“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” – Nobody

The success of Cabaret, which premiered relatively recently at the Theater of Nations, will be very difficult or, most likely, impossible to surpass. But still, as they say – “we must strive for this.” This time it didn’t work out for sure, in my humble opinion.

Premiere screenings of the new work of the Theater of Nations “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” – this is a rather sad spectacle both in form and content, and, importantly, in the acting. Unfortunately, two plus two is not always four. Two actors (Evgeny Mironov and Agrippina Steklova) succeeded in the premiere, but the young ones (Alexander Novin and Maria Smolnikova) do not believe it, no matter how hard you try.

The action of the play takes place one evening, when a husband and wife, returning from another boring reception, bring guests to the house – a young couple – and unfold a whole spectacle before their eyes, quarreling and showering insults on each other, revealing shocking details of their life together, demonstrating mutual contempt and hatred. The Jesuit game that George and Martha offered to Nick and Honey is beyond good and evil, but it is she (according to the author’s intention, a play by three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Edward Albee) that should “show” the viewer that very deep and tender feeling that is still lives in the hearts and souls of the main characters.

“The heroes of the play are trying to excite themselves to life, reanimate their relationships and prevent their feelings from atrophying. But where is the limit of what is permitted in this process? – this is what director Danil Chashchin said about his work before the premiere.

But either the director did not inform the actors, or the four heroes of the production at the Theater of Nations did not “soak” with the idea of ​​​​the author of the play – there is no faith that the “Jesuit game” was really a success.

Black comedy – a genre declared by the directors – is “played out” by People’s Artist of Russia Yevgeny Mironov (George), Honored Artist of Russia Agrippina Steklova (Martha), as well as Alexander Novin (Nick) and Maria Smolnikova (Khani).

George, enduring years of humiliating treatment, forced compliance and long lost faith in himself in his marriage to Martha, the rector’s daughter, is a spineless, boring and vengeful type. And Mironov’s image was a success – you believe, but you do not regret it. He wrote a novel about his fears and feelings, which no one is going to publish or read. George did not take place either as a scientist, or as a leader, or as a father. The only thing is that he is a “world champion” in patience and perseverance. Living with a hysterical woman for two decades is really “gold”. But that very “caricature of men”, which, it seems to me, is incorporated in the play, did not work out. There is expression and grotesque, but there is no faith.

Marta is spoiled and notorious, smart and eccentric at the same time, it is hard for her from the “decency” of her life and the position of a learned “matron”, which no one gives a damn about. She drowns her anguish and irritation in alcohol, indulges in fictions about a non-existent son and excels in insulting her husband. It is difficult to look at this “BDSM” precisely because there is no belief that this is a “game”.

Even less faith in the “game” of young artists. Alexander Novin and Maria Smolnikova, being forced witnesses of the “psychic games” of a married couple, did not cope with their roles, again – in my humble opinion. Yes, they managed to get drunk, but it is unlikely that they could “embodie” into full-fledged heroes of the production. Honey is a fragile woman-child with a bunch of “cockroaches” in her head and a “muscled” careerist husband – a pitiful sight. And even the reckless and shameful dance caused by alcohol (a rock musician with a ficus instead of a guitar) did not impress, but caused … pity. There is absolutely nothing to say about Nick – a static role that you forget immediately after bowing.

All this “fear” ended already outside the walls of the house (stage designer Maxim Obrezkov), in the unbearable emptiness during the full moon, when the heroes, with their terrible revelations, “destroy” the very world where the house and native walls were. The virtual murder of the dream of a son only adds “idiocy” to the relationship of the spouses. The faceless guests cannot stand the terrible game with death masks, and Martha and George are left with the full moon and the tricycle rolling behind them.

Good always comes after bad…

Let’s believe in it!

Vladimir Sabadash.

Author’s photo