Departure of the elders: Vera Vasilyeva died. Obituary

People’s Artist of the Soviet Union Vera Vasilyeva died at the age of 98. For three quarters of a century she served in the Moscow Theater of Satire.

Just a few hours after death 98-year-old Yulia Borisova, the elder of the Moscow Theater of Satire Vera Vasilyeva lived in the status of the oldest living people’s artist of the Soviet Union. During their lifetime, it never occurred to anyone to compare them, two respected celebrities who left this world literally during the day – the closed, strict, silent, Yulia Konstantinovna, who did not let strangers close to her, and the open, sociable, smiling Vasilyeva, who is in her tenth For years everyone called Verochka. Both of them spent the last decades in the generally recognized status of the “Queen Mothers” of the Moscow stage, but reigned in very different ways: Borisova was a hermit and recluse, who very rarely shone direct light, Vasilyeva was an active, acting actress, youthfully greedy for roles and willingly sharing with all the recipes for longevity and activity.

The departure of two long-livers, rhymed by heaven, also showed what is common in their biographies.

Not only the year of birth, 1925, which is difficult to imagine for us, but also something else, which is just as difficult to understand today’s theatrical business: for three quarters of a century, both were faithful to one theater. And it doesn’t matter whether we are talking about the Vakhtangov Theater or the Theater of Satire – this generation had an understanding of the creative mission and professionalism. Both Borisova and Vasilyeva were never seen in any “scandals, intrigues, investigations”, the difficult vicissitudes of both theatrical biographies were lived by them inside themselves, with dignity not today, invariably tactful and even elegant. Both were, as they say, purely theatrical actresses – Borisova generally had only three film roles, although two of them turned out to be milestones in the history of Soviet cinema in the 50s and 60s. Vera Vasilyeva acted in films not so sparingly, but her main films, “The Legend of the Siberian Land” and “Wedding with a Dowry”, were filmed in general back in Stalin’s times, then there were episodes or passing roles. Then the role of a perky, charming, cheerful girl with the famous dimples on her cheeks was assigned to the young actress.

After those films, the mass Soviet audience rediscovered and fell in love with Vera Vasilyeva already in the television version of Valentin Pluchek’s play Crazy Day, or The Marriage of Figaro, where Vasilyeva slyly and gracefully played the countess in the great “team team” of the Satire Theater – together with Andrei Mironov, Alexander Shirvindt , Tatyana Peltzer, Georgy Menglet and other artists. Vasilyeva played a lot, often not carping about the quality of drama, and compensated for the years of inactivity in her native theater with work in other theaters, and not only in the capital – she went with pleasure to play Russian classical roles in the regional dramas of Tver or Orel.

Vasilyeva cleverly and generously disposed of her talent, not pretending to those dramatic registers in which she was most likely not particularly strong, but she knew how to present her musicality, lightness and charm to advantage and benefit the performances in which she participated.

The years have added to the strengths of her talent a special old-fashioned nobility appreciated by loyal fans. She was always invariably benevolent and kindly attentive to her viewers, and the audience paid her a reciprocal sincere and disinterested gratitude. For many years, Vera Vasilyeva worked as the secretary of the Union of Theater Workers on social and domestic issues – and unfeigned concern for colleagues somehow very naturally became a continuation of her concern for the audience. She seemed to be a clear example of how a famous actress can adequately exist in any historical or economic circumstances. And a long life was granted to her, perhaps also in order that this example might be as convincing as possible for those who remain.

Esther Steinbock