First of all a thousand thanks for informing me about the performances of "Gamblers" by the TT814 in Weimar/Germany on your website. Without this brief note I would have never known that Oleg Menshikov and his group were to come to Germany.
When I found out on Wednesday, 7th August, I was so surprised and could hardly believe it. Immediately I searched the net for some information about the "Kunstfest" ("art festival") in Weimar and found a program and telephone number to order tickets for "Gamblers".
But admiring Oleg Menshikov ever since I saw "Burnt by the sun" and knowing that an actor of his merits certainly has fans in Germany, especially as this Oscar premiered film was again on TV a month ago, I did not have much hope of ever getting a ticket for one of the performances. I also thought that many people from the former Soviet Union area, who have come to live in Germany since the late eighties and are much more familiar with Russian film and theater and surely kept their interest in it, would be only too happy to see a Russian theater production and Oleg Menshikov anyway.
Nevertheless I called the ticket administrator. No, there were no tickets for Saturday left, but, yes, there was one and only one ticket available for the performance on Sunday. I asked again if it really was for "Gamblers" staged by TT814 - just to make sure that things did not get mixed up - but it was confirmed. So I decided that this ticket was mine and started to plan my trip to Weimar right away.
Traveling about 500 km by train from Rostock, I arrived on Saturday in Weimar to pick up my ticket and only then I believed that I actually was to see the play.
The "Kulturfest" in Weimar is an annual event, where mostly dance companies and musicians perform in various locations in and around the small town in Thuringen, famous for Goethe and Schiller to name the two most prominent and well-known inhabitants, who lived and worked there for many years, and the foundation of the "Bauhaus".
It is a beautiful town with narrow lanes and streets, market places, theaters, concert halls and parks, which gives the "Culture Capital of Europe in 1999" a friendly and calm appearance, attracting lots of European and oversea tourists and certainly the right place to invite the TT814 to. The play was performed in Russian (of course), but for non-Russian speaking spectators or those who would have difficulties to follow the play, simultaneous translation via headphones was provided for. Having read Gogol's play on the train for the second time and having called back what was left of my Russian classes in bygone school years in evening classes previously (what a coincidence), and by watching Russian films in their original version, I felt well prepared to follow the play without any translation.
I read the reviews on "Gamblers" on your website after I had returned from Weimar, as not to have my opinion of the play influenced by them and to be prejudiced before seeing it myself. This is what I think:
On entering the theatre after a seemingly endless wait and queuing up for almost an hour (the tickets for 20 or 15 Euro each were assigned to a certain area in the theater but not to specific seats), I was happy to get a seat in the second row in the middle section were I sat on the edge of my chair for the following two hours anxious not to miss a single thing. Already in the entrance section of the theatre I noticed that besides a couple of French and two Spanish speaking persons there were a lot of Russian speaking spectators around - just what I had expected.
I was surprised to find the inn warden "Alexey" on stage talking to people (mostly in Russian, but occasionally using German expressions) and inviting them to have a drink with him on stage. Since he looked "trustworthy", he got 4 spectators coming up to him in no time, which he served several glasses of vodka, bred and pickles. Talking to them proved to be a partly difficult experience, since two of them spoke Russian perfectly while the other two did not - which added to the amusement of everyone watching and listening to it and made people laugh till the play started. At first I doubted that actually vodka was served. I thought what was filled into the glasses could be some other liquid. But I was wrong. One of the two guys sitting next to me - who were at one time talking to each other in German, the other time in Russian (they probably came as boys to Germany), and responded to the exclamations of the warden right away - was one of the four guests invited and upon his return the smell of vodka was unmistakable. So I was glad not to have gone up there, for alcohol knocks me out within minutes and I wanted to follow this play undisturbed and "conscious".
Then "Gamblers" started. I have to admit that despite the lovely performance of Usov, Gorbunov, Sirin, Mukhamadeev and Zurkalov, I was waiting for the entrance of Oleg Menshikov - who of course was the last one to come onto the stage.
Well what can I say: Oleg was so charming, energetic and his every moves were so elegant that he was winning everyone over immediately. Simply amazing. He played in such a lighthearted, cheerful, lively and boyish way that a line from the beginning of "Burnt by the sun" - when Mitia comes home and takes off his shoes and jacket, while Phillipe has been waiting for him - came to my mind (though it was used there with a "somewhat different" meaning, expressing some anger, for he is throwing around his clothes): "Wie ein kleiner Junge!" ("Like a little boy!"). In the best meaning of the words this line is just right nevertheless.
His performance of "Uteshitelny" was so strong, convincing and captivating that I only later thought: how does this impersonation go with some of the other characters he has been playing (Mitia, Sasha, Alexey, Chatsky) and how much of his own personality is revealed. Surely his production of "Gamblers" with all the music, dancing, singing, choreography, tiny details and various elements was not only and primarily to please the crowd - he obviously had lots of fun an enjoyed himself enormously. Already familiar with his elegance and qualities as a dancer (just think about the tango in "East West" with Sandrine Bonnaire), I was amazed with his singing. Up to then I was somehow not quite convinced that he did all the singing in "The Barber of Siberia" or that they did not alter the opera scenes during the postproduction. I can't believe that I ever underestimated him, though only in this respect! Still I'm quite puzzled what he is really like.
After all isn't it part of the profession to make believe and to conceal oneself and hide behind a character while giving everything away, so that the audience believes in everything, what an actor is doing and even more in the character he portrays, but is left clueless about his real personality? Doesn't this ability make an actor feel more secure and less exposed and unprotected?
By the way, his "Uteshitelny" reminded me less of "cadet Andrey Tolstoy" (this was suggested in one of the reviews on your site), but of "Kostik", for I felt as "Tolstoy" there was at times an uneasiness about him, as if he was never sure to live up to someone's (the director's, the audience's), but most of all his expectations to be convincing as a young lad in his early twenties. As for "Kostik", Oleg showed off an almost carefree, cheerful and easygoing spirit, though not lacking depth. Only his "Uteshitelny" was more passionate and had a clearly dark and ruthless side. One could sense that he was up to something, all the time acutely aware of everything going on around him especially when he appeared to be indifferent. Though displaying a devilish attitude underneath, his charm was so captivating that everyone would have been tricked - and would not and could not be angry with him.
I also had a "special interest" in "Krugel" since he is a descendant of at least a German grandfather. I always love to read about German characters in Russian and Ukrainian literature, for I'd like to know what was and is the opinion of the Russian and Ukrainian people about Germans. In "Gamblers" Gogol does not give a too distinctive characterization of "Krugel" (like the portrait of Germans in "Nevski Prospect" for instance, which I really love), leaving much to the actor and director. Therefore I was curious to know, what "Krugel" would be like. Well, Alexandr Sirin gave a splendid performance as a rather shy and stiff, sometimes awkward, uniform wearing gambler, who lost his phlegmatic and hesitating nature only when involved in a game of cards. Turning to the audience he only once spoke a German word "unglaublich" ("unbelievable") to express "Uteshitelny's" astonishment at "Ikharev's" cleverness. "Krugel" also had a "funny" sense of humor for he did not get many of the jokes pulled at him (and looked sulky when he did), and once jumped from behind a curtain in an attempt to scare "Uteshitelny" for no reason at all, which was a favourite with the audience.
All the actions were well coordinated and the actors perfectly responded towards each other, which is (like timing) so essential to make comedy work. What was particularly memorable and a major reason for the play's success was the naturalness of everyone. Everything was convincing, fitted perfectly and suited the story being told so well.
All the enjoyable singing and dancing gave me the idea one could have turned the whole thing into a real operetta. Though I'm not the biggest fan of operettas, thinking them often to be too shallow and pretentious and that it takes really good singers, who can act too, and directors to make it a memorable experience. But I would surely love this one.
Alexandr Usov gave "Ikharev's" monologue, where he reveales his "philosophy" of gambling, praises his wit, cleverness and craft - all the while thinking he had more than doubled his 80.000 Rubels in just one day - and fantasizes about what he can spent it on, in German. Knowing that actors usually feel uneasy about speaking in other languages they are not as familiar with as their mothertongue, this did surprise me a little. But it would fall short just to say that he delivered the lines in German, for his speech, phrasing and punctuation were simply perfect. To me it seemed almost effortless and he did not stop "being Ikharev", which is most remarkable. It was so splendid that everyone applauded spontaneously.
Nikita Tatarenkov was wonderful as "Glov junior", playing an overexcited and irresponsible young lad and later on disclosing the fraud to "Ikharev" and justifying it. Sukhorukov gave a lovely "Glov senior", but was even better as "Zamukhryshkin", were he had an especially humorous dialog with Oleg. Also notable: Menshikov wore three different shirts and wests, each with a tie, scarf or shawl. Needless to say all his outfits looked gorgeous, just perfect.
But nothing in the play requires a change of clothes, and none of the other actors changed, (except for Sukhorukov for obvious reasons). After all the changing was certainly not the reason for Oleg to look a bit exhausted, but very happy at the end of the play. So this is no complaining at all! I'm just asking myself, why he went through the trouble?
The actors received enthusiastic and well deserved applause and press reviews were positive. Even during the applause Oleg was asked to sign cards and booklets by some girls and women standing in front of the stage. This was commented by a simultaneous and dry remark from the two guys sitting next to me: "Could have guessed…"
To sum it up: the guest appearance of TT814 in Germany was a wonderful success.
As for me: if I highly admired Oleg Menshikov before - I adore him now. All I can wish for is to have him (and the TT814) back in Germany or see him in Moscow (or St. Petersburg, perhaps), when I'll finally come to visit Russia.