The musical "The Seagull", the theater of the moon: audience reviews, features and cast

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

A. P. Chekhov is a great Russian writer and playwright, whose work is loved and recognized all over the world. Productions based on Chekhov's plays are included in the golden fund of many eminent theaters. Without exaggeration, one of the most famous plays is The Seagull. Another new reading of the classics was presented to the audience by the Moscow Theater of the Moon.

Romantic Theater of the Moon

The Theater of the Moon was created by the famous Russian actor and director Sergei Prokhanov in 1993. The unusual and romantic name originally belonged to a small group of enthusiasts who conceived a completely new theater in a small basement near the Patriarch's Ponds. Very quickly, this cellar became a cult theatrical place in Moscow. Twenty-five years have passed since then.

For a quarter of a century, the Lunar Theater has become one of the most rated and authoritative theaters in the capital. Today it occupies a beautiful building on Malaya Ordynka, which has a special "lunar" atmosphere. The Theater of the Moon has become home to a huge number oftalented actors whose names are known throughout the country. For example, the inimitable Anatoly Romashin served here from the moment of its foundation, in whose honor the audience award was established in the theater. During its activity in the theater, many performances-events have been staged, which are united by love for the beautiful, eternal values and the search for new expressive forms. So the premiere in 2017 of the musical "The Seagull" became an event in the theater world.

Eternal Chekhov

The play by A. P. Chekhov's "The Seagull" is a work of great world drama. For more than a hundred and twenty years, the play has not lost its relevance and continues to live on the stage. A. P. Chekhov wrote his The Seagull at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1896, the premiere of the performance took place on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater. It sounds strange, but the first show ended in a complete failure, because the audience and the actors did not immediately understand the full depth and magnitude of this work. Chekhov showed a completely new, unusual dramaturgy and an unusual stage approach. Little action, meager scenery and a lot of talk: this is how the author himself described his "The Seagull". But it was the artistic depth and harmony of the play that ensured her eternal life.

"The Seagull" was staged more than a hundred times on the stages of the world's most famous theaters. And these are only the most famous performances. The theater of Sergei Prokhanov did not stay away from the Russian classics either. In 2017, the premiere of the play "The Seagull" was held at the Luna Theater.

An unexpected take on a classic

Staging the classic "The Seagull" on the stage of the theaterThe moon turned out to be unusual. As the posters before the premiere announced, the audience was waiting for the world's first musical based on Chekhov's classics.

Although in the reviews of The Seagull by the Luna Theater, critics called the production a full-fledged dramatic performance, only a musical one. It should be noted that free handling of the classics requires special care. Sometimes a new reading is clear only to the author, but not to the viewer and critics. The musical "The Seagull" is a happy exception. Even people who are not theater fans note the undeniable success of the experiment. As one theater reviewer said in a review of The Seagull by the Moon Theatre, The Seagull is good.

Russian "The Seagull" directed by Korean director

This breakthrough performance was staged by South Korean director Te Sik Kang. He has been "sick" of Chekhov for a long time, ever since his studies at GITIS. The South Korean director has repeatedly staged Chekhov on different stages in different cities. This is his first work in Moscow. Te Sik Kan believes that the modern viewer is not always ready to listen to long philosophical monologues of Chekhov's characters. Therefore, the characters in his production sang.

In "The Seagull" everything is unusual: scenery, costumes, staging of stage action. As the main scenery, a central rotating structure is used, with the help of which the stage turns into a garden, then into a living room, then into a gazebo. The appearance of the actors on the stage one by one, in a beam of bright light, also looks symbolic. The inner loneliness of Chekhov's characters is shownliterally. The costumes of the heroes are also far from the classical canons. In Te Sin Kan's play, all external attributes are conditional, the Chekhov text is shortened, instead of talking, the characters sing a lot. At the same time, this is a real "The Seagull", which a sophisticated viewer will feel from the first minutes. Because the director managed to keep the main idea of the play - loneliness among close people, doubts and fears tearing the soul, vain throwing of a person in search of himself and happiness.

The role of music in the play

The centerpiece of the musical, of course, is the music. The composers were the wonderful pianist and conductor Georgy Yun and Tatyana Solnyshkina, well-known in the world of the musical. Solnyshkina participated in such productions as "Metro", "Nord-Ost". Libretto by Honored Artist of Russia Boris Rybkin, arrangements by Evgeny Poznyakov and Sergey Kapitsky.

In general, a large team of talented professionals worked on the musical part of the performance. It turned out different in style, unusual, but a solid project. The musical features romances, blues, jazz, classical arias. Different musical styles reflect the characters of individual characters. The result is a very accurate hit. In general, this is a single musical extravaganza, when one genre justifiably flows into another.

Cast

The performance for the audience is done by the actors. In "The Seagull" there was a magnificent composition. The names of the actors of the musical "The Seagull" at the Luna Theater are well known to fans of this genre from other successful productions. This is the bright Ivan Ozhogin, and the beautiful Anfisa Kamimullina,and the talented Oksana Kostetskaya, and the wonderful Veronika Lysakova. All actors have powerful beautiful voices and undoubted dramatic talent. Critics in the reviews of the musical "The Seagull" at the Luna Theater note that the actors not only coped with the musical part of the performance, but also talentedly played the characters of Chekhov's heroes.

Arkadina-Stotskaya and Treplev-Presnyakov

The big star of "The Seagull" was Anastasia Stotskaya, who is known to the general public as a bright pop singer. Stotskaya also has extensive experience in participating in large-scale musical productions. Anastasia has not only a gorgeous appearance and a strong voice, but also an acting talent.

Stotskaya in the role of Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina was able to show the character of this strong but cold woman who easily achieves everything she wants, causing pain and suffering to loved ones along the way. The arias performed by Anastasia Stotskaya make a strong impression and cannot leave anyone indifferent. Reviews of the audience about the musical "The Seagull" in the theater of the Moon are full of enthusiastic words and compliments to the actress. A real discovery for viewers and critics was Nikita Presnyakov in the role of Konstantin Treplev. For Nikita, this was the first stage experience of this format. According to the audience's feedback on the musical "The Seagull", he coped with the task perfectly. Many note the incredible charisma of the young musician, his solo parts give the viewer goosebumps because of their sincerity and sensuality.

Critics and audience about the play

The performance is very goodmet with criticism. Their reviews of the musical "The Seagull" of the Luna Theater pay tribute to the excellent director's work, the high professional level of the musical material. Theater reviewers called the production a success for Luna Theater and an event in the new theatrical season.

The audience was surprised that Chekhov can be sung. This, according to the audience's feedback about The Seagull at the Luna Theatre, gave the play new colors. The symbolism of the production, well understood by the audience, made a great impression. It is said that the performance would be interesting even without music, which emphasizes its dramatic merits. The audience notes the sincerity and dedication of the actors to the game, the humorous and tragic scenes of the play, the creative intensity throughout the action.

Aftertaste

The initial reaction to the phrase "the musical" The Seagull "" is ambiguous. It is difficult to imagine how the inner tragedy of Chekhov's heroes can be conveyed through a light musical genre without switching to a farce. But the director's love for Chekhov and the subtle feeling of his dramaturgy made it possible to create a real classic performance, not deviating even a single step from the ideas of the great writer. Judging by the audience's feedback on the musical "The Seagull" at the Luna Theater, people leave after the performance inspired, filled with impressions and hopes. This also happens because Te Sin Kang, despite the hopelessness and longing of Chekhov's characters, allowed himself a very life-affirming open ending. At the end of the performance, the characters sing the aria "Only Love", which gives people hope that there can still bethat dreams come true.