The musical by Alexander Zhurbin was played at the Mask Theater

Exorcism in Hebrew

The composer Alexander Zhurbin wrote the musical “Dybbuk” in record time – the composer was so captivated by the mystical play by Semyon An-sky, written more than 100 years ago. The finished composition to the libretto by Vlad Starchevsky was called “Between Two Worlds” (that was the name of the first version of Ansky’s play). The premiere of the musical staged by Nina Chusova took place at the new Mask Theater on Komsomolsky Prospekt.

Semyon An-sky (real name Solomon Rappoport) received a traditional Jewish education in religious educational institutions in the Vitebsk province. As is often the case with young men, he rejected what he was taught, that is, Orthodox Judaism, and began to sow “heresy.” And at the same time to study the Russian language together with Russian revolutionary thought. It turned out to be a tough protest batch, which made Rappoport not only a writer, but an ardent fighter against the regime. The pseudonym An-sky was invented for his colleague by the famous Russian populist ideologist Pyotr Lavrov. It was under this name that the writer became known, primarily thanks to the play “The Dybbuk”. It premiered in Warsaw in 1920. Based on Jewish folklore, it goes far beyond the ethnic theme: it is a tragic story of two lovers, comparable to Romeo and Juliet – only death united their hearts.

The play became the basis of numerous interpretations, including outstanding ones: Yevgeny Vakhtangov staged it in 1922 at the Habima Theater in Moscow. Subsequently, the Habima troupe was destined to lay the foundation for the most famous Israeli theater. So the evil spirit from the Jewish Ashkenazi mythology Dybbuk played the most creative role in the development of the theatrical art of Israel. Another significant interpretation of this plot is the ballet by Leonard Bernstein, created in 1974 and staged at the Bolshoi Theater in 2004.

Alexander Zhurbin has long been carried away by the plot of An-sky. The musical was written many years ago. However, the stage incarnation waited a long time. And now – an impressive production by Nina Chusova on the new stage of the Mask Theater in MDM, a cozy place and very well equipped with theatrical technical equipment: light, sound – everything is at the highest level, as required by the high-tech genre of the musical.

The performance has a truly stellar cast: the magnificent Valeria Lanskaya as Leia, the bright, each with their own individuality, Alexander Kazmin and Yaroslav Bayarunas as Honon, the soulful and lyrical Lika Rulla and Elena Moiseeva (Frada), the colorful Yuri Mazihin and the sharp-character Alexander Rezalin (Sender ), comical Victoria Pivko (Hannah) – all these artists are outstanding masters of the musical genre. Efim Shifrin deserves a special bow in the role of Rabbi Israel, who, as always, amazes with his depth, volume of personality, a paradoxical combination of humor and drama.

Production designer Yevgenia Shvets and choreographer Natalya Terekhova place the viewer in the atmosphere of the town, well known from the classic Jewish musical Fiddler on the Roof. Here, the men wear at least kippahs, but mostly black hats and sidelocks. Here they honor the Sabbath and attend the synagogue. Here, the highest wisdom is expressed in the rebbe’s advice, and the dancing is exactly the way it is danced in Jewish musicals and nowhere else. Alexander Zhurbin’s score is not ethnographic, but at the same time filled with Jewish motifs. There are no direct quotes here, but the style and atmosphere are imbued with the national spirit. This is largely facilitated by the sound of a live ensemble – a real klezmer orchestra led by Anna Petukhova, the luminary of the Russian musical. The music is full of beautiful melodies. She speaks to the viewer in an accessible language, but at the same time is by no means simple, which is typical for Zhurbin’s works of recent years. The score harmoniously combines the techniques of academic composing technique and democratic musical formats: complex texture, intricate tonal plans, unbanal harmonies and expressive, intelligible intonation that evokes strong emotions. The entire arsenal of means works to create images that, in their scale and depth, reach the level of the most serious opera.

The mystical beginning – and it dominates here, since the main character, who is not allowed to marry his beloved, becomes an evil spirit – is effectively realized by lighting designer Ivan Vinogradov and video artist Alan Mandelstam.

The musical ends sadly. Chonon’s spirit is banished from Leia’s body. The exorcism took place. But does Leah need it herself? She prefers to follow her beloved to the realm of the dead. Because love is stronger than death.

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29054 dated June 22, 2023

Newspaper headline:
Exorcism in Hebrew