In the city center, on Nevsky Prospekt, is the building of one of the best theaters in St. Petersburg, which shows comedy performances. They are known not only throughout Russia, but also far beyond its borders. Both the building and the theater itself boast a rich history, in which there were many ups and downs. All these circumstances created traditions and brought up more than one generation of talented actors.
Start
Back in 1904, it was decided to build a trading house almost in the center of Nevsky Prospekt. Its owners were two brothers Eliseev. Soon on the ground floor their store was active. Nevertheless, he did not bring the expected profit, so part of the premises began to be rented out.
Those interested were found quickly. The empty second floor was occupied by a young acting studio. The place just met the needs of the theater: the city center, additional advertising at the expense of the neighbors. Very quickly, the actors found their niche. Their repertoire mainly consisted of comedic works. People went to performances with pleasure, since there were no worthy analogues in Petersburg at that time. But success did not last long. The revolution made its own adjustments.
Soviet time
After the First World War, the stage of satire gets not only the second floor, but also the entire center. The main creative backbone gathered back in 1925. And the building was handed over to art in 1929. A short period of take-off began.
The theater was directed by Gutman, who staged the first performance on the new stage under the name Schuler. The production was a success with the local public. After a couple of years, Satire decided to combine with Comedy. So the Theater of Satire and Comedy of Leningrad appeared. Its head was the actress Granovskaya. This largely determined the further development of the theater.
The actress for many years was the leader in the theater. Vaudeville, comedies and other productions were made taking into account her tastes and for her. At the same time, budding Leonid Utesov worked there.
Six years the future Comedy Theater. Akimova existed with a stable troupe. But over time, the actors began to leave from there. The reason was the reluctance of the leadership to transfer the main roles to young talents. And at the same time, the interest of viewers fell, who were already tired of the same faces.
Akimov
When the dark days came for the theater, and even the city government planned to close it, a new opportunity appeared. By 1935, the site was dubbed the “most terrible” in Leningrad. Dramatic changes were needed. It was decided to appoint a new leader. The head was a very active theater artist Akimov. He was just starting to try himself as a director, nevertheless he was not afraid of responsibility and agreed.
Akimov had a year to restore and revitalize the theater. With his arrival, such changes began that no one expected. Granovskaya and Utesov left the theater. New blood from the Experiment studio joined him. Thanks to Akimov, Satire and Comedy acquired a new face.
Nikolai Pavlovich finds a soul mate in the playwright Schwartz, with whom they put on real masterpieces. The bet was made on novelty. Schwartz wrote plays that the Comedy Theater is now proud of. Akimova - “Dragon”, as well as “Shadow”.
But the changes did not stop there. Akimov begins work with a translator Lozinsky. Very soon, repertoire will include productions based on the works of Shakespeare, Lope de Vega, Sheridan and Priestley.
Akimov took a personal part in creating the scenery, and left the freedom of creativity for the actors. They were free to independently interpret the images of world famous characters.
The fame of the new theater, young actors, interesting performances spread throughout the vast territory of the Soviet Union. "Satire and Comedy" received the honorary title of one of the best cultural institutions in the country.
War
When the war came, the stage was not closed. For some time, the team lived with their families simply in a bomb shelter under the Bolshoi Drama Theater, where new performances were shown. And in 1941 they had to leave Leningrad and move to Ashgabat.
In this city, they not only did not stop playing, but also showed local spectators as many as 16 new performances.
Peace time has come
After the war, Akimov was removed from his post because he staged plays by foreign playwrights on the stage. Immediately, the theater began to fall apart. From 1949 to 1956, Nikolai Petrovich was not in the director's place, and the site fell into complete decline. In 1956 he was returned, and everything came to life again.
Akimov died in 1968 during a tour while in Moscow.
After
When Nikolai Petrovich died, the theater was transferred from one director to another. The directors were replaced very often, and only Golikov managed to stay in 1970. With him, the site got its current name - the Academic Comedy Theater named after Akimova.
After Golikov, Fomenko began to manage the scene, then Astrakhan was, and now Kazakova became the head.
For a long time Comedy Theater. Akimova was under repair. In 2008, for the first time in sixty years of its existence, builders were invited who thoroughly worked with both the facade and the interior.
A new chapter has opened in the life of the theater with the play “Shadow”, which was once written by Schwartz.
Comedy Theater Akimova: repertoire
The creative team has remained faithful to traditions and is trying to create new productions based on the works of the best comedians and writers from around the world. On stage, both new, modern comedies and the immortal works of the long-dead literary giants come to life.
The most popular among them are:
“The Importance of Being Serious,” based on the short story of the same name by Oscar Wilde.
Windsor Gummies by William Shakespeare.
Modern production of Harold and Mod by Colin Higgins.
"The Scarlet Flower" by Sergei Aksakov.
“Tricky Widow” as well as “Lovers” by Carlo Goldoni.
"Means Makropoulos" from Karel Chapek.
"The cat that walked on its own" by the famous writer Rudyard Kipling.
“Dorothy Dot's Tricks” by Somerset Maugham, famous for his plays.
Sci-fi comedy Ghosts by screenwriter Eduardo de Filippo.
"Shadow" from Eugene Schwartz.
Comedy Theater Akimova. Visitors reviews
Theater critics praised the performance of modern theater as "excellent." They express their enthusiasm about the actors' play, as well as new interesting foreign and domestic plays.
Musical Comedy Theater Akimova is famous for her original adaptations of well-known scenarios. The main emphasis is on comedies and satirical dramas. Viewers say that they like the actors, and the performances themselves are of a high level.
Nevertheless, among the positive reviews, very negative ones are also visible - regarding a poorly carried out repair, lack of exhaust and smell throughout the stall from the neighboring pancake house.
Some complain that the scenery for the productions themselves could have been richer. At the same time, others insist that this is exactly what the performance should look like, not oversaturated with tinsel. After all, this allows you to focus on the actors' game, on the main idea of the production and not be distracted by the painted bushes in order to make them more detailed.
Those who often go to shows love the Comedy Theater. Akimov, as well as reading most of the works, receive a lot of pleasure from the non-standard approach to the presentation of classical material.
How to get to where to call?
The theater begins its work from 11.30 in the morning and ends with the end of the last performance. You can get to it using the metro, stopping at either the Gostiny Dvor station or Nevsky Prospekt. From Gostiny Dvor, walk a little closer, only 253 meters, and from Nevsky Prospekt - 638.
It is impossible not to recognize the Comedy Theater named after Akimova. Photos of him are specially presented in the article. In addition, the theater has its own official website, on which news and detailed information about upcoming performances are posted. In addition to a brief description, the viewer is invited to look at the cast.
You can easily find the Comedy Theater named after Akimova. His address is unusually simple: Nevsky Prospect, 56. A large building, which is illuminated by lights, is hard to pass. The name is written in large letters on it.
You can find out more about the schedule for the coming days by calling the cashier. Phone: 312 45 55 or 571 62 29. There you can ask about the cost, as well as availability. It is possible to book a ticket in advance.
Ticket offices are open from the opening of the theater until 15.00. Then they close for lunch. Work continues from 16.00 to 19.30.