"Twilight" zone: "Pokrovka.The theater" stocks garlic from ghouls

After the repair "Pokrovka. The Theater, formerly known as the Pokrovka Theater, met its first audience with a premiere that matched its name: Moscow. Twilight." The play based on the first Russian Gothic novel "The Ghoul" by Alexei Tolstoy was staged by a new artistic director, director Dmitry Bikbaev. The first pancake did not come out in a lump, the audience noted the vivid images, special effects, and respectful attitude to the classics. As a result, there will be full houses in the small metropolitan theater, and there are almost no tickets on sale. Izvestia was among the first viewers to attend the premiere — and did not have time to be afraid.

Remedies for evil spirits

Beautiful posters in the style of the Twilight saga attracted Muscovites and guests of the capital to the premiere at Pokrovka.The theater." Before the performance, the lobby, where the gleam of mirrors still shows traces of recent renovation, was crowded with elegant spectators with bouquets, anticipating something amazing in the renovated walls.

The troupe, forgotten by theater critics, suddenly attracted attention with an intriguing name in the poster — "Moscow. Twilight." There were rumors that this was a Hollywood fantasy production starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart. It turned out not to be. The play is based on Russian classics.

"We clearly follow the precepts of the founder of the theater, Sergei Artsybashev,— Dmitry Bikbaev shared with Izvestia. — He conceived it as a theater that explores Russian classics. In order not to repeat ourselves and not to overlap with other troupes in the titles, we turned to the work of Alexei Tolstoy "Ghoul". We found it very bold, youthful, and even relevant. A completely unexpected plot made Tolstoy's book the bestseller of its time — it is the first Gothic work in Russian literature.

At the entrance, all the guests were given garlic tied with a red ribbon. "From vampires," the audience joked. "From ghouls," the actor in the makeup of the gray—haired young Count Miroslav Dushenko corrected them. According to the role, he is looking for ghouls — and reacts sharply when they are called vampires.

"Twilight" in Moscow

The increased interest in the play was fueled by the news that all parts of Twilight are being re-released in the United States. Studio Lionsgate has announced the screening of the franchise in 4K format. The bonus will be shots that were not included in the final editing, and materials from the set. To this day, the army of vampire fans believes in the continuation of the saga, but no one has taken a swing at the sixth part. But now Moscow has its own evil spirits.

The director deliberately did not save the title of Tolstoy's story "The Ghoul" for staging. The play was named "Moscow. Twilight" — to attract a young audience. And it worked: all tickets for November are sold out.

For "Pokrovka.Theater" "Moscow. Twilight is a story for a new and demanding audience. The performance uses modern technology. Screens are installed around the perimeter of the auditorium and the stage, where augmented reality is created: the interiors of the estate, nature, the elements, mysticism. The screens, as we learned, were brought to the theater only on the eve of the premiere — the performance was in danger of disruption, but everything was resolved safely.

The director says that the rehearsals were accompanied by the sounds of a hammer drill, but this did not stop the production group. Magnificent costumes have already been sewn in the workshops. Robert Pattinson himself would envy the doublets of the young aristocrat Runevsky (Dmitry Roslyakov). And Varvara Nasibulina, who played Dasha, in white romantic dresses seems like either a girl or a vision. Costume designer Yulia Volkova has done a meticulous job creating outfits appropriate to the era. I wanted to consider the hoods and dresses of Countess Sugrobina (Natalia Grebenkina) as catwalk ones: the smallest details of the toilet, masterful, but not pretentious make-up gave the performance a special chic.

The creators define the genre of the production as a Gothic detective story, where reality is intertwined with mysticism. In this atmosphere, the story of the ardent love of the nobleman Runevsky and the granddaughter of brigadier Sugrobina— Dasha, unfolds. The girl's family has a family curse that prevents lovers from finding happiness. Otherworldly forces haunt everyone who approaches the descendants of the ancient Hungarian Ostrovich family. It all started with a count who was strangled by his own wife with the help of a lover, and he cursed her and her descendants.

Vampires of the middle lane

The play takes place in Moscow. Runevsky meets a strange man named Rybarenko at a ball. He is young and handsome, but all gray hair. Rybarenko is convinced that modern "civilized" nobles are ghouls. Runevsky initially considers this nonsense, but then begins to doubt it. Dasha's family, whom he came to woo, is really strange. Rybarenko warned that the old lady Sugrobin, Dasha's grandmother, had died, because he had been at her funeral. But here she is, alive, only painfully pale. Sugrobina is an insidious vampire who longs for his granddaughter's blood for eternal life. Fascinated by Dasha, Runevsky finds himself embroiled in a dangerous game. Rybarenko comes to the rescue: he knows everything about vampires in the middle lane. They will have to go through the investigation and find the vulnerable spot of the Snowdrift.

Artists of the Pokrovka troupe.The Theater" — Yulia Avsharova, Oleg Parmenov, Tatiana Nastashevskaya, Sergey Ishchenko, Grigory Mosoyants — create vivid, emotional images that are interesting to watch. The production has potential and could be the hit of the season. In any case, the artistic director, who has relied on young people, has outlined a strategy for the development of the theater, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary next year.

— We are a chamber theater, so we can afford to follow the path of creative discoveries, and not focus only on one hundred percent theatrical bestsellers, — Dmitry Bikbaev believes.

The next classic to be targeted by the artistic director will also be Tolstoy, but already Lev Nikolaevich. There are plans to stage the novel "Anna Karenina". And the director already has a leading role — Maria Volkova, who played Sofia in "Moscow. Twilight."

The next performance is "Moscow. Twilight is on November 28, but all tickets are sold out. We'll have to aim for December.