Dzhigarkhanyan's Theatre: reviews, repertoire

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

Moscow is a city with almost two hundred theaters. Among them are the temples of Melpomene, which have a long history, and are very young. In 1996, a troupe was formed in the capital under the leadership of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. "Theater D", as the master called his brainchild, was immediately able to win the hearts of the audience and today is one of the most popular cultural institutions in Moscow.

Creativity of Armen Borisovich Dzhigarkhanyan

A theater is, first of all, a collection of interesting personalities who want to convey their vision of life to the viewer, so the story about MDT should begin with the creative biography of its creator.

Today it is difficult to find a person who has never seen films with the participation of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. Arriving in Moscow from Yerevan at the age of 32 and having several film and theater roles behind him, he began to successfully perform on the stages of the capital's theaters. However, the popularity of the actor was brought by film works in such famous films as “New Adventures of the Elusive”, “Meeting Pointcannot be changed”, “Hello, I am your aunt!”, “Dog in the manger”, and many others. In the early 1990s, Armen Borisovich taught at VGIK and in 1996 based his course on the basis of his course, he founded “Theater D”.

History

The Dzhigarkhanyan Theatre, reviews of which are mostly positive, was originally located on Kooperativnaya Street and had an auditorium with 96 seats. Its opening was marked by the premiere of a performance based on the play by W. Shakespeare "Twelfth Night, or As You Like" staged by Krikor Ghazaryan.

Over the years of existence in the theater, a galaxy of actors has literally matured, who today are loved not only by theatergoers in the capital, but also by spectators throughout Russia. This is largely due to the fact that MDT often tours the country and has even visited regions located thousands of kilometers from Moscow.

Repertoire

In a short time, a rather extensive repertoire was formed, which also included the one-man show "Krapp's Last Tape" with the participation of Armen Dzhigarkhanyan. The theater also became famous for its performances of Pushkin's Little Tragedies, plays by Molière, Vampilov and Bulgakov. Among the performances that can be seen in the near future, I would like to note the production of Lyudmila Ulitskaya's play “Russian Jam”. The play touches on the eternal theme of the inability of the Russian intelligentsia to live “outside the window”. Spectators who have already visited the Dzhigarkhanyan Theater and seen this performance note that while watching it, one gets the feeling that the characters are the characters of Chekhov's plays,somehow miraculously ended up in Russia of the 21st century. In MDT, you can also watch a play about corruption and social vices, which, although it was written 140 years ago, remains quite relevant today. We are talking about the play “Wolves and Sheep”, which has been on the stage of the theater for many years and invariably gathers full houses. The production of “Crime and Punishment” is also very popular with the audience, making you think about the eternal questions that still torment today's young people.

MDT Troupe

As already mentioned, the Dzhigarkhanyan Theater was founded on the basis of the VGIK course, which was led by the master. Among the "oldest" members of the troupe who have been serving in the theater since the first years of its foundation, one can name Pyotr Stupin, Vladimir Kapustin and Elena Fomina. In addition, Alexey Shevchenkov, Kirill Pletnev, Ilya Bledny, Nina Zabelinskaya, Stanislav Duzhnikov, Elena Ksenofontova and others played there in different years. Most of these actors and actresses are not just former students of Dzhigarkhanyan: the theater created by the master has become their home and a forge of professional skill.

The play “Nameless Star”

This work by the Romanian playwright M. Sebastian is familiar to many from the well-known film adaptation by Mikhail Kozakov, in which the main roles were played by Igor Kostolevsky and Anastasia Vertinskaya. This is a touching story about how the life of a modest teacher Miro from a provincial town is invaded by an eccentric socialite Mona, accustomed to luxury. She falls in love with a young man and, after spending the night in his house,morning declares that he is going to stay to live in his shack. However, since “no star can deviate from its path”, Mona leaves with her patron Grieg, leaving Miro to suffer from the realization of the unfulfillment of his dream of reuniting with his beloved.

“Nameless Star” (Dzhigarkhanyan’s Theatre): reviews

For several years now, the play, which tells about a chance meeting between Mona and Miro, has been on the stage of the Dzhigarkhanyan Theater. The composition of the actors involved in it has changed several times, and today the main roles are played by Maria Kozlova, Alexei Annenkov, Mikhail Zheleznov, Anatoly Kot and Alexei Lapshin. Previously, this performance was called "Mona", and the main character was personified by Elena Ksenofontova. After her departure from the theater, it was decided to make a new production. The scenery was also changed, and so successfully that when the audience is asked if they liked the play "The Nameless Star" (Dzhigarkhanyan's theatre), the reviews primarily concern the excellent work of the graphic designer Konstantin Rozanov. The author of the production is director Dmitry Isaichev, who managed to recreate the atmosphere of a provincial town. In the new performance, its inhabitants have a special role to play, and their collective image is key to understanding the tragedy that is happening to the main characters.

“The theater of the times of Seneca and Nero”

Another performance, which, judging by the feedback from the audience, is of the greatest interest, is dedicated to the relationship between a tyrant and his teacher. It was staged based on the play “The Theater of TimesSeneca and Nero” by Edward Radzinsky and offers a new look at the nature of the cruelty of this Roman emperor. The role of Seneca is played by Armen Borisovich himself, and the audience calls his eloquent silence the most powerful scene in the whole performance. According to some reviews, the play about Nero, which can be seen in MDT, is not just a story about a sadist who breaks people's lives, but a story about a boy deprived of his parents' love and betrayed by a teacher whom he trusted infinitely.

Children's repertoire

The Dzhigarkhanyan Theater is a great place to introduce the younger generation to the art. His repertoire includes several children's performances, such as “All Mice Love Cheese”, “Tales of the Scientist Cat” based on Pushkin's fairy tales and others.

As for teenagers, they can be recommended to watch the play “The Thirteenth Star”. This is a parable that tells about rabbits who are forced to take part in the race, where the losers face death. In fact, the creators of the performance invite the viewer to think about whether it is worth stepping over love and friendship in order to save one's own life.

Ticket prices

The Dzhigarkhanyan Theater is visited by people with different social status. Prices for performances there are much lower than in most other metropolitan institutions of this kind. In particular, to watch a children's performance (beginning at 12:00), it is enough to pay only 300 rubles, while tickets for "adult" performances cost from 1,000 to 1,500 rubles. Cash desk on weekdaystheaters are open from 12:00 to 20:00, and on weekends you can buy tickets from 11:00 to 20:00.

Is it worth visiting the Dzhigarkhanyan Theater? “The Nameless Star”, “The Theater of the Times of Seneca and Nero”, “Vasa” and other performances certainly deserve attention.