Krechinsky’s Wedding was played at the Maly Theater

Frandetti gave new life to a timeless masterpiece

The Maly Theatre, which for many personifies faithful service to the classics, and for some seems overly conservative, produced a performance in which the traditions of Russian vaudeville are organically combined with current director’s decisions. Alexander Kolker’s musical “Krechinsky’s Wedding” based on the play by the Russian classic A.V. Sukhovo-Kobylin received a new reading thanks to the most prolific musical maker of the Russian theater, Alexei Frandetti.

“Krechinsky’s Wedding” is the first Russian musical: this is how the genre of the performance was designated on the poster of the Leningrad Musical Comedy Theater in 1973, when its world premiere took place. And this was the first and absolutely sensational for those times the official use of the term “musical” in the history of the Soviet theater. So the historical role of Alexander Kolker, fortunately still living (this year the composer will celebrate his 90th birthday), in the establishment of the genre is enormous. The creators of the new version of “Krechinsky” for the Maly Theater consulted with the master and received his approval for all the creative liberties that they allowed themselves. For example, to include some quotes from Lloyd Webber’s music in the score. And here’s what’s interesting – such delicate interventions are not in the least discordant with Kolker’s style. Today, when a considerable number of scores by modern Russian composers are presented on the musical market, it is especially clear how advanced Alexander Kolker, Gennady Gladkov, Andrey Petrov and Vladimir Dashkevich were, who composed their music, focusing on the most relevant and fashionable Western styles of those years.

These styles have not lost their freshness to this day: the music of “Krechinsky’s Wedding” sounds absolutely modern today in the talented arrangement of Elena Bulanova, who gave new colors to Kolker’s wonderful hits. The Maly Theater Orchestra conducted by Alexander Meshcheryakov is a full participant in this lively, emotional, touching performance in which the actors play with obvious pleasure. Three people’s artists, Viktor Nizovoy (Muromsky), Elena Kharitonova (Anna Antonovna) and Alexander Vershinin (Rasplyuev), give a real acting master class – everything is at the highest level: intonation, voices, plasticity and, most importantly, the brightest characters. Rasplyuev’s number: “And I will sing along to life: eat hearty, drink deliciously, sleep softly. The devil himself will not be my brother when I become rich!” – directly rhymes with the aria If I Were a Rich Man from the famous Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Krechinsky, performed by Alexei Faddeev, is good-looking, charming, moderately demonic and, with all his propensity to deceive, arouses sympathy. He looks like Vadim Dulchin, Hermann, Ostap Bender – in a word, charismatic, as befits Russian players and adventurers. And he also looks like Onegin – especially in rivalry with the landowner Nelkin, who, played by Denis Kornukh, is the spitting image of Lensky, romantic, naive and very sweet.

The main character is Lidochka, deceived, but not changing her feelings. Aksiniya Pustylnikova in this role is not only charming and gentle, but also surprises with high-quality high notes, which are not available to every dramatic actress. “I’ve only been waiting for you all my life and I love you only …” – she sings her famous hit aria, effectively swinging on a crescent moon hovering above the stage. And in the finale, she will sing these words again – to her failed fiancé, whom she is trying to save from imminent arrest. And, as is again usual in Russian literature of the 19th century, it awakens conscience and repentance in the hardened swindler Krechinsky. And the audience – empathy and sincere applause.

Perhaps this is a feature of the performance and one of the reasons for its totally positive impact: all the characters are good, kind people. Some are honest, but not all. Even the pawnbroker Beck, played in the musical by the poignant “Queen of Spades” Anastasia Dubrovskaya, is not without charm. However, evil is always attractive, especially in such a classy environment: all the characters have dazzling snow-white costumes. In some – the symbolism of the cards, someone has incredible hats on their heads, the men have lionfish coats with inventive details (costume designer – Anastasia Pugashkina). Particularly impressive is the transformation of Krechinsky into a skeleton with ingeniously invented frills on his back and chest in the form of a spine and ribs – this is how the cheater sees himself in a dream to the sound of real bells located under the ceiling of a stage that is bare to the very foundation. And only huge letters, made in different textures and colors, make up the scenography of the performance (artist Vyacheslav Okunev).

The performance is dedicated to the memory of Vitaly Solomin, who in the late 90s staged the musical “Krechinsky’s Wedding” on the stage of the Maly Theater. Solomin played the main role in it and continued the list of productions of the play by Sukhovo-Kobylin in Maly, leading from 1855. Combining the classics of a 50-year-old musical and a 170-year-old play with the avant-garde of today’s directorial and visual decisions, the current version is a new life for an eternal masterpiece.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29004 dated April 5, 2023

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Krechinsky’s Wedding was played at the Maly Theater