The Modern Theater, since Yuri Grymov began to direct it, professes a search. This does not mean at all that it does not have results. This means that you have to constantly expect surprises from the theater. And for this alone, Modern, led by its leader, deserves respect.
This theater is not foreign to me. With the previous artistic director, Svetlana Vragova, I performed two performances on its stage. (Thanks to Svetlana Alexandrovna for the invitation.) I know the company well and, it seemed to me, also the building itself.
The poster shows that Grymov wants to talk about the main thing, the most important thing.
And now, for the first time with Grymov, I am going to see the performance. “Judas”. Work by Alexander Shishov. Staging, set design, lighting, musical design – Yuri Grymov.
I stop by the summary poster of the theater and understand: Yuri Grymov creates an absolutely unique repertoire, unlike any other theater in Moscow. The names on the poster are: Judas, Leonardo, Peter the Great, Chekhov, Julius Caesar. And also “War and Peace” and “At the Bottom.”
The poster shows that Grymov wants to talk about the main thing, the most important thing. He invites us not to have fun together, something I personally have nothing against and, fortunately, there is also comedy in the repertoire, but to think together.
I don’t know why Modern Theater is on the periphery of critics’ attention. As a rule, this theater loses nominations and awards. I haven’t read detailed articles about Grymov’s play (maybe I missed it). In the theatrical environment, Grymov, of course, is a unique person, different from everyone else. It would seem that this should be of interest, but in reality it even causes some irritation. It seems to me – I would love to be wrong – that the theater community perceives him a bit as an outsider. And treats it accordingly.
The interior of the theater building, I must say, has been transformed. The viewer seems to find themselves inside a box, where everything is done to make them feel comfortable and pleasant. Stained glass windows, a wide staircase, endless decorations. Since there are two buffets, there are practically no lines. A friendly tapper girl plays and creates a pleasant atmosphere.
Beautiful. Cozy. Nice. Cloakroom attendants and polite ushers. So are the waiters. What an intelligent and theatrical atmosphere. Which not all theaters can boast of.
And then we sat in the hallway. We see a beautiful curtain. It is starting.
The story of “Judas” has occupied different writers for a long time, many centuries. Here’s another one, composed by Alexander Shishov.
This story is not intended to be a new reality, absolutely! The creators immediately explain the conditions of the game to us. There is a teacher (absolutely brilliant work by Vadim Pinsky) who, together with his students and workers at the institute, comes up with: did you hear the word? – that is, he comes up with a new version of the Judas story.
The acting is incredibly beautiful! Each theatrical painting is made as if it were an artistic painting. Everything is verified accurately. We are told a parable, and the parable must exist in a very beautiful design. Life here is almost always inferior to beauty.
We are told a parable, and the parable must exist in a very beautiful design.
In “Judas” there is not a single famous actor, one of those who today are called “media personalities”, but there are many wonderful actors. For example, Alexander Borisov, who perfectly plays the domineering and tired Pilate. Or Alexey Bagdasarov, whose Caiaphas is such a complex, ambiguous, multi-layered person. There are still some good roles left.
As for Judas (Lev Smirnov), the actor, in my opinion, was simply unlucky with the material. Judas’ role in this particular made-up story is not entirely clear. The most interesting things don’t happen to him, but around him. What should an artist do in a situation like this?
The performance is divided into two parts. The first takes place in our time: a teacher, led by students, organizes a kind of trial against Judas to understand if he was guilty and of what. Afterwards, and this is the second part, the teacher and his classmates act out the performance.
The first part is brilliant! Such a philosophical debate, as if played by everyone, is natural, very interesting for a thinking viewer.
In the second part, the stock begins to decline periodically. Beautiful pictures save you, because they are really very beautiful, but not for long. Still, you want the stock to move, but that’s not always the case.
But the most important thing is the question that came to mind towards the end of the performance and that was not left behind either in the theater, or in the car, when I was driving home, or now. The question is very simple and not at all complicated: “Why? Why all this?”
You can make up a million different stories about Judas. And humanity has been doing this throughout its history. And? The story of Judas as an example of some kind of paradox? Maybe… But the famous story is so powerful and has so many layers that it is not entirely clear: do you really want to do better?
“Judas” is the third part of the trilogy “The Antichrist and Christ” by Yuri Grymov. Personally, I have great respect for the artistic director of the theater, who advances not only in the direction of serious reflections, but also of the most important ones.
The search is difficult. The result is not always guaranteed. But only on this path do true discoveries occur. Therefore, good luck to the Modern theater and its artistic director! Being different is difficult, but very interesting…
THE NAIS IS OFFICIAL EDITOR ON NAIS NEWS