Akimov Theater in St. Petersburg in 2019 will celebrate its 90th anniversary. Founded in 1929, it is still considered one of the most popular in the Northern capital.
Theater History: Formation
Comedy theaters have been located in the building of the Eliseev merchants since 1904. They were located on the second floor, above the store known throughout the city, including Nevsky Fars and Grotesque.
In 1929, the recently founded Satire Theater moved here, headed by the famous David G. Gutman, who came to Leningrad from Moscow. There he worked as the chief director and artistic director of the Theater of Revolutionary Satire. At the same time, from 1924 to 1929, Gutman worked at the Leningrad Satire Theater and staged performances at the Moscow Operetta Theater and the music hall. Since 1930, Gutman has been a director in the Leningrad Music Hall and the Comedy Theater, formed from Passage.
In 1931, the Leningrad Satire Theater was merged with "Comedy" and the name received the corresponding - Satire and Comedy Theater. But his fate could have been different if Nikolai Pavlovich Akimov had not replaced Gutman in the post of chief director. This saved the life of the theater.
Akimovka
Since 1935, the brainchild of Akimov became known as the Comedy Theater. N.P. Akimov made revolutionary changes in his fate: he almost completely changed the composition of the troupe and changed the approach to the productions. Under him, the theater was recognized as one of the best in the country. And since then, the people began to be called the Akimov Theater.
In the first years of the new theater, one of the wonderful Leningrad actresses Elena Mavrikievna Granovskaya shone on its stage, for which all the main roles were written. Together with Leonid Utesov and Nikolai Cherkasov, she played leading roles in vaudeville, pop reviews and the first Soviet comedies. In the 1930s, the theater’s repertoire was replenished with performances on the famous texts of Lope de Vega, Sheridan and others. The performances were so vivid and topical that they displeased the government. The theater was played by Olga Aroseva, Sergey Filippov, Elena Junger, Erast Garin and others. A number of performances, such as Shadow, Dragon, were staged specifically for Akimovka.
In the late 1940s, N. P. Akimov was forced to resign as chief director and, in general, this field of activity in connection with bullying. But after the death of Stalin, in 1956, he returned, and again the theater regained its former popularity. Shortly before the death of Akimov, in 1967, he became an academic.
After Akimov
After Akimov, the Comedy Theater was headed by such directors as Vadim Sergeyevich Golikov (1970-1976), Petr Naumovich Fomenko (1972-1981), Dmitry Hananovich Astrakhan (1991-1995). Since 1995, Tatyana Kazakova has been at the head. The repertoire includes plays that cause not only public interest, but also make you think about many problems of society as a whole and of each person individually. But they are not boring-edifying. All performances have unexpected plot twists, they are decorated with the brightness of the costumes, the unusual scenery, humor and irony, music and dance. The most famous performance of modern theater was the play by Eugene Schwartz, “Shadow”.
On the 85th anniversary of the foyer, a permanent exhibition was opened, the exhibition of which presents unique exhibits - several preserved mock-ups of scenery from the performances of the Akimov era. The tradition of such exhibitions before performances was introduced by N. Akimov himself. And it is important for the theater.
Since 2017, the theater has been working in two shifts, which makes it possible to cover more and more categories of spectators with diverse performances. Thanks to the Akimov Comedy Theater, St. Petersburg includes the younger generation in theatrical education. The repertoire includes performances based on the plots of J. Rodari, R. Kipling, S. Aksakov, E. Schwartz and others. The performances for children are bright, musical, with a delicate sense of humor, and, most importantly, they teach goodness and honesty, they cultivate decency and truthfulness, love to neighbor and respect for people in general.
The address of the Akimov Theater is St. Petersburg, 56 Nevsky Prospect. Gostiny Dvor metro station. Corner with Bolshaya Sadovaya street.
Unique building
The building in which the Akimov Theater is located to this day , St. Petersburg is justly proud. This is an architectural monument of the Northern Art Nouveau era, erected in 1904 according to the project of Gabriel Vasilyevich Baranovsky.
When the building was erected, its appearance caused a lot of controversy in St. Petersburg society: some thought it was too elaborate and looked like a cake, others admired the author's bold idea. From the point of view of purpose, the construction met all the requirements of customers. In the lower floor, on the side of the front facade, there are huge windows of the city’s richest deli. Through the gigantic glass, not only the richness of the interiors was visible, but also the famous crystal chandeliers sparkling with pendants as bright as if they were made of real diamonds.
The deli of the Akimov Theater in St. Petersburg belonged to the Eliseev Brothers Partnership and was built by order of Grigory Grigoryevich Eliseev. Its facades were processed into natural stone of a pink hue and decorated with stained-glass windows, arches and sculptures on consoles located at the level of the second floor. The figures were made by the sculptor A. Adamson and were allegorical images of industry, trade, art and science.
The halls of the building were decorated with huge mirrors, marble counters trimmed with mahogany, fancy lamps.
The hallmark of St. Petersburg Akimov Theater is still. There is, perhaps, not a single resident of the cultural capital who has ever visited its walls.