Aleksandr Vampilov
A comedy in two acts
Two young men walk a couple of girls home to the suburbs and, as a result, miss the last train home. In search for warmth and shelter, the hapless suitors happen into the home of the idiosyncratic musician Sarafanov. In order to extend their stay and warm up a little, the young men improvise a story that one of them is the son of their host. This lie brings about completely unexpected results, forever changing the lives of all the characters.
“Watching this show, you feel a great joy of trust –as though after wandering for a long time you’ve finally made it home.”
–Marina Dmitrevskaya, Petersburg Theatre Journal
Alexander Vampilov’s comedy has been a staple of contemporary theatre for decades, and Vitaly Melnikov’s cult film adaptation (with the amazing Evgeny Leonov in the role of Sarafanov) established the play’s reputation for good.
Winner of Best Supporting Role(Evgeni Shumeiko) at the Proryv Awards
The show has participated in the Future Theatres of Russia (Yaroslavl), Your Chance (Moscow) and Real Theatre (Ekaterinburg) festivals.
Nevertheless, it is impossible to speak of its plot as over-used after seeing Grigory Kozlov’s production. Discovering new meanings in the play and bravely unmasking the sharp comedy and profound lyricism of the plot, the production’s creators tell us a funny and sad story about love and loneliness, about coming into one’s own and about the need of every person to be heard and understood.
The production is meant to appeal to the widest demographic of theatre-goers. Young viewers follow the twists and turns of the plot, while the older generation nostalgically remembers its youth, singing along with the actors as they perform hit songs of the 60’s.
The premiere took place on September 23rd, 2010.
Duration: 3 hours with one intermission. Recommended for audiences 16 and up.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Director – Grigory Kozlov
Production Design – Vasiliy Semyonov, Natalya Grosheva
Light Designer – Alexandr Ryazantsev
Music Director – Andrei Yurev
Stage Manager – Vera Lachinova
