But who I don’t envy now is Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol. The man was really unlucky. On the one hand, they hate him at school, on the other hand, they remove all trash about his, well, let’s hide it, good works.
If Nikolai Vasilyevich had seen these mediocre films, he would have burned all his plays, stories and novels, and not just “ Dead Souls-2".
What should those who want high-quality book visualization do? My advice is to go to the theater. Fortunately, Gogol is treated with care and love there. And although they interpret him in a director’s way, at least in the spirit of his plays and stories. I want to tell you about 4 Moscow performances, after which you will definitely look at Nikolai Vasilyevich differently: carefully and with respect.
"The Inspector General" in the theater in the South-West
A must see for all schoolchildren who struggle with the play “The Inspector General” in 8th or 9th grade. I know from my own experience that these strange tasks: “Why was Khlestakov mistaken for an auditor?”, and “describe the image of the Governor in the work,” or the meaning of the silent scene, do not at all add to Gogol’s popularity in the eyes of tortured students.
I just want to say: why are you asking all these stupid questions, just go to the theater in the South-West and you will understand everything.
Firstly, this is a very funny performance. I hope that during the premiere we laughed as loudly and as much as the audience does in the theater in the South-West.
Secondly, there was an excellent duet there. Khlestakov is an undoubted creative success of actor Anton Belov. He spun everyone around so much that the devil himself couldn’t unravel them. And you say why, why. Because he plays well. And people believe. And what a weak little worm he appeared at first, how pitifully he bleated - adorable. Then he got so excited that he couldn’t keep up, and he got all the energy he could from where he could.
But Oleg Leushin himself is responsible for the image of the Mayor. Usually Anton Antonovich is a lump of a man, a powerful character in the play. Leushin plays a smart, dexterous, enterprising man, but rather ordinary. He really feels sorry for him when the deception is revealed.
Yes, there was even a theme little man in the form of a monologue by Dobchinsky. And I felt so sorry for everyone, you thought, why is life so hopeless in Russia, should I start a blog? Or Instagram. Well, at least somehow, otherwise not at all.
Yes, it won’t work to expose children to the morals of bureaucratic Russia, I’m afraid. So what. But you will get a good attitude towards the author, and, of course, towards the theater too.
"Marriage" in the theater in the South-West
A must see not only for schoolchildren and adults who want to watch Gogol on stage, not only for all theater fans in the South-West, and “Marriage” is a cult performance, but also for those who want to pump up their abs while enjoying art. 2 hours of continuous muscle work are provided.
Only men play in it. Even the female roles are given to them. Alexander Gorshkov as Agafya Tikhonovna and Andrei Sannikov as the Matchmaker. And this is great. Funny terrible. There are many memorable scenes and dialogues; in fact, the whole play is like that.
In the role of Podkolesin - Oleg Leushin. In the role of the Devil-Tempter Kochkarev - Alexey Matoshin.
“Viy” on the new stage of the Teatrium
A must see for those who are looking for a high-quality modern thriller on the theme of “Viy” and do not find it in our cinema (and if I’m not mistaken, there are already at least three opuses).
But it would seem. Ideal scenario. The hero (Khoma Brut) ends up in a closed strange world, in which the local boss's daughter is a witch. So what do we have? Some kind of nonsense, and not scary at that. But in the Teatrium you will definitely tickle your nerves. Every minute it becomes more and more scary and interesting, and in the end, as expected, there is a certain twist that turns the entire prevailing opinion on the topic of “Viya” upside down. And what especially captivated me was that there was a hint for the action.
The play “Players” in the theater in the South-West
Must see after 16 years. In fact, Gleb and I don’t follow age restrictions, but the staff of the theater in the South-West still advised us to come see the performance later. And the description and reviews look tempting.
The play “Little Tragedies” is a real phenomenon. It perfectly combines classic and modern, poetry and rap. The complete performance will appeal to both teenagers and older people - everyone will find something close to their hearts in it.
About the play “Little Tragedies”
The classics of Russian literature are considered the “foundation” of the Gogol Center’s activities. The team often presents little-known, but attention-grabbing stories and tales by such authors as Saltykov-Shchedrin, Goncharov or Nekrasov. The modern interpretation looks fresh, and this is what attracts viewers.
Plot
In total, the performance consists of four main works: “The Stone Guest”, “Mozart and Salieri”, “A Feast during the Plague” and “ Stingy Knight». Important Feature- the director does not try to change the script, he does not make changes to the original text at all.
The heroes of “The Stone Guest” appear before the audience in an unusual role. In the story, Dona Anna and Don Guan meet in late old age and realize that their happiness has been irretrievably lost.
The main character of the play “The Miserly Knight” has changed most interestingly - but how exactly, the viewer will find out for himself, because this is the main intrigue. The characters in A Feast in the Time of Plague have also aged noticeably - they are having a party in a nursing home, remembering past adventures.
This is not the first time that the production “Little Tragedies” has been shown in Moscow. The work of Kirill Serebrennikov was first shown on September 15, 2017. In 2018, “Little Tragedies” will be presented to the public several more times, which means that viewers still have the opportunity to enjoy the acting and the deep soundtrack.
Who took part
The rapper Husky took part in the play “Little Tragedies” at the Gogol Center (he performed in the prologue to the play). His music organically fit into the narrative and complemented it, conveying the emotions of the characters. The director of the production is Kirill Serebryannikov, who is also the artistic director of the Gogol Center.
In addition to this performance, he became the director of several films and received the “ Golden mask", was nominated for the Golden Lion and the Golden Bough. Serebryannikov is remembered as the director of the plays “(M)Student”, “Harlequin”, “Baroque”, “Without Fear” and others. Other works of the author were also remembered by the audience for their non-standard narration, vivid characters and images.
How to buy tickets to the show
If you want to buy tickets for “Little Tragedies” at the Gogol Center, contact our agency. We offer fast and completely free delivery of printed tickets, several in various ways payment (by card, transfer, cash).
When you buy tickets to “Little Tragedies” in a group of ten or more people, you get a discount. We have been successfully working for more than ten years and are always ready to advise you on all issues that arise, including the choice of locations.
"Little Tragedies" is truly worth watching. If you want to experience real delight from non-standard images and immerse yourself in the world of “futuristic” classics, be sure to attend the performance. Charge positive emotions guaranteed. We hope you enjoy this production!
"Thugs", dir. Kirill Serebrennikov
The first high-profile performance and the hallmark of the theater was “Thugs” by Kirill Serebrennikov, based on the work of Zakhar Prilepin about left-wing opposition youth with a touch of anarchy.
Serebernnikov staged this performance together with his students from the Moscow Art Theater School, who later formed the troupe of the Gogol Center. It was a revolutionary hit then: at the peak of the swamp protests, when this agenda was still in demand. The play is about young passionaries who have a bad life in Rus', who wanted change, perhaps in radical ways. Confession of the new humiliated and insulted.
"Idiots", dir. Kirill Serebrennikov
“The Idiots” became one of the most high-profile productions based on European film scripts. New idiots under the leadership of Oksana Fandera gathered for trial in modern Russia: they are enemies, they are strangers, they are the fifth column. Provocation and shocking, everything that Pavlensky and Pussy Riot showed on the street is now on stage. The play was successfully shown this year as part of the prestigious Avignon Film Festival.
"Brothers", dir. Alexey Mizgirev
Another of the series of such theatrical interpretations of film scripts was the production of “Brothers” based on the film “Rocco and His Brothers” by Visconti. It is also important that this was the theatrical debut of the Russian director Alexei Mizgirev, the author of the acclaimed film “Tambourine-Drum”.
Naturally, these brothers also changed their Milan registration to Moscow, thanks to the efforts of Mizgirev and playwright Durnenkov. The visiting heroes are placed in the harsh conditions of metropolitan life, where they must fight for a place in the sun. And the tougher the better. Their method is fighting without rules. About how to survive in a big city, to remain people and brothers - that’s what this human tragedy by Mizgirev is about. Very brutal, powerful and vital. A production where every minute you feel like you’re on a powder keg. After all, the hall looks like an arena for fights without rules. Life in a modern metropolis, you see, is similar to this sport. In general, “Brothers” deservedly became a hit and Mizgirev’s success on stage. And again, this experiment happened right here. If you haven’t seen it yet, go to the Gogol Center this week, “Brothers” is being shown these days. Don't miss the chance to see one of the best productions.
"Metamorphoses", dir. David Bobe
One of the most poetic productions of the theater is “Metamorphoses” based on Ovid. This performance was staged by Serebrennikov's friend and partner, French director David Bobet. Scenes from Ovid's poem are transformed here into a multimedia performance. The authors managed to create a whole picture of the world: in one performance they combined the eternal and the actual, the divine and the worldly.
"(M)disciple", dir. Kirill Serebrennikov
An important production of recent times is Martyr. About insulting the feelings of believers and the difficulties of education, frankly and to the point. This is a performance based on the play by Mayenburg. About a boy who lives by his own rules. The one who rebels speaks about his moral standards. He knows what is good and what is bad. But the question is who will get this student.
“Who Lives Well in Rus'”, dir. Kirill Serebrennikov
Modern men from adjacent villages who came together on a high street and decided to find out who was living a happy, comfortable life in Rus'. Modern landowners, officials, priests, merchants, boyars, ministers, the tsar in the end?
They prepared thoroughly for this performance: the actors and the director repeated the route of those peasants, and the result of what they saw was presented at the Gogol Center.
Archetypes are tenacious, folk spirit, slavery, hunger, hope, eternal patience and, of course, serfdom- all this is eternal. Serebrennikov shows this very subtly. This is where that senseless and merciless “Russian world” that people love to talk about today is born. And no one really fully understands what he is like. Or what are those very notorious spiritual bonds of ours? But here they are - compassion, humility, passivity, hope for a miracle, eternal drunkenness, servility and complete reconciliation with fate and reality. Nothing bright or optimistic.
The production is also multi-genre: Nekrasov, and verbatim, and even a whole ballet in the second part, where the men drunken night they go into their psychologically expressive breakaway dance, which most accurately conveys that pain, that breakdown that is always in Rus'. The men's dance continues with a cry for a woman's happiness, a powerful monologue by the Moscow Art Theater actress Evgenia Dobrovolskaya. This, of course, is the most powerful statement in the play, a statement about the lot of women, and, in fact, about all of our Rus', wretched and abundant.
The result is a real encyclopedia of Russian life. After the performance you leave with a heavy heart, but still with some kind of nagging feeling and the feeling that all this is not just like that. It turns out, as in Shevchuk, about our homeland, let them shout - it’s ugly, but we like it, even though it’s not beautiful.
Anna Kovaleva
12 min.
Some call the Gogol Center a new “place of power,” others just a fashionable and important theater. But the main thing is that this is a place that people want to go to.
Gogol Center is a special theater. A phenomenon that radically changed the theatrical landscape of modern Moscow. For the fourth year in a row, the theater has been producing a number of ambitious and provocative premieres, gathering full houses of caring spectators. Some call the Gogol Center a “place of power,” others call it a fashionable and important theater. But the main thing is that this is a place that people want to go to. This is an entire city inside a single theater that has experienced its own small cultural revolution. This is a theater that exists in dialogue with reality and creates a unique reality within itself.
It’s quite difficult to believe that just a few years ago there was no “Gogol Center” on the map, and completely different rules reigned in house 8 on Kazakova Street. "Gogol Center" was created by director Kirill Serebrennikov on the basis of the disbanded Moscow drama theater named after N.V. Gogol, founded back in 1925. In the early 2000s, the theater was by no means experiencing better times. In 2012, Kirill Serebrennikov was appointed to the post of artistic director of the theater, which was not very successful at that time. The director decided to completely change the look and format of the theater on Kazakova Street, becoming one of the creators of one of the most striking phenomena in the post-Soviet theater and making the Gogol Center a new point of attraction for the advanced metropolitan audience.
"Gogol Center" is not just a theater in the traditional sense of the word. This is one of the most discussed, high-profile and unusual projects dedicated to integrated development contemporary art. The main task of this creative formation is to acquaint the viewer with modern cultural trends. Different forms and directions of art are combined here: heated debates and lectures on the most current topics in the discussion club “Gogol+” coexist with world premieres of films that have not been released in Russia in the club “Gogol-Kino”; music concerts talented performers are combined with master classes from recognized masters of creative professions. But the main thing at the Gogol Center is the performances of outstanding Russian and European directors.
The performances of the Gogol Center evoke different feelings in the audience (sometimes completely polar to each other), provide critics with fertile ground for discussion, and are almost never forgotten. The aftertaste of watching confirms that the Gogol Center copes with its main task - to evoke emotions - with a bang. But how not to make a mistake when choosing a performance?
Below are 5 important productions that you need to see at the Gogol Center.
(Martyr
"(Martyr"
The play “(M)Student” is a joint production of the Gogol Center and the Seventh Studio based on the play by the modern German playwright Marius von Mayenburg. The performance was staged and the play was adapted to Russian realities by the artistic director of the Gogol Center, Kirill Serebrennikov.
Main character production - teenager Veniamin, performed by Nikita Kukushkin, believes that he knows everything about existing moral standards. A schoolboy, who grew up with a single mother and did not really know his father, becomes interested in religion and becomes a self-taught fundamentalist. This “very Orthodox” schoolboy teaches his peers and adults that they are living incorrectly. Benjamin is either a religious terrorist, constantly quoting the Holy Scriptures and demanding complete obedience from those around him in accordance with the texts of the Bible, or a lost schoolboy who has found in religion a lever of pressure on those around him who are alien to him. And during the performance, his behavior becomes a serious test for those around him. The new prophet is ready to do anything for his truth and will not stop even at crime. The main antagonist and enemy of the schoolboy is a biology teacher and part-time school psychologist, played by the brilliant Victoria Isakova.
“(M)the Disciple” explores the boundaries between morality and intolerance, seeks the connection between freedom and permissiveness, and contrasts religion and manipulation. The production is perhaps the most courageous and open statement about the madness of modern Russia, about a sick society that is gradually becoming more and more susceptible to fanaticism. This is a play about how quickly and easily religious fanaticism subjugates a conformist community using the example of a single school.
The film version of the play deserves special attention - the film “The Apprentice”, with which Kirill Serebrennikov represented Russia at the Cannes Film Festival. The main roles in the film are played by almost the same actors as in the play, with the exception of the performer leading role Nikita Kukushkin - in the film he was replaced by “Brusnikinite” Pyotr Skvortsov, who is more suitable for the role of a high school student. "The Apprentice" is not only a film about fanaticism, but also a political film about modern system education, about anti-Semitism, about homosexuality, about hypocrisy and about all forms of totalitarianism. At Cannes, “The Apprentice” received a special prize named after François Chalet - this award is awarded to films that better show the realities of the modern world than others.
Kafka
"Kafka"
The new play "Kafka" is based on a play about the life of the outstanding writer, which was written especially for the Gogol Center by playwright Valery Pecheykin. The personality of Franz Kafka is truly legendary - he worked as a petty official during the day, and wrote his works at night. Today Kafka is perceived as a brilliant prophet of the madness of the 20th century, his name is firmly associated with absurdist literature. However, Pecheykin calls not to confuse absurdity with nonsense - Kafka's absurdity has a rigid internal logic, which the playwright set as one of his main tasks.
Directed by Kirill Serebrennikov, biographical motifs from the writer’s life are intertwined with plots generated by his imagination, and characters from Kafka’s bestiary act alongside real people from his life. At the same time, Kafka is not afraid of fantastic metamorphoses, but, on the contrary, of seemingly normal things - family, work, social order.
As is known, no recordings of Kafka’s voice have been preserved, so Semyon Steinberg, who plays the role of the writer, does not say almost a word expressively during the entire 3 hours of the performance, only occasionally moving his lips painfully. The viewer is reminded of the meaning of sound at the beginning of the performance - while the audience is taking their seats, a casting is taking place on stage: artists are being tested for the role of the writer's voice.
Everything about the performance is impressive: the outstanding scenography by Serebrennikov, who habitually acts both as a director and as an artist, the magnificent vocals of the actors, the amazing choreography performed by the actors. The performance seems to consist of separate pieces and self-sufficient installations inspired by Kafkaesque motifs. Being deprived of the traditional shockingness of the Gogol Center, Kafka is one of the most interesting performances of the theater.
Dead Souls
"Dead Souls"
The play “Dead Souls” is the first premiere of the Gogol Center, based on the works of N.V. Gogol. In Kirill Serebrennikov's version, Chichikov's story is not literally transferred to our time, but receives new and modern sound. Different eras side by side in the eternal Russian timelessness, where absurdity rules and nothing changes.
Kirill Serebrennikov is a big fan of Gogol's work. He staged “Dead Souls” for the second time - the first was in Latvian in Riga. Six years ago in National Theater in Riga, Serebrennikov’s production received Latvia’s highest theater award “Night of Actors” in the category “ Best performance" But “Dead Souls” does not let Serebrennikov go - now the production can be seen in Russian at the Gogol Center. According to the director, this work encrypts incredibly important key formative elements - the Russian matrix. All this together is Russia.
IN " Dead souls“Only men play. Ten actors on a practically empty stage play everyone: children, dogs, women, men. But the main thing here is not gender differences. As the director himself says, it is important that these are not men, but artists - artists as “super beings” are much broader than gender. It is interesting that Serebrennikov is most attracted to the literary and artistic properties of Gogol’s text. The fabric of language, if it is connected with the reader’s imagination, turns into reality, flesh. Serebrennikov set his task to convey as much as possible to the stage without spilling. So, in “Dead Souls” there is an empty stage, like a box, ten men who play all the roles, extracting images, characters, circumstances from the void and then turning into the void.
According to Serebrennikov himself, he staged the play as musical composition: Gogol has a very complex symphonic structure - with themes, counterpoints, refrains, with many motifs, descending, ascending and echoing each other. “Dead Souls” is one of the funniest and most topical performances of the Gogol Center. Essentially, this is a play about the bad repetition of phenomena in Russian life - that life in Russia is a vicious circle from which it is not so easy to jump out.
Mitina Lyubov
"Mitina's Love"
The play “Mitya’s Love” based on the story by Ivan Bunin, directed by the young director Vladislav Nastavshev, became the first premiere on the small stage of the Gogol Center after its opening and restructuring. In the play, in which actors Filipp Avdeev and Alexandra Revenko play, the plot of the story is removed from the historical and social context, devoid of signs of everyday life and recognizable details.
Everyday elements are replaced by emotional ones, and the fantastic scenography is more reminiscent of the state of a confused young soul in love, flying between heaven and earth. So, almost all the action takes place in a vertical plane on the wall, into which metal rods are stuck. The characters move along these rods throughout the play. “Mitya’s Love” is almost an acrobatic sketch, where the actors practically do not stand on the ground and “climb the wall” out of love in the literal sense of the word. In the finale, Mitya commits suicide, and his lover talks about how low she has fallen.
There are only two heroes in the play: Mitya and his love - Katya, who is everything for the title character: she is the air, the forest, and all the other characters. In Mitya’s world there is no more room for anyone - Mitya sees his beloved in everyone he meets, which is why all the roles, except the main male one, are played by Alexandra Revenko.
“Mitya’s Love” has been on the small stage of the Gogol Center for several years now, but it does not become outdated, once again reminding us of how dramatic first love can be. An amazingly sincere performance that acquires more and more new facets with each season.
Who can live well in Rus'?
“Who lives well in Rus'”
“Who Lives Well in Rus'” based on the poem by Nikolai Nekrasov is the premiere of last season, exploring the issues of lost Russian happiness. In one performance they amazingly combined different genres: here you can find stylish European directing with video cameras, crude political satire, talented opera, physical theatre, actor’s improvisation in the auditorium, a kind “Russian school” with emotions, and even a fashion show of Russian costumes.
Kirill Serebrennikov began working on Nekrasov’s poem more than a year ago: in the company of his fellow actors, he traveled around the Yaroslavl region. The actors talked with local residents, interviewed them, went to museums and prepared excerpts from the poem. A kind of continuation and addition to “Who Lives Well in Rus'” was the immersive “Russian Fairy Tales” based on works from Afanasyev’s collection, which are also shown at the Gogol Center. This is a kind of duology. Kirill Serebrennikov calls the proximity of Nekrasov and Afanasyev quite organic, since despite all the differences, the two authors have one thing in common - unconditional love and interest in the Russian people and their homeland.
Nekrasov’s poem, written after the abolition of serfdom, asks questions of freedom and slavery. “Who Lives Well in Rus'” is about the impossibility of gaining freedom, the convenience of the traditional way of life and, most importantly, about happiness. “Fairy tales,” on the contrary, is a space where the Russian person is absolutely free in both word and body. Nekrasov’s poetic language turned out to be surprisingly flexible: at the will of the director, the poems began to sound like everyday speech, like an oratorio, and even like hip-hop.
“Who Lives Well in Rus'” is one of the most impressive performances of the Gogol Center and absolutely a big victory for Serebrennikov as artistic director of the theater.
"Gogol Center" is a territory where the spirit of rebellion is imbued with a great love for the theater, and the feeling of absolute freedom collides with objective reality. The Gogol Center's repertoire includes many performances on social issues. There are also completely scandalous ones (witness the premiere of last season “The Muller Machine”).
According to Serebrennikov, the theater is engaged in counter-propaganda, that is, exactly what any honest theater should do today. In propaganda media, a person is regarded as an object of zombification. At the Gogol Center, a person is regarded as a person with whom a personal conversation is conducted. In the context of the capital's theatrical life, the phenomenon of the Gogol Center is completely unique: in a matter of months, Kirill Serebrennikov's theater managed to become a place capable of not only conveying cultural experience to the audience, but also gaining its own sociocultural identity.
And absolutely amazing spectators come to the Gogol Center - smart, intelligent, educated people. It seems that it’s time for us to plan our trip to Kazakova, 8!