Performance "Ornifl": theater of Satire, content, actors

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

The play "Ornifl" at the Satire Theater is on the main stage and has been a success with the audience for more than a season. This is not surprising, because the main role is played by the master of Russian comedy, Alexander Shirvindt himself.

But the audience goes to the production not only because of the employment of the popularly beloved artist in it, but also because of the performance itself.

What is the play about?

The play of the French playwright Jean Anouilh "Ornifl" staged by the Theater of Satire was not accidental. Like the other works of this author, it is full of subtle humor "on the verge of tears", that is, the genre of the production is a tragicomedy.

The plot is quite interesting and even dramatically contradictory. The characters' characters are deep and require reflection, which is usually not typical of comedy productions.

The main character is Ornifl, an aging ladies' man, a poet, sparkling with wit, but having exchanged his talent for the sake of material values of life, which, however, does not prevent him from continuing to be a favorite of women and an object of their adoration.

On the firstglance, it may seem that Jean Anouilh is writing about the crisis of a creative personality or about the experiences inherent in aging men. But everything is completely different. The intrigue does not revolve around the poet himself, the plot tells only about the life situation.

The main character unexpectedly meets his own son, whose existence he did not even suspect. However, the story of this meeting does not entail funny situations, however, as well as tragic ones.

“Ornifl” of the Satire Theater is a lyrical and a bit sad story about a human destiny that could have happened, but did not happen. She leaves room for thought and evokes a slight smile. After watching this production, there is a strong desire to walk along the autumn alleys or sit by the window, looking at the rain and reflect on the paradoxes of life.

This is a very bright, kind and full of positive production, but completely devoid of optimism. If you read about Ornifl, the Theater of Satire, reviews of the performance will surprise you with its meaningfulness and the presence of philosophy, the audience does not evaluate, but reflect. There are no phrases like “laughed to tears” about this production, but there are a lot of detailed, verbose comments on social networks and on theatrical forums about this performance.

Who's on stage?

The main character, the poet-womanizer Ornifl, of course, is the brilliant Alexander Shirvindt.

But the play “Ornifl” by the Satire Theater could not have been given for so long and with constant full houses, ifthere were no other performers on the stage. In addition to Alexander Shirvindt, the production is busy with:

• Nikolai Penkov;
• Natalia Karpunina;
• Oleg Vavilov;
• Vera Vasilyeva;
• Alexander Chevychelov;
• Svetlana Ryabova and other wonderful actors.

Of course, the Satire Theater would never have presented Ornifl to the public without the director, who invested part of his own soul in this production. The fact that the performance enjoys constant success and is watched in one breath is the merit of Sergei Artsibashev, the director.

How long does it take? Are there any restrictions?

Duration of the production - 2 hours and 20 minutes, excluding intermission. The performance is in two acts, there is one break, but it is quite long. When going to the theater, you need to count on 3 hours of time.

On the posters of the play "Ornifl" and in the theater program, the age limit "16+" is indicated. Probably, this restriction is connected with the rather serious dramatic content of the play, since there are no other reasons for not allowing younger viewers into the hall. There are no frivolity and ambiguity on stage, no frank episodes, as well as profanity.

What do they say about the performance?

The Theater of Satire and Ornifl reviews are thoughtful. Spectators who have watched this performance do not write general phrases, like “I liked it”, “funny” and the like. Everyone takes something of their own out of the hall and it is precisely this that they seek to share, tell about it, and not at all evaluate the performance of the artists, directing, the quality of the light or the freshness of the sandwiches in the buffet.

As for the opinions of professional critics, all of them, as one, note the drama of the performance, its controversy in relation to the comedy genre. Many theatergoers doubted the viability of this production after its premiere, precisely because of the sense too deep for a comedy.

However, the performance with success and full houses has been given on the main stage of the theater for several seasons, and the audience invariably leaves detailed detailed reviews after viewing, among which there is not a single one from disappointed or dissatisfied people.