by Carlo Gozzi
A rap-fairytale for adults
Translated into Russian by M. Osorgin
This is a story about young people for young people. A melodramatic comedy, a rap-fairytale for adults, a parable about love, combat and victory. Youth is a time when all feelings are heightened, when each deed is done to the fullest, when every word is your last, when every thought is definitve, when the world is black-and-white and when your constant choice is to triumph or die.
The characters in Gozzi's 'fiabe' are children of war. These young people were born and raised in a cruel, unforgiving world, and all they know how to do is to fight to the very end. Even love is a battle for them - who will conquer whom. Princes come to win the beautiful Turandot, who wins every fight for his freedom. She is a monster, a beauty, a fire-breathing dragon, and only Calaf, a foreigner banished from his land and robbed of his throne, is able to see in her a tender, miserable young girl who grew up without a mother and who has never enjoyed human warmth or boundless, all-forgiving love. Calaf is the only one who doesn't fight against her, choosing instead to play by her rules honestly. In turn, the princess, who has confused pride with hubris, discovers that a different life and different feelings are possible, that love, tenderness, care and selflessness exist.
At the same time, Turandot is a rowdy, reckless comedy full of song and dance, a genuinely mischevious extravaganza. This is because it is a story about young people for young people, and youth is a time of madness, unbridled joy and lightness of being.
PRODUCTION TEAM:
Director – Galina Byzgu
Production Designer – Ekaterina Kochurova
Movement – Nikolai Kuglyant
Music Selection –Dmitri Zhitkov
Light Designer – Yuri Kapeliush
Sound Engineer – Alexander Larionov
Stage Managers – Alyona Parshina, Svetlana Povalyaeva
