A.P. Chekhov is a great Russian writer and playwright, whose work is loved and recognized throughout the world. Performances based on Chekhov’s plays are included in the gold fund of many famous theaters. Without exaggeration, one of the most famous plays is The Seagull. Another new reading of the classics was presented to the audience by the Moscow theater of the Moon.
Romantic Moon Theater
The Moon Theater was created by the famous Russian actor and director Sergei Prokhanov in 1993. The unusual and romantic name at first belonged to a small group of enthusiasts who conceived a completely new theater in a small basement in the area of ​​the Patriarch's Ponds. Very quickly, this basement became a cult theater place in Moscow. Twenty-five years have passed since then.
Over a quarter century, the Moon Theater has become one of the most rated and reputable theaters in the capital. Today it occupies a beautiful building on Malaya Ordynka, in which a special “lunar” atmosphere reigns. The Moon Theater has become the home of a huge number of talented actors whose names are known throughout the country. For example, from the moment of its foundation, here served the inimitable Anatoly Romashin, in whose honor the audience award was established at the theater. During the period of activity in the theater, many performances and events were put together, which unite the love of beauty, eternal values ​​and the search for new expressive forms. So the premiere in 2017 of the musical "The Seagull" became an event in the theatrical world.
Eternal Chekhov
Play A.P. Chekhov's “The Seagull” is a work of great world drama. For more than a hundred and twenty years, the play has not lost its relevance and continues to live on the stage. A.P. Chekhov wrote his Seagull at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1896, the premiere of the play took place on the stage of the Alexandrinsky Theater . This sounds strange, but the first show ended in complete failure, because the audience and the actors did not immediately understand the full depth and scope of this work. Chekhov showed a completely new, unusual drama and an unusual stage approach. Little action, meager scenery and a lot of talk: the author himself described his "Seagull". But it was precisely the artistic depth and harmony of the play that ensured her eternal life.
“The Seagull” was staged more than a hundred times on the stages of world famous theaters. And these are only the most famous productions. The theater of Sergei Prokhanov did not stand aside from Russian classics. In 2017, the premiere of the play "The Seagull" at the Moon Theater.
An unexpected look at the classics
The staging of the classic Seagull on the stage of the Moon Theater turned out to be unusual. As posters said before the premiere, the audience was waiting for the first musical in the world based on Chekhov’s classics.
Although in the reviews of the “Seagull” of the Moon Theater, critics called the production a full-fledged dramatic performance, only a musical one. It should be noted that the free handling of the classics requires special care. Sometimes a new reading is clear only to the author, but not to the viewer and critics. The musical The Seagull is a happy exception. Even people who are not among the fans of the theater, note the undeniable success of the experiment. As one theater observer said in a review of the musical The Seagull of the Moon Theater, The Seagull is good.
Russian "Seagull" staged by a Korean director
This breakthrough performance was staged by director from South Korea Te Sik Kang. He has been “sick” with Chekhov for a long time, since his studies at GITIS. The South Korean director has repeatedly put Chekhov on different stages in different cities. In Moscow, this is his first job. Te Sik Kang believes that the modern viewer is not always ready to listen to the long philosophical monologues of Chekhov's characters. Therefore, the characters in his production began to sing.
Everything is unusual in The Seagull: sets, costumes, stage production. The central spinning structure is used as the main decoration, with the help of which the scene turns into a garden, a living room, or an arbor. The appearance of the actors on the stage one at a time, in a ray of bright light, is also symbolic. Chekhov’s inner loneliness is shown literally. The costumes of the heroes are also far from the classical canons. In the performance of Te Sin Kang, all external attributes are conditional, the Chekhov text is shortened, instead of talking, the characters sing a lot. However, this is a real "Seagull", which a sophisticated viewer will feel from the first minutes. Because the director managed to preserve the main idea of ​​the play - loneliness among close people, tearing souls of doubt and fear, futile throwing of a person in search of himself and happiness.
The role of music in the play
The central place in the musical, of course, is music. The composers were the wonderful pianist and conductor Georgy Yun and the world famous musical Tatyana Solnyshkina. Solnyshkina participated in such productions as Metro and Nord-Ost. The author of the libretto is Boris Rybkin, Honored Artist of Russia, arranged by Evgeny Poznyakov and Sergey Kapitsky.
In general, a large team of talented professionals worked on the musical part of the performance. It turned out different in style, unusual, but integral project. The musical contains romances, blues, jazz, classical arias. Different musical styles reflect the characters of individual heroes. The result is a very accurate hit. In general, this is a single musical extravaganza when one genre justifiably flows into another.
Cast
The performance for the viewer is done by the actors. The “Seagull” has a magnificent composition. The names of the actors of the musical The Seagull in the Moon Theater are well known to lovers of this genre in other successful productions. This is the bright Ivan Ozhogin, and the beautiful Anfisa Kamimullina, and the talented Oksana Kostetskaya, and the wonderful Veronika Lysakova. All actors have powerful beautiful voices and undoubted dramatic talent. Critics in reviews of the musical The Seagull at the Moon Theater note that the actors coped not only with the musical part of the performance, but also talentedly played the characters of Chekhov’s heroes.
Arkadina-Stotskaya and Treplev-Presnyakov
The big star of "The Seagull" was Anastasia Stotskaya, who is known to the general public as a bright pop singer. Stotskaya also has extensive experience participating in large-scale musical productions. Anastasia has not only a chic appearance and a strong voice, but also acting talent.
Stotskaya in the role of Irina Nikolaevna Arkadina was able to show the character of this strong, but cold woman who easily achieves everything she wants, causing pain and suffering to loved ones along the way. Arias performed by Anastasia Stotskaya make a strong impression and can not leave anyone indifferent. The audience’s reviews of the musical The Seagull at the Moon Theater are full of enthusiastic words and compliments to the actress. A real discovery for viewers and critics was Nikita Presnyakov in the role of Konstantin Treplev. For Nikita, this was the first stage experience of this format. According to the audience’s reviews of the musical The Seagull, he coped with the task perfectly. Many note the incredible charisma of the young musician, his solo parts make the audience goosebumps because of their sincerity and sensuality.
Critics and viewers about the play
The performance was very well received by critics. Their reviews of the musical The Seagull of the Moon Theater pay tribute to the excellent directorial work and the high professional level of musical material. Theater observers have called the staging a success of the Moon Theater and an event in the new theater season.
The audience was surprised that Chekhov can be sung. This, according to spectators' reviews of the "Seagull" at the Moon Theater, gave the play new colors. The symbolism of the production, well understood by the audience, was very impressive. They say that the performance would be interesting even without music, which emphasizes its dramatic merits. The audience notes the sincerity and enthusiasm of the actors for the game, playful and tragic scenes of the performance, creative intensity throughout the entire action.
Aftertaste
The initial reaction to the phrase "musical" The Seagull "is mixed. It is difficult to imagine how, through a light musical genre, one can convey the internal tragedy of Chekhov’s heroes without switching to farce. But the director’s love for Chekhov and a subtle sense of his dramaturgy made it possible to create a true classic performance, without departing from the idea of ​​the great writer for a single step. Judging by the audience’s reviews of the musical “The Seagull” in the Moon Theater, people come out after the performance with inspired, filled with impressions and hopes. This is also because Te Sin Kang, despite the hopelessness and longing of the Chekhov characters, allowed himself a very life-affirming open finale. At the end of the play, the heroes sing the aria “Only Love”, which gives people hope that there can still be and that dreams come true.