Chulpan Khamatova.
Photo: Vladimir VELENGURIN
Premiere of the play “Gogolis. Nature Morte” (based on Gogol’s story “Old World Landowners”) was to be held in Riga on February 28, followed by screenings on March 1, 2, 3, 4, 30 and 31, and March 1 and 2. of April. Starring Chulpan Khamatova. But two days before the premiere, all (!) performances were cancelled, even despite the tickets sold and the funds invested in the production. A charmingly honest explanation appeared on the theater’s website: “This time it didn’t work. creative failure. In the theater (as in life) it happens. We apologize.”
The theater promised not only to return money for tickets to a performance based on Gogol, but also to pay compensation in the form of a discount on other productions …
The case in theatrical life is unprecedented. There was definitely nothing like this in Moscow. Especially with the performances of Chulpan Khamatova, when each of her premieres was met with enthusiasm and rave reviews.
New Riga created a precedent. But he did not name a “guilty person.” The theater’s artistic director Alvis Hermanis, who accepted Chulpan Khamatova into the company when he left Russia a year ago, would not comment on the situation. By the way, it was he who canceled “Gogolis. Nature Morte” (it was February 26) after watching the penultimate rehearsal. The actors agreed with him. So what happened?
As the main version: the reason is Chulpan Khamatova. In a performance based on Gogol, he was supposed to play in Latvian for the first time. She didn’t do very well. I overestimated my acting skills.
For Chulpan interceded (wrote a post) his fellow Latvian actor Gundars Abolins (they were supposed to play together). Gundars said that Chulpan had prepared the role of him in three (!) Languages: Latvian, Ukrainian and Russian. There is nothing to blame him for… The director of the performance, Uldis Tirons, “did a great cultural and historical study of Nikolai Gogol and his native Little Russia (Mirgorod, etc.). We have been unable to retrieve this information. But this does not mean that the director should be blamed… We had the strength to admit our mistakes. That is, the performance was canceled, but no one is to blame. The words of Gundars Abolinish (who, by the way, speaks Russian very well) are, however, a tribute to professional ethics.
The cancellation of the performance with a Russian actress became a topic for the Russian public. One Anita Khatona wrote in the comments: “Finally, someone has a conscience. Thank you New Riga Theater for the good news. Stop Russian “great culture”… And not only that. Lots of gloating: The runaway Russian actress was preparing to become a European star, but the unreliable Riga showered her with a cold shower.
A few months ago, Chulpan Khamatova gave regretful interviews and made strong statements, saying that she “never took the title of People’s Artist of Russia seriously” … Now is the time to “leave the fair”: not only her, but also the Riga public and directors do not treat her as a popular artist. Her past merits and titles don’t matter. I will not join in the gloating, but Khamatova, finally, should be more sober. It’s time to go down to earth.
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