Alexander Oleshko spoke about the deceased actor Alexei Kuznetsov

“It was he who taught me to read Tolstoy and discovered Saltykov-Shchedrin for me”

The Vakhtangov Theatre, which closed its 102nd season four days ago, is in for a big loss. At the age of 83, and quite unexpectedly, Alexei Kuznetsov died. The oldest Vakhtangov member, charming and educated, highly cultured artist, worked to the last. True, lately he has weakened somewhat, but he himself said: “What do you want, years.”

In 1964, Kuznetsov graduated with honors from the Boris Shchukin Theater School, where his teachers were the legendary Vakhtangovists Anna Orochko, Yuri Lyubimov and Vladimir Shlesinger.

In the famous graduation performance “The Good Man from Sezuan”, staged by Yuri Lyubimov and which became the beginning of the Taganka Theater, he played Water Carrier – one of the main roles. And, although Lyubimov invited Alexei to his nascent theater, he joined the troupe of the Vakhtangov Theater, where he served until the end of his days …

Alexey Glebovich played about fifty different roles.

Since 1967 he has been teaching at the Shchukin School, and since 1995 he has worked at the stage speech department. His students repeatedly became winners of the Ya.M. Smolensk and All-Russian student competition of readers named after V.N. Yakhontov in St. Petersburg.

Kuznetsov did a lot of dubbing, recorded audiobooks. But the Vakhtangov Theater remained his greatest love. Where and when the farewell to the artist will take place, the theater promises to inform additionally.

“With him, I twice became a laureate of the Yakov Smolensky competition, I became a laureate of the reading competition named after D. Zhuravlev,” says Alexander Oleshko. – With him I won the competition named after Yakhontov. It was Alexey Glebovich who taught me to read Tolstoy and discovered Saltykov-Shchedrin for me. He called his favorite students “Kotya”.

Was a knight of the theater. The keeper of the traditions of the great Vakhtangov, Shchukin school, the most modest person, an intellectual and an encyclopedist. Last year, I was entrusted with hosting his anniversary party, which could not be held on time due to the pandemic. What a blessing that we were able to do this. What happiness that they managed to confess their love to him again and again! What a pity that we did not have time to carry out the planned joint work in the theater … .. What a pity that I will not see him walking down the street (we lived nearby). And that the audience will no longer see a faithful and real person, actor, teacher on stage ….