На спектакле «Антонио фон Эльба»

На спектакле «Антонио фон Эльба»

The stage is decorated in a specific antique manner like an ancient Coliseum with a lot of levels although unified in its solidity. There is a red royal like a bright spot in the center of grey, shining with silver background. The audience can see such a picture while entering the audience hall. But what a performance is going on at the stage during following three hours! How Roman Viktyuk, the director, has livened up a rather traditional play of the Italian playwriter Renato Mainardi (translated from Italian by T. Skuy)! The performance is called “Antonio von Elbe”. The same is the name of the main character of the play. However he is not the main character of the performance.

Once again (Vitebsk residents have already seen director’s staging before) Roman Viktyuk has demonstrated his wonderful ability to combine different actors into a single whole.

The Amalia’s part of a rather mature, talented, and famous, however single opera singer, is performed by Elena Obraztsova, the People’s artist of the USSR. She does not only wonderfully sing, and dance but also perfectly reembodies into her heroine. Saying in theatrical manner Elena Obraztsova feels her partner. The scenes with her lover, who is her pupil at the same time (played by Dmitry Bozin), are filled with dramatic effects. The scenes with her mother (played by Irina Sokolova) produce live laughter with the audience. So unpretentious plot of the play is developing at the edge of comedy and tragedy.

As a matter of fact, it is the development of an ever-lasting plot on a love triangle. However, the third part is not a woman but a man, who falls in love with the Amalia’s lover (played by Oleg Isaev).

All these troubles are just a background for Viktyuk, the background which helps to solve deep philosophical problems. The main topics of the play are Love and Death, Love and Hate, Love and Life. All our reality is just search for happiness according to the each character’s strong belief. The mischief is that everybody understands happiness in his or her own way. To solve the problem of just one person is impossible without interfering with the interests of other person. This truth has been known for long centuries. And, of course it has been known by the XIX century, when the affair might be happening.

Roman Viktyuk has векшу вto solve this problem differently, by turning everything upside down. Both in the codes of Life and theatrical canons. Some characters are not real, actors show their backs to the audience sometimes, and perform modern dances to the accompaniment of classical music (choreography by Georgy Kovtun, music by Roman Viktyuk), costumes (dress-designer Vladimir Buhinnik) do not correspond to either roles or characters, and properties have many meanings and are used interchangeably. The setting (setting design by Vladimir Boyer) is also becoming alive during the performance. The red royal symbolizes blood, passion, sudden impulses. Grey walls are not just boring weekdays, they represent the world where Amalia has lived before she met Antonio. A closed door symbolizes renunciation of life and love, an opened door invites to the happiness. Even it is sinful.

It’s impossible to be getting mad with searching for happiness all his or her life. It is the main theme of the performance. The performance which is timeless. And such an affair can happen to anybody anywhere.