Not happy

Gogol's "Marriage" was performed at Lenkom

“Marriage,” directed by Mark Zakharov, was shown on the 80th anniversary of Lenkom - there was a large congress of guests in the theater, and critics have already described in detail the words of the main director that he had long wanted to gather all the “people” on stage, and how the authorities confused the names of the artists in official greetings. Anniversaries are designed to be described like this: speeches, toilets, a reception menu, and only at the end two words about the entertainment part - the performance. But then, although they were premieres, they began to run ordinary performances, and even though the audience, who had obtained a ticket for the production with an unprecedented bouquet of stars, still enthusiastically applauded each of their appearances, something not at all an anniversary breathed from the stage.

It seems like everything is as always: Sheintsis’s student, Alexey Kondratyev, came up with a set where everything spins and moves - the plank walls move apart, a couch and a sideboard emerge from the floor, as if from the underworld, and the sideboard itself, like an elevator, goes up and down, and a piece of the wall rotates like mill blades. The metaphor is also observed: the musicians go on stage in Gogol's wigs, winged caps and recognizable nosed half masks - seven Gogols in one performance and the music thunders. Favorite artists appear in amazing Gogolian roles, where each has their own rather large solo: the matchmaker - Inna Churikova - in skirts in tiers like a top, rushes around the stage, Anuchkin - Alexander Zbruev - with his hair parted in the middle, wrinkles his nose and stutters. Zhevakin - Oleg Yankovsky - is disheveled, tries to cry all the time and ends the role with an unexpected mournful monologue, almost quoting Gogol's "The Overcoat". Leonid Bronevoy - Scrambled Eggs - is still as ironically imperturbable at almost 80 years old as he was 30 years ago in Efros's play. Podkolesin - Viktor Rakov - is tongue-tied, always preoccupied with poorly tailored trousers and, depending on the circumstances, looks either like a moron or a gentleman. Agafya Tikhonovna - Alexandra Zakharova - has a long braid, suffers and constantly says: “Wow!” In the role of Kochkarev, the ill Abdulov is replaced by Sergei Chonishvili - he is just as energetic, jumps out of the closet like the devil, in infernal flashes of light and wears a black suit with a bowler hat. And in the finale he appears like a wounded partisan, on crutches, with his head bandaged - it turns out in passing that he was killed by the wedding guests, tired of waiting. As in Lenkom’s previous productions, classical lines here constantly alternate with ad-libs, mostly on obscene themes, and even when the actors stay within the framework of Gogol’s text, they do not stray from the chosen theme (“A little woman will sit down... and lay her hand on you,” - Kochkarev seduces, grabbing Podkolesin by the spot). In general, everything is as before. But it doesn't make me happy.

An atmosphere of trouble is clearly felt in Lenkom now. And the point is not that the new performance turned out to be scrappy, incoherent and not very meaningful, but good artists perform comics in all sorts of ways, not knowing what to apply themselves to, and they smell not of fun, but of fatigue. For some reason, right now, at the premiere of the play, which brought together Lenkom stars, it is impossible to get rid of the feeling: “there is trouble in this house.” In the middle of the foyer there is a small exhibition “Juno and Avos” with costumes, sketches and portraits of young happy Oleg Sheintsis, Nikolai Karachentsov, Alexander Abdulov. On the walls next to old photographs of Leonov from “Ivanov” and “Funeral Prayer” they hung a gallery from the summer tour, on which Abdulov managed to play Kochkarev. The ushers sell glossy magazines to the Karachentsov support fund. No, that's not the point either. And perhaps in all of them together. Which is why Gogol’s comedy, despite all theatrical efforts, looks desperate and tearful. Like a heart attack suffered on the legs.

Dina GODER