Ani Arutyunyan

What did our critic think of UNSEEN SHEPARD at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022?

'Aurora's Sunrise' turns a family story into history: 15 years old Arshaluys (her name was changed to Aurora in the US when she entered this country through Ellis Island) - an Armenian genocide survivor who miraculously escaped from death in the Ottoman harem, first fleeing to Saint-Petersburg, then to New York.

A memorable and witty show based on Australian John Misto's play 'Madame Rubinstein' and staged by Yevgeny Pisarev, was premiered in the Moscow Pushkin Drama Theatre. This performance is hinged on the main character brilliantly impersonated by a renowned Russian actress Vera Alentova (she has gained great acclaim for her movie role in 'Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears' (1979) which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1981).

This year Chekhov International Theatre Festival in Moscow welcomed ÉLECTRE DES BAS-FONDS (Electra in the Underworld) - the show initially premiered in legendary Théâtre du Soleil in 2019 and directed by an acclaimed actor and theatre director Simon Abkarian. Abkarian is a former member of the famous Ariane Mnoushkine's theatre company. In his production the director revisited Greek mythology, mixing several myths about Electra and Orestes, and produced an original story representing different cultures and traditions, showing actors in Indian costumes, using Japanese music etc. Those unexpected eclectic pieces made the show more unconventional and universally conceivable. In a short interview Abkarian underlined that this is a contemporary version of Greek tragedy. The director rewrote the whole story, it is no more about revenge and more about sacrifice and survival in a man's world.

Recently the Bolshoi Theatre presented Tchaikovsky's three acts opera 'Mazeppa', based on Pushkin's poem 'Poltava', part of cultural legacy of Mazeppa. Pushkin took some creative freedom in order to create powerful characters and grand passions. The opera was composed between June 1881 and April 1883. It combines tragedy and soulful lyricism. For the first time 'Mazeppa' was staged in the Bolshoi Theater in 1884, then different stage adaptations were constantly appearing in the repertoire.

Despite the ongoing pandemic the theatrical season 2020-2021 was very productive, especially for the State Theatre of Nations, where we can see some of the most influential and talented actors on stage, such as Yevgeniy Mironov and Chulpan Khamatova. 'Gorbachev' turned out a sensational performance about true romantics who believe in love and try to save their relationship. It's not for the first time that the artistic director of New Riga Theater Almis Hermanis has collaborated with the Theatre of Nations, his previous performance 'Shukshin's Tales' won several prestigious awards and has been on the theater stage as well as touring the world for more than 12 years now.