The New Experimental Theatre showed Volgograd audiences the comedy Leading Ladies
A rather large lady coquettishly adjusts a raven-black lock of hair and playfully shoots glances with her eyes. Her friend, flirtatiously moving muscular shoulders, steps about in red shoes of roughly size forty-five.
These are by no means new actresses at NET. Young theatre actors Evgeny Tyufyakov and Alexander Melnikov boldly put on padded busts and wigs. Fishnet stockings, boas, rhinestones, silks, décolletage and wonderful little hats — the luxurious costumes were designed by artist Elena Orlova — all are in place. As soon as the “girls,” modestly lowering their eyes, floated onto the stage, the atmosphere in the auditorium immediately grew “hotter.”
The premiere of the comedy Leading Ladies at the New Experimental Theatre last Friday evoked obvious associations and parallels.
This is not the first and will not be the last time that men play ladies, dames, señoras and women. One recalls the screen characters of Hello, I'm Your Aunt!, Tootsie, and Some Like It Hot, as well as the brilliant stage images once created by Oleg Tabakov in Sovremennik's Always on Sale and Igor Vernik in The Portrait.
After all, in Shakespeare's Globe no one was troubled by the fact that Juliet was played by a young man. Every performer was male.
In Chinese national theatre this ancient tradition of acting is still observed, without anyone asking whether it is high or low art.
When the masculine principle “pretends” to be feminine, when yin is “confused” with yang, it is piquant in itself. The comic effect flows from the grotesque situation. Here it is much harder to avoid heavy-handed clowning and grimacing. The highest skill is when a comedy of situations sparkles like good champagne with playful jokes, bubbles, and quickens the blood.
After several rather sluggish opening scenes, the premiere production of Leading Ladies suddenly — as if the cork had been knocked out of a bottle — becomes tasty, sparkling and relaxing. “Oh, what is going on here! Everyone is dancing and singing!”
That is true: the actors tap-dance skillfully and dance the Charleston. They sing songs to intoxicating melodies by Nikita Bogoslovsky and ABBA. Most importantly, the actors bathe in the action: they intrigue, misbehave, try on different masks. And it seems they enjoy it no less than the spectators do.
Ken Ludwig's comedy Leading Ladies is deftly made. It is no accident that it has been staged by leading theatres around the world. In Russia, the Moscow Art Theatre production directed by Evgeny Pisarev, starring Dmitry Dyuzhev and Yuri Chursin, became well known.
…Two unlucky English actors, Leo and Jack — Alexander Melnikov and Evgeny Tyufyakov — are touring the American provinces. Alas, Shakespearean tragedy does not succeed with well-fed farmers. They want striptease. Realizing that the classics will not feed them, the impoverished actors set out on a scam. But to do it, the friends have to pretend to be two “heiress nieces” of a hundred-year-old dying millionairess, played by People's Artist of Russia Alla Zabelina. In the old woman's house they meet a beautiful “cousin” (Ekaterina Meleshnikova), fiancée of the local pastor. One of the heroes immediately falls in love with her. The other also falls head over heels. The action rushes swiftly toward a happy ending.
And the audience has no choice but to enjoy itself again. We do not wish to say that NET abuses Broadway-style commercial shows, although they make up a considerable part of the theatre's repertoire. But among these works, Leading Ladies, it seems to us, has taken a special place.
Ken Ludwig's play is more intelligent than it may first appear. The unexpected turns of the plot, the lightness of the dialogue, the exposure of the hypocrisy of the church cleric (Honored Artist of Russia Oleg Alekseev), the greed of Dr. Myers (Sergey Viktorov) and the narrow-mindedness of Butch (Dmitry Gnatsinsky), the young heroes falling in love in the most ridiculous and awkward circumstances… “Sex, humor, life. Have you heard anything about them?”
The brave artistic director of NET, People's Artist of Russia Otar Dzhangisherashvili, entrusted the roles of the desperate “leading ladies” to two young performers. Following in the footsteps of Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon, they won more than enough applause and audience laughter.
Alla Zabelina, wonderfully transformed into a crazy old lady, could easily have gone unrecognized by some spectators who had not bought a program.
Theatricality squared distinguishes Leading Ladies. The characters put on different masks, or else begin rehearsing our William Shakespeare, declaiming whole monologues from Twelfth Night.
All the transformations take place on a small patch of stage. Whether it is a gas station or a station lost in the desert, it is in fact a stage upon a stage (scenography by Otar Dzhangisherashvili). The musical palette of the production is like a medley of different musicals, lacking only country music.
And with what magnificent self-irony Oleg Alekseev sent his line into the auditorium: “Oh, these actors! What can you do with them…”
Yulia Grechukhina.
Volgogradskaya Pravda, 15.02.2011
