In July, a dream came true for me: I went to Moscow - to Oleg's "Kitchen".
I am French and unfortunately I understand very little of Pushkin's language. So you will easily understand that my purpose is not to explain you the psychological subtilities of the play. Everything I am going to say about the performance, I felt it with my heart, that's all. But maybe it is the most important thing.
"Kitchen" looks like a puzzle of pieces. You can assemble the pieces according to the way you see life and its eternal questions: love, power, betrayal, faithfullness, forgiveness, revenge... It's about the big choices we have to do in this life. I saw it as a fantastic tale, with echoes of the present reality of Russia today. It is mixed between the past (the legend of the Niebelungen) and the present. Sometimes it is like chaos but suddenly clearness appears from this chaos. It is a tragic story but there are many funny episodes. So it is as simple and complex as life itself.
As for the plot, I won't tell you. After all, Oleg himself said: "At some point of the piece, we all lose interest in the plot itself. And an absolutely free flight of fantasy begins." I think that this play invites you to look within yourself, in your soul, to think about the way you lead your life, your secret desires, your frustrations, your aspirations and your dreams.
It is a very aesthetic spectacle: everything is beautiful and refined - the actors and actresses, the costumes, the settings, the music...
About the actors, the casting is very clever. Each actor or actress is showed with advantages and is important in the play. It is probably because the director is an actor himself, and what an actor!
Nikita Tatarenkov plays with much intensity the part of Siegfried, I remember very well the touching presence of Oxana Mysina, and the funny character of L. Savchenko. We were lucky to see - in the part of Attila - Alexey Zavyalov, a beautiful and talented young actor.
I finally come to Oleg: what to say about him, without using too many cliches? The task is impossible. So I renounce. I just want to say he is "Great". He has such a presence, charisma. Everything is fascinating in him, even if he has no cue to say. A glance, a gesture. His flashing eyes devour the space, he moves and dances onstage with cat's grace, his face is tense and sweet at the same time. Sometimes he closes his eyes and you wonder where he is flying. I was so happy to see him "live" that with only sight of him I had everything I could wish for!
His part is complex: Gunther's character is not an easy one. Is it close or far from him? I don't know really. The most important thing is that he gives all he has, his energy and his soul to this part and it is a great gift.
This night at the Mossovet Theatre was perfect: I will end with a funny note. As I offered some flowers to Maestro, there was a woman behind me shouting very loudly: "BRA-VO, SPA-SI-BO!" It was a high colour "show" and it made the hearts of the actors glad because they all were smiling and there were many curtains calls.
The weather was very hot that night, and there was sunshine in our hearts. I have only one wish: to come back in the gardens of the Mossovet Theatre, one day at seven o'clock, at the snowy season...
Thank you Oleg and see you soon...
Thanks also to Kate and Anna who shared this unforgettable moment with me.