The Sovremennik Theatre, "The Gin Game": audience reviews about the performance

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

The Sovremennik Theater has been pleasing the audience with interesting performances for more than 60 years. One of the best works of the last decade by his long-term artistic director Galina Volchek was the production of a play by Donald Lee Coburn. The performance "The Gin Game" in Sovremennik, reviews of which are presented below, is a story about old people and their problems, but it will be of interest to every person who thinks about what awaits him in the future.

About the play and its creator

The author of this work is American playwright Donald Lee Coburn. Oddly enough, the play The Gin Game is his first work. He wrote it as a 40-year-old owner of his own advertising business. The first pancake was not lumpy, and The Game of Gin won the prestigious Pulitzer Prize in 1978. In addition, her Broadway production won 4 Tony nominations.

In the USSRThe Gin Game was first introduced to the public under the title The Card Game in 1980. This production was directed by Georgy Tovstonogov.

In 2013, the play by Donald Lee Coburn was presented to its audience by the Sovremennik Theater. The Gin Game (see reviews below) still gathers full houses today, as the best artists of the capital are involved in the play.

Contents

The play takes place in a nursing home in the United States. The locals have long called it the "House of Death", as the we althy guests of this institution are very old and leave this world one by one. True, new lonely old people quickly arrive in their place, who turned out to be not needed by either relatives or society.

One day, a rich businessman and a woman who worked as an ordinary manager before her retirement meet there. Both have a life full of success behind them, ending in inner emptiness and the realization of their own uselessness.

A man offers a lady to pass the time playing a card game. The old woman agrees, and a game begins in which the old people tell each other about their lives.

A lady turns out to be an exceptionally capable student and unexpectedly wins a gin game against her new nursing home neighbor. Then her "rival" begins to be torn apart by conflicting feelings: sympathy for a friend in misfortune and the passion of an experienced gambler. Thus begins the struggle for victory in the game of genie between the woman and the hero, which lasts forseveral evenings.

At the same time, the viewer understands that these people, reaching out to each other, could not meet in their youth, as they belonged to a different circle. However, old age put everything in its place, discarding all conventions.

About the production of The Game of Genie in Sovremennik

Reviews from the audience show that although 4 years have passed since the premiere, interest in the performance does not weaken.

Galina Borisovna Volchek managed to turn Sovremennik's The Gin Game (see reviews and critics' opinions below) into a kind of ping-pong of verbal remarks full of sarcasm and reticence. In her production, everything is mixed up, and explosions of laughter from the auditorium are constantly replaced by deathly silence. At such moments, everyone who watches the actors play thinks about old age, which sooner or later becomes the lot of every person.

Spectators who have already seen the performance point to the excellent work of artist Pavel Kaplevich and lighting master Damir Ismagilov as its strengths. Instead of the interior of a classic American almshouse, they created an unusual design that evokes thoughts of the decline and frailty of this world. The musical scale can also be called successful, which enhances the impression of what is happening on stage.

First cast

Initially, the role of retired businessman Weller Martin in the play "The Gin Game" in Sovremennik (viewer reviews are presented below)performed by the favorite of millions of residents of the former USSR, Valentin Gaft. The protagonist of the famous play by Donald Lee Coburn in his performance was a sarcastic, emotional and bilious person, at the same time, capable of experiencing deep feelings towards another person, who is his forced "comrade in misfortune".

His partner was Liya Akhedzhakova. The actress was able to create a vivid and memorable image of the pensioner Fonsia, who at first appears as a kind of “decent woman”, in the philistine sense of the word, and a modest quiet person, and then begins to be frank and talk about things and feelings that she hid even from herself.

Modern cast

After Valentin Gaft fell seriously ill, it became clear that he would no longer be able to play in the play "The Gin Game" ("Contemporary"). Viewers' feedback shows that they approved the choice of a new performer for the role of Weller Martin, made by Galina Volchek. The actor of the Maly Theater Vasily Bochkarev, although he cannot be compared in popularity with Valentin Gaft, made a wonderful duet with Leah Akhedzhakova.

Game of Gin in Sovremennik: reviews from critics

Reviews in the metropolitan press, which appeared immediately after the premiere, were almost 100% positive. Critics noted the perfection of the stage partnership between Gaft and Akhedzhakova. According to their feedback, the actors felt each other's every impulse, and they managed to realize Volchek's plan - to show that Weller Martin and Foncia themselves were to blame for being left alone. Indeed, at one time they could not find a common language with children and,apparently, they lacked love.

Opinion of viewers

Reviews about the play "Sovremennik" "The Game of Genie" are published after each performance. And this despite the fact that he is already more than 4 years old! Most of those who dismiss them are fans of Leah Akhedzhakova. They admire the play of their favorite actress, each appearance on the stage of which is a real lesson in acting in the highest sense of the word. Despite her advanced age, Akhedzhakova continues to amaze those around her with her energy and sparkling humor.

A lot of praise can be heard about Vasily Bochkarev. The actor, who is constantly being compared with Valentin Gaft, was able to quickly "fit" into the already held outline of the performance, invented by Galina Volchek. Of course, his Weller is different from what he was before, but this only gave new colors to the production.

As for the production as a whole, many viewers note that they were very pleased with the evening spent at the Sovremennik Theater. They recommend that all theatergoers attend a production of the famous play by Donald Lee Coburn to be able to enjoy the magnificent performance of eminent actors and think about universal human problems that will affect everyone sooner or later.

Now you know what the production of The Game of Gin by Sovremennik is about. The audience reviews about the performance are mostly positive, so at the first opportunity you should definitely visit it in order to getthe pleasure of playing the incomparable Leah Akhedzhakova and Vasily Bochkarev.