Leo Tolstoy's play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" at the Mayakovsky Theater: reviews

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

Probably, each of us at least once stopped near a glossy theater poster and looked at bright alluring illustrations on it, calling to see this or that performance. Today in modern theaters there are diverse productions designed for different categories of the population, depending on the preferences and demands of the domestic public. And what genres of theatrical art do you favor?

If you like a subtle comedy that conveys the life and worldviews of people of the nineteenth century, if you like classic works written by great Russian writers and thinkers, then you should visit the unusual and original comedy "The Fruits of Enlightenment". The Mayakovsky Theater will hospitably open its heavy curtain for everyone.

The very first production

This play has not left the stage of Russian theaters from the very beginning of its writing. Written in 1890 by the brilliantly talentedwriter Leo Tolstoy, she was very fond of a wide audience and is now one of the most visited productions of the theater. Mayakovsky.

The first director of the play was the famous Konstantin Stanislavsky (he also played one of the leading roles in the play).

The production was shown to a narrow circle of viewers, consisting mainly of friends of the actors.

A piece on the big stage

Then the play was staged on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theatre, where such stars of the imperial stage as Vladimir Davydov, Vera Michurina-Samoilova, Vasily Dalmatov lit up. It is noteworthy that in the performance the actors did not choose the main plot roles for themselves; they wanted to play characters that are inconspicuous at first glance, but have a certain semantic load. Until now, according to numerous reviews of the "Fruits of Enlightenment", these characters are considered the central figures on which the entire production rests and to which the views and attention of the audience are riveted. These are, first of all, Tanya, Betsy, the peasants, the cook, the cook and so on. So if you're attending a comedy, pay attention to how contemporary artists handle these special, idiosyncratic images.

A few months after the first show, the play was a great success at the Maly Theatre. Leo Tolstoy also attended the performance there. “Fruits of Enlightenment”, demonstrated by no less talented actors (among them were Konstantin Rybakov, Alexander Lensky, Glikeria Fedotova, OlgaSadovskaya), made a good impression on the writer. However, the performance of some actors playing the role of peasants seemed unnatural and boring to Lev Nikolayevich. As you can see, in his play, Leo Tolstoy assigned a significant role to these characters. We will talk about who plays these heroes on the stage of the modern theater a little later.

From the history of writing the work

The first, draft version of the play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" was written by the great Russian writer back in 1886. Written and left in a drawer. Later, three years later, the work was decided to be staged in a narrow circle of the Tolstoy family. This gave the author the opportunity to look at his literary creation from the outside.

During the period of numerous rehearsals, Lev Nikolaevich began to work on reworking the play, trying to convey dramatic images as deeply and as accurately as possible. The work was changed and corrected several times, after which the play, previously en titled "The Thread Broke", acquired its present name.

A little about the theater itself

Theatre. Mayakovsky, founded in 1922, is located at Bolshaya Nikitskaya street, 19/13. The original performances of the theater belonged only to modern foreign plays. Classics were then staged in a bold, innovative style.

The artistic directors of the theater at different times were talented directors and artists, such as Alexei Popov, Nikolai Okhlopkov, Andrey Goncharov and others.

Now he takes the place of the artistic director (since 2011years) experienced and gifted Mindaugas Karbauskis. Under his strict guidance, the theater. Mayakovsky has undergone some changes and is now one of the most frequently visited theaters in the capital. Another master of his craft, the Russian theater director, teacher and professor Yu. V. Ioffe, also shows his productions here.

The dramatic repertoire includes such famous and talented actors as Svetlana Nemolyaeva, Igor Kostolevsky, Evgenia Simonova, Olga Prokofieva, Daniil Spivakovsky, Galina Belyaeva, Andrey Gusev and others.

Modern productions of the play

The play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" has been on the stage of the Mayakovsky Theater for a long time. It was first staged in 1985. This production was entrusted to the invited director - P. N. Fomenko. The "Fruits of Enlightenment" in the interpretation of Pyotr Naumovich was distinguished by grotesqueness, lively action, imagery, brightness and musicality. The audience is already so accustomed to this work of the great director that they were wary of rumors about a new production of the play, carried out under the direction of Mindaugas Karbauskis.

By the way, the gifted artistic director dedicated the premiere of the play to Fomenko, his friend and teacher.

A play in facts

Here is a summary of the piece:

• The modern production of the play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" at the Mayakovsky Theater first took place in February 2015.
• The duration of a dramatic work is three hours and twentyminutes.
• The performance involved almost all the actors from the theater troupe.
• Interestingly, some of the actors who play in its earlier variation are involved in the modern production of the play. First of all, this is Igor Kostolevsky, who under Fomenko played the role of the young Zvezdintsev, but now he got the character of an older age - Zvezdintsev the father. Also beautiful in her new heroine is the People's Artist of the RSFSR Svetlana Nemolyaeva. If earlier she played the role of Zvezdintseva, now she got an interesting and curious character - a cook.

For other actors, let's talk a little further down.

Experienced artists

Who else is involved in the production of "The Fruits of Enlightenment"? The playbill gives an exhaustive answer to this question.

First of all, this is Igor Kostolevsky, who plays the role of a we althy landowner, a retired lieutenant of the horse guard, who is fond of spiritualism. Igor Matveyevich, born in 1948, is an Honored and People's Artist of Russia. The actor is familiar to the Russian public from numerous films ("The Dawns Here Are Quiet", "Asya", "Garage", "Tehran-43", "Vacation at Your Own Account" and others). Among his bright and unforgettable theatrical works, it is necessary to mention such productions as The Karamazovs (Ivan Karamazov), Dead Souls (Plyushkin), The Seagull (Treplev) and so on.

The role of Zvezdintsev's wife is played by Tatyana Augshkap (born in 1961). Honored Artist of Russia, known for such theatrical images as Serafima Saratova ("The Bliss"), Nina Smelskaya ("Talents and Admirers"), Polina ("Children Spoil Relations"), Blue Beard's wife ("Blue Beard's Birthday"), Elizabeth Markovna ("Dead Souls"), etc. Among the talented film works of the actress, Pathfinder (Jenny), "Tomorrow Was a War" (Zina Kovalenko), "Queen Margo" (Claudette), "Daughters and Mothers" (Martha) and etc.

It is impossible not to mention Galina Anisimova, People's Artist of the RSFSR, who plays the role of a fat lady. Galina Alexandrovna, born in 1929, has been working at the Mayakovsky Theater since 1952. She is a war veteran and a labor veteran. Among the brilliant works of the actress, "One Hour Before Dawn" (Varya Kalinnikova), "Talents and Admirers" (Smelskaya), "Hamlet" (Ophelia), "The Cherry Orchard" (Anya), "The Zhurbin Family" (Tonya), " Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District" (Aksinya) and many, many others.

Young talents

The role of the daughter of the Zvezdintsevs Betsy is played by Valery Kulikova. This is a young actress (born in 1994). Despite such a young age, the girl has already distinguished herself in episodic roles in such interesting productions as "On the Grass of the Yard", "Lakeyskaya", "Dead Souls".

The son of the Zvezdintsevs is also played by a young actor (born in 1989) - Vladimir Guskov. Youngthe gifted artist actively participates in other productions of his native theater - "The Last" (Alexander), "Berdichev" (Garik), "Nine by Ten" (Kostolevsky), "Mayakovsky Goes for Sugar" (Mayakovsky), etc. Vladimir also starred in cinema.

The role of resourceful maid Tanya went to a young and promising actress Natalya Palagushkina. Also, the artist is known for such theatrical works as "Fathers and Sons" (Fenechka), "Berdichev" (Zoya), "Not all the cat's carnival" (Agnia) and so on. Also, the girl can be seen in films ("Moscow. Three stations", "Citizen boss. Continuation", "Barvikha" and others).

As you can see, the production of "The Fruits of Enlightenment" involves the brightest and most talented artists of our time. However, your understanding of the performance will not be complete if you do not give a brief description of its plot. This will be discussed below.

Intrigue of the piece

The action of the play begins with the arrival of three men at the house of the landowner Zvezdintsev. They want to buy land from him, and bring a small deposit. Leonid Fedorovich is dissatisfied with such an insignificant amount and does not want to sell his possessions, as he promised earlier. Moreover, now he is not disturbed by economic thoughts. He is consumed with only one desire - to find a good medium for the next séance.

Master's maid Tanya is not satisfied with the refusal of the retired lieutenant. She wants to helppeasants - their countrymen and relatives. Therefore, the girl decides to go for a deception: she gives out her fiancé, the barmaid Semyon, as a medium. Zvezdintsev invites the young man to a session, after which all the fun begins. How the play "The Fruits of Enlightenment" will end - you can see by visiting the production itself.

Positive feedback from viewers about the product

As for real reviews of the performance, there have been a lot of them in two years. Many visitors note the talented play of the actors (especially Kostolevsky and Nemolyaeva). Also, according to numerous reviews, the play itself, its comicality and topicality, were awarded approving reviews. However, not all viewers are so unanimous.

Negative and neutral feedback

Some admit that they were annoyed by Nemolyaeva, as well as the excessive length and intricacy of the work. The performance looked dull, outdated and florid.

However, as the audience admits, the modern production of "The Fruits of Enlightenment" is designed in the classical Russian style, combining sparkling humor, subtle psychologism and actual edification. The play conveys the spirit of that time in a bright and original way, making you laugh and cry at the same time.

The talented play of the actors is also impressive, combining several age categories of the troupe. It was evident that each artist diligently got used to the image, harmoniously complemented the other, played with feeling and knowledge of his business.

A special bow for this wonderful eccentric comedy to Mindaugas Karbauskis, the maindirector of the Mayakovsky Theater.