eager to do good, is forced to buy this right by committing evil. One of Brecht’s most tragic paradoxes” (Izvestia, 1962, October 3).
IN Academic Theater Russian drama of the Latvian SSR named after. Jan Rainis (Riga) “The Good Man” was staged by director P. Peterson in 1960. Noting a number of advantages of the play, critics pointed to the desire of its authors for external effects that were contraindicated for Brecht. “Songs” were also interpreted in a non-Brechtian way: “... the performer of the role of the groom put into the song the feeling of a desperate person who has lost everything. He clenched his fists, rolled his pupils, threw himself on the ground, his groans came from the very depths of his soul, as if he demanded that the audience sympathize with him, because he failed to rob Shen De and her well-wishers. All this is a sharp divergence from Brecht...” (A. Latsis, B. Reich, Soviet theater and Brecht's legacy. - “Literature and Life”, 1960, September 25).
In 1963, the play was staged in Moscow by the Theater School named after. B.V. Shchukina. Director - Yu. Lyubimov. The performance is a great success. It combined a thoughtful and respectful attitude towards Brecht’s stage principles with Vakhtangov’s tradition of vibrant semi-improvisational showmanship. True, in some cases - for example, in the interpretation of the role of the barber Shu Fu, this entertainment was reflected in external effects that were not correlated with the concept of the performance as a whole.
Konstantin Simonov in the article “Inspiration of Youth” (“Pravda”, 1963, December 8) wrote: “... a young team of theater school graduates under the leadership of Yuri Lyubimov, who staged this performance, created a high, poetic performance, talented in acting and superbly rhythmic, made in in this sense, in the best traditions of the Vakhtangovites.”
Bertolt Brecht
Good man from Sichuan
Parabolic play
In collaboration with R. Berlau and M. Steffin
Translation by E. Ionova and Yu. Yuzovsky
Poems translated by Boris Slutsky
CHARACTERS
Van is a water bearer.
Three gods.
Yang Song is an unemployed pilot.
Mrs. Yang is his mother.
Widow Shin.
Family of eight.
Joiner Lin To.
Homeowner Mi Ju.
Police officer.
Carpet dealer.
His wife.
Old prostitute.
Barber Shu Fu.
Waiter.
Unemployed.
Passers-by in the prologue.
Setting: the semi-Europeanized capital of Sichuan.
Sichuan Province, which summarized all the places on the globe where
man exploits man; now he does not belong to such places.
A street in the main city of Sichuan. Evening. Water Carrier Wang introduces himself to the audience.
Wang. I am a local water carrier - I sell water in the capital of Sichuan. Hard craft! If there is little water, you have to go far to get it. And if there is a lot of it, the income is small. In general, there is great poverty in our province. Everyone says that if anyone else can help us, it’s the gods. And imagine my joy when a cattle trader I knew - he travels a lot - told me that several of our most prominent gods were already on their way and could be expected in Sichuan any hour now. They say that heaven is very worried about the many complaints that it receives. It’s already the third day that I’ve been waiting here at the city gates, especially in the evening, to be the first to greet the guests. Later it is unlikely that I will be able to do this. They will be surrounded by high-ranking gentlemen, try to get through to them then. How can you recognize them? They will probably not appear together. Most likely one at a time, so as not to draw too much attention to yourself. These ones don’t look like gods, they are returning from work. (Looks carefully at the workers passing by.) Their shoulders are bent from the weights they are carrying. And this one? What a god he is - his fingers are covered in ink. At most, an employee of a cement plant. Even those two gentlemen...
Two men pass by.
And those, in my opinion, are not gods. They have a cruel expression on their faces, like people who are used to hitting, and the gods have no need for this. But there are three! It's like it's a different matter. Well-fed, not the slightest sign of any activity, shoes covered in dust, which means they came from afar. They are them! O wise ones, dispose of me! (Falls on his face.)
First God (joyfully). Are they waiting for us here?
Van (gives them something to drink). A long time ago. But I was the only one who knew about your arrival.
The first god. We need an overnight stay. Do you know where we could settle down?
Wang. Where? Everywhere! The whole city is at your disposal, O wise ones! Where would you like?
The gods look at each other meaningfully.
The first god. At least in the nearest house, my son! We'll try as soon as possible!
Wang. My only concern is that I will incur the wrath of those in power if I give special preference to one of them.
The first god. That is why we order you: start with the nearest one!
Wang. Mister Fo lives there! Wait a minute. (Runs up to the house and knocks on the door.)
The door opens, but it is clear that Van is refused.
(He timidly returns.) What a failure! Mr. Fo, as luck would have it, is not at home, and the servants do not decide on anything without his orders, the owner is very strict! Well, he’ll be furious when he finds out who wasn’t accepted into his house, won’t he?
Gods (smiling). Undoubtedly.
Wang. One more minute! The house next door belongs to Su's widow. She will be overjoyed. (Runs to the house, but, apparently, is refused again.) I’ll do better on the contrary. The widow says that she has only one small room, and it is not in order. I’ll turn to Mr. Chen now.
Second god. A small room is enough for us. Tell her we'll take her.
Wang. Even if it's not tidy, even if it's full of spiders?
Second god. Nonsense! Where there are spiders, there are few flies.
Third god (friendly, Vanu). Go to Mr. Chen or somewhere else, my son, I must admit, I don’t like spiders.
Van knocks on a door again and is let in.
Wang (returning to the gods). Mr. Chen is in despair, his house is full of relatives, and he does not dare to appear before your eyes, the wisest ones. Between us, I think there are bad people among them, and he doesn’t want you to see them. He is afraid of your anger. That's the whole point.
Third god. Are we that scary?
Wang. Only for unkind people, isn't it? It is known that the residents of Kwan province have been suffering from floods for decades - God's punishment!
Second god. How's that? Why?
Wang. Yes, because they are all atheists.
Second god. Nonsense! Simply because they didn't fix the dam.
The first god. Shh! (To Van). Do you still hope, my son?
Wang. How can you even ask such a thing? Just go one more house and I will find you a place to live. Each one licks his own fingers in anticipation that he will host you. Unfortunate coincidence, you know? I'm running! (He walks away slowly and stops hesitantly in the middle of the street.)
Second god. What did I say?
Third god. Still, I think this is a simple coincidence.
Second god. Chance in Shun, chance in Kwan and chance in Sichuan. There is no more fear of God on earth - this is the truth that you are afraid to face. Admit that our mission has failed!
The first god. We may yet come across a kind person. Any minute now. We shouldn't give up right away.
Third god. The decree stated: the world can remain as it is if there are enough people worthy of the title of man. Waterbearer himself is such a person, unless I am deceived. (Approaches Van, who is still indecisive.)
Second god. He is being deceived. When the water bearer gave us a drink from his mug, I noticed something. Here's the mug. (Shows it to the first god.)
The first god. Double bottom.
Second god. Scammer!
The first god. Okay, it's gone. So what's wrong with one with foulbrood? We will also meet those who are capable of living a life worthy of a human being. We must find it! For two millennia the cry has not stopped, it cannot continue like this! No one in this world is able to be kind! We must finally point to people who can follow our commandments.
Bertolt Brecht
in collaboration with R. Berlau and M. Steffin
Good man from Sichuan
Parabolic play
Wang- water carrier.
Three gods.
Shen De.
Shoy Yes.
Yang Song- unemployed pilot.
Mrs. Yang- his mother.
Widow Shin.
Family of eight people.
Carpenter Lin To.
Landlady Mi Ju.
Police officer.
Carpet dealer.
His wife.
Old prostitute.
Barber Shu Fu.
Bonze.
Waiter.
Unemployed.
Passersby in the prologue.
Scene: semi-Europeanized capital of Sichuan.
The province of Sichuan, which summarized all the places on the globe where man exploits man, now does not belong to such places.
A street in the main city of Sichuan. Evening. Water Carrier Wang presented to the public.
Wang. I am a local water carrier - I sell water in the capital of Sichuan. Hard craft! If there is little water, you have to go far to get it. And if there is a lot of it, the income is small. In general, there is great poverty in our province. Everyone says that if anyone else can help us, it’s the gods. And imagine my joy when a cattle trader I knew - he travels a lot - told me that several of our most prominent gods were already on their way and could be expected in Sichuan any hour now. They say that heaven is very worried about the many complaints that it receives. It’s already the third day that I’ve been waiting here at the city gates, especially in the evening, to be the first to greet the guests. Later it is unlikely that I will be able to do this. They will be surrounded by high-ranking gentlemen, try to get through to them then. How can you recognize them? They will probably not appear together. Most likely one at a time, so as not to draw too much attention to yourself. These ones don’t look like gods, they are returning from work. (Looks carefully at the workers passing by.) Their shoulders are bent from the weights they are carrying. And this one? What a god he is - his fingers are covered in ink. At most, an employee of a cement plant. Even those two gentlemen...
Two men pass by.
...and those, in my opinion, are not gods. They have a cruel expression on their faces, like people who are used to hitting, and the gods have no need for this. But there are three! It's like it's a different matter. Well-fed, not the slightest sign of any activity, shoes covered in dust, which means they came from afar. They are them! O wise ones, dispose of me! (Falls on his face.)
First god(joyfully). Are they waiting for us here?
Wang(gives them something to drink). A long time ago. But I was the only one who knew about your arrival.
The first god. We need an overnight stay. Do you know where we could settle down?
Wang. Where? Everywhere! The whole city is at your disposal, O wise ones! Where would you like?
Gods They look at each other meaningfully.
The first god. At least in the nearest house, my son! Let's try as soon as possible!
Wang. My only concern is that I will incur the wrath of those in power if I give special preference to one of them.
The first god. That is why we order you: start with the nearest one!
Wang. Mister Fo lives there! Wait a minute. (Runs up to the house and knocks on the door.)
The door opens, but it is clear that Wang gets rejected.
(He timidly returns.) What a failure! Mr. Fo, as luck would have it, is not at home, and the servants do not decide on anything without his orders, the owner is very strict! Well, he’ll be furious when he finds out who wasn’t accepted into his house, won’t he?
Gods(smiling). Undoubtedly.
Wang. One more minute! The house next door belongs to Su's widow. She will be overjoyed. (Runs to the house, but, apparently, is refused again.) I’ll do better on the contrary. The widow says that she has only one small room, and it is not in order. I’ll turn to Mr. Chen now.
Second god. A small room is enough for us. Tell her we'll take her.
Wang. Even if it's not tidy, even if it's full of spiders?
Second god. Nonsense! Where there are spiders, there are few flies.
Third god(friendly, Vanu). Go to Mr. Chen or somewhere else, my son, I must admit, I don’t like spiders.
Wang knocks on some door again and they let him in.
Wang(returning to the gods). Mr. Chen is in despair, his house is full of relatives, and he does not dare to appear before your eyes, the wisest ones. Between us, I think there are bad people among them, and he doesn’t want you to see them. He is afraid of your anger. That's the whole point.
Third god. Are we that scary?
Wang. Only for unkind people, isn't it? It is known that residents