For us, this legendary and multi-faceted play talks about bravery. The kind of bravery that is necessary to live a full human life. The bravery to love and act honestly.
In order to remind his wife of his endless love for her, The Magician creates people and even transforms a bear into a human. And they start acting exactly as anyone would. The characters are vulnerable, self-deterministic, and full of imperfections. Either intentionally or not, they put up obstacles on their way to happiness. Everyone who has ever found and lost (and then maybe found again) will recognize themselves within the characters. After all, it is so difficult to be a real person!
Evgeny Schwartz is one of our most beloved playwrights. We first staged this play 22 years ago under the direction of Oleg Palme, on a tiny stage. The 2024 production (under the direction of Egor Revenko) has allowed us to “spread our wings” in a larger space and with a more experienced cast.
A word from the director:
During these particularly troubling times, we are all looking for something that will soothe the soul - a way to remember that loving and believing in love is essential to every human life. So, when we remembered Schwartz’s beloved play, which was, staged by Oleg Palme 22 years ago, we thought: what a perfectly wonderful way to warm the hearts of our audience!We hope that this fairy tale for grown-ups will remind you to foster your inner child, and to love fearlessly. Love your close ones, love your craft, and create spaces where love can thrive. We hope to re-ignite your zest for life and look at the world through a bright lens of an open heart.
Cast:
Master - Egor Revenko
Mistress - Asya Savelyeva
Bear - Misha Bezruchko
King - Maxim Duman
Princess - Tamara Cheliubeeva
Minister of Administration - Eugene Grabovy
First Minister - Alexander Bobrov
Court Lady (Emilia) - Olga Novakova
Fraulein Orinthia - Sonia Bounine
Fraulein Amanda - Oksana Gedz
Tavern-Keeper (Emil) - Yuri Balchugov
Hunter - Yuri Bo
Hunter’s Apprentice - Valentin Glivenko
Executioner - Liza Grigoryan
Live Basket - Irina Cheliubeeva
Creators:
Director - Egor Revenko
Director’s Assistant - Asya Savelyeva, Tamara Cheliubeeva
Technical Director - Phillip Dykman
LIghting - Alexandra Rudis
Sound - Aleksandra Anoshina
Choreography - Nadia Dobrianskaia, Tamara Cheliubeeva
Set Design - Lilia Aniks
Decoration - Maxim Duman, Vladimir Aniks
Costumes - Larissa Bushmin
Makeup - Margarita Kazantseva-Smolyakova
Artistic Director - Lilia Akhachinskaia
Administrator - Olga Novakova
Graphic Design - Igor Bazilevskii
Live Translation - Maria Sokolova, Ivan Zverev, Olga Sharevich