The Sovremennik Theater, "Enemies. Love Story": performance reviews, plot, actors

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

The Sovremennik Theater was founded in the 1950s in Moscow. Oleg Efremov is considered to be the head of the theater at the origins. Although at that time the theater was only a group of artists united in an effort to achieve a common goal. Namely, to declare oneself, about one's creativity and to protest against formalism, which recently stood at the head of art. The initial difficulties in the functioning of the theatrical association gave rise to his ascetic style. The artistic group did not have a permanent venue for performances; they wandered from theater to theater. Until in 1964, Sovremennik received the title of state theater, and 10 years later the troupe settled in a mansion on Chistoprudny Boulevard. There is now located "Contemporary". At the time of the foundation of the theater, Galina Volchek was already its head, she still manages the work of the theater.

Features of the Sovremennik Theater

Over the 50-year history of its existence, the theater has become well known not only to Muscovites, but also to residents of foreign countries. The program of performances is based on the academic traditions of the Moscow Art Theater, the use of the Stanislavsky method (which is so alien to formalism) andstaging local plays. Today, on the stage of Sovremennik, you can see plays by Russian authors (A. Chekhov, A. Volodin), and foreign ones, such as William Gibson, Bernard Shaw, Simon Stevens.

Success with theater visitors is justified by the fact that the Sovremennik team strives to show the truth in art, and does it in a language understandable to modern people.

A love story between enemies

Of the current productions, we advise you to opt for the play based on the work of Nobel Prize winner Bashevis-Singer “Enemies. Love story . For the first time, the production was staged in Israel, and the number was staged on the stage of the Moscow theater recently. But the management has already received a lot of positive feedback about the play “Enemies. Love Story” in “Sovremennik”.

Summary of the novel

The story tells about the fate of the Jews who miraculously survived during the Nazi occupation. Events unfold in post-war America. The main character of the play is Herman Brodeur. The military chaos that reigned during the events of the novel in Poland deprived Herman of his wife and children. He was saved from death for a long time by the maid Jadwiga.

Out of gratitude, Brodeur married her. At the same time, he begins an affair with Maria, his compatriot, who soon becomes pregnant. Naturally, Masha demands that Herman take her as his wife. In this already difficult situation, he suddenly learns that his wife Tamara, whom he consideredthe deceased is alive! What the hero will do in this situation, you can find out by attending a performance in the theater.

How did the idea for the production come about?

The idea of staging a performance based on the novel by Isaac Bashevis-Singer came to the theater manager Galina Volchek immediately after reading the work "Enemies. A Love Story". Tangled, but vital plot did not leave her thoughts. And it was he who inspired her to decide to include the play in the repertoire of Sovremennik. Galina Volchek shared that she was impressed by the expressiveness of the main female roles and the character of the protagonist, and immediately suggested which actors of the troupe could easily cope with them. She is in her review of the play “Enemies. Love Story” in Sovremennik said that the opportunity to create images of the heroes of the story on stage has become the most valuable experience in their career for the employees of the artistic team.

Search for a director

Returning a little back, it is worth noting that for a long time the work on the production was "frozen". Since the work on the work required a director who could convey the atmosphere of the story, while retaining all the nuances of the original plot. Evgeny Arie became such a director. Galina Volchek, having met him during a foreign tour, offered to take part in the work on the play.

Arie in a review of the play “Enemies. Love Story" in "Sovremennik" noted that he gladly accepted the offer to work on the play. He stressed that the theme of war and its destructiveconsequences runs like a red thread through the history of mankind. The desire to reveal such a serious topic in creativity requires responsibility. Yevgeny Arie is pleased with the results of the work of the theater team under his leadership and hopes that the production will not leave the audience indifferent.

Features of work on the production

The artistic team of the theater clearly outlined the key points of the plot so that the viewer could feel the atmosphere of post-war America that reigned on the stage. He presented the viewer with his own view of the novel. Semyon Pastukh, a stenographer and costume designer, put a lot of effort into creating the characters' images. Composer Avi Benyamin added appropriate music to the setting, and lighting designer Damir Ismagilov introduced lighting in such a way that each stage of the production looks like Renaissance paintings. Above the choreography “Enemies. Love Story worked by Nikolay Androsov.

The staging, as we have already noted, was handled by Evgeny Arie together with assistants Olga Sultanova and Oleg Plaksin.

Contribution of theater actors to work

Now let's celebrate the work of the acting troupe. In creating the production, special attention was paid to the composition of the actors. Only masters of their craft were involved in the work.

The role of Herman Broder went to actor Sergei Yushkevich. At first glance, the image of a confused man in relationships with girls is quite simple. Only if you do not take into account that the confusion occurs during a difficult military period, and the man hasnumber from the concentration camp. These circumstances undoubtedly complicated the task for the actor Sergei Yushkevich.

He was not the only one who was given the task of playing such an ambiguous character. The same can be said about the character of the actress Alena Babenko. The image of the sympathetic maid Jadwiga is of particular interest. How will she behave in a situation where she was only given hope for happiness and is immediately taken away? How will the two characters interact? Actress Alena Babenko, in order to fully experience the character of her heroine, who is originally from Poland, even went to her homeland.

The next character is perhaps the most profound in terms of experience. In the production of Enemies. Love Story”Evgenia Simonova was called to play the missing wife of the protagonist. It fell to her to create the image of a person who, after suffering, refuses to perceive himself alive.

On the contrary, in the drama “Enemies. Love story Chulpan Khamatova had to convey the image of a character who is eager to live and give life, despite the horrors of wartime.

How did the audience like the performance?

The performance absorbed all the creative passion and intensity with which its creators worked. The staging evokes genuine emotions in the viewer, captivates him with the plot and atmosphere. The heroes of the play with hope in their souls are looking for the meaning of existence, which the war deprived them of. They drown in memories and dreams of a better life. The hero, seeking shelter from his fears, finds it in the face of a female image: the image of devotion (Jadwiga), the imagepassion (Masha) and the image of the mother (Tamara). The social themes touched upon in the production take on a new reading, exciting the mind of the viewer.

The theatergoer and just a connoisseur of art must visit this theater and personally see the strength of the creative energy that comes to the viewer during the production. In reviews of the play Enemies: A Love Story in Sovremennik, visitors say that the joint work of the director, director, decorator, and actors will make you plunge into a completely different world. You will feel in the place of the heroes and experience all the sorrows and joys with them.