Rapper Basta signs autographs in the lobby of Lenkom
Photo: Anastasia Pleshakova
On September 8, the Lenkom Theater opened its 97th season. Unlike many other Moscow theaters, where artists often miss company meetings, in Lenkom almost everyone attended the meeting. The beginning of the season is a celebration and hopes for new roles. Actress Lyudmila Porgina, who spent last season complaining about being cast as an extra and not given a role with words, dressed in a bright red dress to finally get directors to notice her. “I have no right to get carried away, Kolya (Karachentsov – Ed.) is looking at me from there,” Porgina explained, pointing up. “That’s why I try.” One of the first to come to the theater was Igor Mirkurbanov, who had already attended the company’s meeting at the Moscow Art Theater and “on Bronnaya.” He is like Figaro here and there, on the Lenkom staff, but he works closely with the others. Almost unnoticed, Alexandra Zakharov entered the auditorium. She has a difficult relationship with director Mark Warshaver, but the theater, which her father Mark Zakharov ran for 46 years, is sacred.
Alexander Zbruev and Anna Bolshova
Photo: Anastasia Pleshakova
At the beginning of the season, Zakharov’s memorial office and Inna Churikova’s locker room were opened. Inna Mikhailovna, her husband Gleb Panfilov and the artists who died this year were honored by standing.
Next: news and plans for the season.
Tatyana Vasilyeva and Viktor Rakov at the company meeting in Lenkom
Photo: Anastasia Pleshakova
– This year our team was attended by the Russian people’s artist Tatyana Vasilyeva – said the director of “Lenkom” Mark Varshaver. By the way, her portrait opens a portrait gallery on the theater’s website. There’s no subtext here, it’s just that Vasilyeva is in first place in alphabetical order. She is just beginning to integrate into the life of the theater. For now she behaves like a guest. Vasilyeva tried to hide under a red wig, with which she looked like Alla Pugacheva. Tatyana Vasilyeva should take part in two performances of the current repertoire: in “The Marriage” and in the play “The Jester Balakirev”.
Lyudmila Porgina dressed in a red dress
Photo: Anastasia Pleshakova
After the director, Alexey Frandetti, appointed general director a year ago, spoke.
“What beautiful company we have,” Frandetti announced with a showman’s intonation. – I am happy to be working in this theater for the second season.
Alexandra Zakharova was sad in the auditorium
Photo: Anastasia Pleshakova
In addition, he said that the theater’s merchandising has already been developed, that is, a T-shirt with the Lenkom logo and some brochures. “In this sense, we are behind others. We’ll catch up.
This season Lenkom will release several premieres. Director Andrey Prikotenko will stage Gorky’s “At the Bottom”, Semyon Spivak – “Tango” based on the drama by Slavomir Mrozhek, Alexei Frandetti will release a family musical fairy tale “Kalif-Aist”. In addition, there will be a director’s laboratory with the funny name “Mark Mark” – this is for Zakharov’s anniversary.
– We will take several texts from those staged by Mark Zakharov and see how they can be staged today, for example, Avtograd-XXI (Mark Zakharov’s first production as chief director of Lenkom – Ed.). Maybe one of the young people can open this case – suggested Frandetti, something difficult to explain.
On the eve of the company’s meeting, a closed-door meeting of the Lenkom Artistic Council, to which prominent artists belong, was held. The question probably arose as to why the leading director of dramatic theater is so strongly oriented towards musicals. The musical drama “Mayakovsky” already exists, another musical “Kalif-Aist” is planned. After all, Lenkoma is not an operetta. The main artists informed Frandetti that they did not belong to the musical element. He took the hint and quickly got his bearings, promising to take the risk and put on a dramatic work, for example, Shakespeare’s comedy Much Ado About Nothing.
Then they “handed out gifts” and awarded the international prize to Evgeniy Leonov. Olesya Zheleznyak received the award for her female lead role. For men: Dmitry Giesbrecht. The best supporting actresses were Anna Yakunina and Svetlana Ilyukhina for the performance “Running.” Sergei Piotrovsky and Andrei Leonov were chosen as best supporting actors.
– I managed it, unexpectedly. Varshaver talked about me four times today. It was not in vain that I sewed the suit,” Andrei Leonov joked.
At the end of the meeting, according to tradition, they sang the Lenkom anthem – “Hallelujah of love” in free version and with the words: “Happy anniversary of our beloved teacher Mark Zakharov” … – October 13, 90 years. since his birth. Of course, with his departure many things have changed at Lenkom. Neither the rapper Basta (Vasily Vakulenko), who also came to the company meeting with personal security, nor goods nor other cases were with Zakharov. But the spirit of Lenkom, which he put in himself, remained the same. And the theater, thank God, clings to this.
