In one of the richest Parisian districts, on the stage of Comedie des Champs Elysees, famous as the place where "Cartel" was formed, you could witness Oleg Menshikov's torments.
He performed Sergey Esenin in the play by Martin Sherman "When She Danced…"
The play is one of those that parasitize on the life of outstanding people, as if contrasting them to the crowd, but in fact sacrificing them to it. It consists of continuous exclamations, which sound almost a parody.
"Geniuses? But they are just like us! Look: they drink, eat, quarrel, make love, and they often lack money! Don't say! Just like us!"
Just like us or not quite - it doesn't matter. What really matters is that the very character of the suggested "discussion", this very text is trifle, but rather pretentious.
Esenin is a drunkard and squabble whose wide Russian heart is cramped in Paris, he is parched with the stupidity of the guests, crowding Isadora Duncan's house.
And with him, obviously, the artist was parched too - with the lack of direction, with the necessity to justify the emptiness and appear a star's shadow - the very popular in France Anny Duperay, who performed Duncan. (Of course she spoke French, and he spoke Russian: with the help of the interpreter introduced as a character in the play and almost constantly being on stage).
In England Mr. Menshikov was awarded the Laurence Olivier Prize for this part. There his partner was Vanessa Redgrave. In France the failure was so obvious, that the performance was quitted six weeks earlier than it was planned.
We weren't lucky to see the English version. But even if believe it was stronger than the French one, the play itself on the both sides of La Manche was the same. And in our opinion it was not comme il faut for a Russian artist with self-respect to participate in it. Mr. Menshikov would've hardly dared to ride this, bless the mark, pink horse on stage in Russia.
Between the two Esenins he, as it is known, played Nizhinsky. We wrote how good he was in the production "N". But the fact that performing genius lately has become his scenic specialization causes ironic smile.
Isn't it time that the artist remembers and proves to the adoring public that some time ago he attracted the attention of high level directors not in vain? As in Yeremin's "Idiot", Fomenko's "Caligula", in cinema - with Balayan and Kozakov. But what once was there has gone. And now… The Frenchmen never learnt that Oleg Menshikov was a really outstanding artist. We still remember that, but he might make us forget it.

Submitted by Irina Kuznetsova (Moscow)