Andrey Konchalovsky: the theater of the Moscow City Council was very lucky that Marcelli came

The Mossovet Theater opened its 100th season.

The theater premises, rejuvenated and renovated, with a new design of the foyer, welcomed the artists and guests who had gathered for the traditional collection of corpses.

Literally the whole team gathered in the auditorium where the meeting was held – the theater is celebrating its centenary, and the festive events on this occasion have already begun today. Olga Ostroumova, Valentina Talyzina, Evgeny Steblov, Alexander Goloborodko, Alexander Filippenko, Irina Klimova, Gosha Kutsenko, Valery Yaremenko, Valery Storozhik, Olga Kabo and many other artists appeared in the hall one after another.

The theatre’s artistic director, Honored Art Worker of the Russian Federation Yevgeny Marchelli introduced the audience to the large-scale creative plans for the anniversary season, including his own productions, as well as the work of famous and young directors.

– First, I want, – said Evgeny Marchelli, – to congratulate Pavel Parkhomenko on the premiere (we are talking about the play “Solo for a Chilling Clock”, in which Olga Ostroumova, Anatoly Vasilyev, Evgeny Steblov, Alexander Goloborodko are involved. – Note. ed.). Our veterans in a fantastic line-up will take the stage in a new performance, goosebumps run when you watch them work. It’s so polished! So surprisingly different from today! The masters work so carelessly that it is worth seeing for everyone! After this performance, we decided to leave director Pavel Parkhomenko to work in the theater, especially since this is his third production on the Moscow Soviet stage. Among the nearest premieres are “Shakespeare Hamlet” (in one word), “Dowry” and “Maxcarade” in my production. Moreover, I made an offer to Viktor Sukhorukov to play in Arbenin’s Masquerade and now I am waiting for confirmation from him.

We really hope for the premiere of “The Only Heir”, which will be staged by Gosha Kutsenko. And on The Queen of Spades directed by Igor Yatsko, who did a very decent job last season. Naturally, the incomparable and beloved actress Valentina Talyzina will play the main role in the performance.

Among the theatre’s special projects is the Moscow Stories playwrights’ laboratory where modern playwrights write contemporary plays about Moscow. And we are discovering new names, continuing to work with young directors and their sketches of performances.

On the stage “Under the Roof” we will see the premiere of “Dreams of Penelope” by Famil Javadov and “Old-fashioned comedy” directed by Vladimir Skvortsov.

Well, on March 3, the celebration of the centenary of the theater will take place directly. We consulted with the artistic council and decided to hold a traditional evening of congratulations. By this time, video interviews with all the theater workers will be filmed, and they will be spinning non-stop in the lobby.

All of our events this year will be captured by a camera, so at the end of the season there will be a film “One Hundred” – the group will constantly work in the foyer, on stage, backstage. The film will be presented.

Andrei Konchalovsky also spoke to the artists, whose play “The Taming of the Shrew” based on William Shakespeare will open the season today.

– Our audience comes to the theater by subway and trolleybus, they don’t wear expensive fur coats. This suggests that we play for the Muscovites. That it is a spectator who goes to the theater to get joy. Our spectators go to the theater in this difficult time for hope, and the people must be given this hope. And if the performance touches, the full hall sits, and everyone has eyes like those of children.

We are doing something unique. Reminding something of a circus performer who juggles in front of the Temple on the feast of the Most Holy Theotokos. And when such a person is asked: “What are you doing? On such and such a day! ”, Then he answers:“ But I do this in honor of the Mother of God, I don’t know how to do anything else! ” We are doing the same, we are doing something invisible, intangible with our hands, but a very important thing. I love theater artists! Because it is unrealistic to work here for money, people work here because there is a need. And it’s an amazing need to come into your home. God forbid anyone to be without this house.

Theater is a complex instrument. There were so many unpleasant stories around the theater now, many difficulties and dissatisfied. And we were all lucky: Evgeny Marchelli came, who was very careful about what had been built for years before him, understood the problems. And the fact that Marcelli so carefully took and leads the team, not destroying, but truly trying to satisfy the needs of each person, is worth a lot. Because in the team of artists, everyone considers himself unique. Artists are all self-sufficient. They are selfish. They think they are the best, and they should be, so we should be glad that Marcelli came. The theater is very lucky.

The nearest premiere of the theater will take place tomorrow – it will be “Solo for Chilling Clocks” staged by director Pavel Parkhomenko.

His new performance is about people thrown to the sidelines of life, about old people who so much want to be young. About the merciless power of time, which cannot be stopped. About the warmth that middle-aged people try to warm each other. The brilliant cast of leading theater artists, including Evgeny Steblov, Olga Ostroumova, Anatoly Vasiliev, Alexander Goloborodko, gives hope that the production will become an event in the cultural life of Moscow.

Elena Bulova.

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