Kirkorov was dismissed like a chump: Vladimir Kekhman explained his decision not to let Philip into the Moscow Art Theater

Tonight at the Moscow Art Theater. Gorky will host a gala evening dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the theater. But passions have been boiling around its General Director Vladimir Kekhman for the fourth day. The reason was that Kekhman refused to let Philip Kirkorov into the Moscow Art Theater, who was invited to speak to employees of a large company who had gathered at the Moscow Art Theater for a corporate event. In response, show business represented by the king of domestic show business and other participants in the “naked» the parties declared war on the ban and dumped all the incriminating evidence they had dug up on Kekhman. But, by the way, he turned out to be the only one who, in word and deed, expressed his attitude to the shameful event. Vladimir Kekhman, who remained silent for several days, told the MK observer what really happened at the Moscow Art Theater

— The honest truth is that my very close friend (he has the largest greenhouse vegetable production company in the country) decided to organize a trip to our play “Cinderella” for the employees of his company. On December 23, he bought 700 or 800 tickets for the afternoon and evening performances, and also asked me to give them the opportunity to stay in the theater after the performance, when the audience had left – he wanted to congratulate the team on the New Year.

— That is, it was not a pre-planned and organized corporate event for this company at the Gorky Moscow Art Theater?

– No, of course, what kind of corporate event is there?

— Where, excuse me, did Kirkorov come from, whom you ordered not to be allowed onto the threshold?

– On the day of the performance, they called me from this company and presented me with a fact – Kirkorov will be performing – he was just invited to a meeting with the team after the performance. At first I didn’t even believe it, but it turned out that my friend decided to surprise his employees in this way. Why – I don’t know. I immediately called him back: “Do you even know what happened to Kirkorov and this whole gang without shame or conscience?” and added that the first one to suffer if Kirkorov is his company is his company. And although we have been friends for 30 years, I warned that with all due respect to him, it is absolutely impossible for Kirkorov, Sobchak and other characters from this party to be in my theater. Now, as long as I am the director, they will not set foot here.

“But haven’t you communicated with these people before?” Have you ever been confused by their moral character before?

“I talked, of course, and at one time, for example, I even talked with Ivleeva, because I thought through her to attract young people to the Moscow Art Theater. Now these thoughts are no longer there – she, too, is barred from entering here.

– Judging by how events developed further, your friend did not hear you.

“He just asked: “Still, Kirkorov and I have a chance?” “None,” I answered. And then, as I understand it, at the time of our telephone conversation with him, he was in the company of a man who turned out to be more than just a scoundrel. Having witnessed our conversation, he passed it on to Sobchak, who leaked everything. Moreover, it was a complete lie from her.

—About the five million you allegedly charged the company for catering after the performance?

– Absolute lie. Catering is done by a company independent from the theater, I don’t even know the amount that was discussed. And it’s as if they called me from the presidential administration about this. Nobody called me. My position here is clear: today, in the situation we are in, it is unacceptable to behave this way in Moscow with cheap hype, a feast during the plague. And this will be one of the topics of our future cultural forum – “The Death of an Empire.”

– What do you have in mind?

— I’m saying that Russia today, on the one hand, is an example of how to behave in certain circumstances. And, on the other hand, we see that part of society lives differently – a “naked party.” I don’t want to judge anyone: I have nothing against Buzova, but she cannot be on stage at the Moscow Art Theater. Or Kirkorov, after this story, also cannot speak here, although on December 15 he spoke at our joint event with Gazprommedia. But after that bacchanalia (I can’t call it anything else), for me personally this is a continuation of the story with “Tannhäuser” in Novosibirsk.

– Then you were alone in the field. And now? Is your decision not to allow Kirkorov and other fashionable characters who appeared at the scandalous party onto the threshold of the Moscow Art Theater supported? What is the reaction?

— Today I received it via WhatsApp, apparently from the boys: “Kirkorov did not act like a boy and that’s why we dismiss him like a chushpan. Tell the area that he is no longer with us. And so that they don’t shake his hand anymore. It’s clear?” Or yesterday, Bishop Tikhon called me and thanked me for my courage. And this is not a question of courage – this is my attitude to what is happening in the country, in society and is directed against it. When Yevgeny Prigozhin tried to stage a coup in the summer, I said: “If God wants to punish a person, he takes away his mind.” And for this case I have another expression: if you put them all together on the scales, then together they are lighter than emptiness. So how can you pay attention to this? At the Moscow Art Theater this and next season is the 125th anniversary of the theater. We are moving forward.