Moscow theater "Lenkom" - past and present

It’s hard to write about the famous theater, if only because all the time you have to use amazing epithets. Lenkom is worthy not only of these epithets.

Glory to this theater did not come immediately. Prior to the arrival of Mark Zakharov, many well-known directors visited the theater as the artistic director. For example, very shortly at the helm of Lenkom was the great director Anatoly Efros. He managed to stage here only a few performances, but even then they caused a storm of indignation among Soviet critics. Efros had to leave this post, and Zakharov came to replace him.

Mark Zakharov, 90s

Mark Zakharov set to work zealously and courageously. And of course with modern plays. But at the same time, he began to create his acting ensemble. Practically the same thing, later, Tabakov will do at the Moscow Art Theater. By the eighties, a brilliant troupe had already been created in Lenkom that attracted the public. Tickets for the performances of Lenkom quickly became a shortage. They are not easy to buy today, but these days you can do it via the Internet, on specialized sites: http://www.lenkom-bilet.su without lines and speculators. Zakharov has developed his own style of presenting performances, his own unique style of directing.

It is worth mentioning especially about the performances. At least about some of them. For example, The Legend of Thiel. This was Zakharov’s first work with playwright Grigory Gorin, who later became the official author of many Lenkom dramas. Til was the first experience of their joint work. In this performance, the talent of two actors at once was revealed for the first time - Inna Churikova and Nikolai Karachentsova. And then “Juno and Avos” thundered and she is still being played on stage. There is a mixture of everything and the musical and dramatic action. This performance is also from the “noisy” category. Soviet ideology painfully perceived, for example, the appearance on the backdrop of the stage of the St. Andrew’s flag or did not understand the dance steps at some points in the performance. And when the main character was naked, then a scandal broke out. Nevertheless, the performance survived. And the main core in it was the very same Karachentsov, who for 25 years played the main role of Count Ryazanov.

But the peak of the prime minister fell on the hot 90s. Zakharov puts on performances after the performance, where the great actors Oleg Yankovsky, Evgeny Leonov, Tatyana Peltzer, Alexander Abdulov and Alexander Zbruev, Inna Churikova and Elena Shanina vividly play.

Evgeny Leonov played on stage for the rest of his life. His last brilliant work in the theater was the role of Tevye - the milkman in the play “Memorial Prayer”. The piercing game of the actor then shocked everyone, just no one even suggested that this was his farewell role. That day, when he died, this performance was supposed to play in the evening. None of the spectators returned the ticket to the box office, they left them in memory of the actor.

But here is one more charm of this theater - there is no hierarchy. Even the most famous actors can safely play in extras. For example, Dmitry Pevtsov, who plays Figaro brilliantly today, can go on a dance in the play “Juno and Avos” tomorrow. True, Pevtsov is already playing Ryazanov himself, since a misfortune happened to Karachentsov. The democracy of this theater is amazing.

To the credit of Mark Zakharov, he does not forget about his actors and tries to help. For example, all the same Karachentsov. He is now recovering with great difficulty after the accident and naturally does not play in the theater, but by the decision of the director, the theater pays his salary to him and his wife, and thereby supports them at least a little.

But there are losses in the theater. Yankovsky, Abdulov, Leonov, Peltzer are no longer alive. The author of the theater Gorin and the voice of the theater Pavel Smeyan passed away. On the verge of life is now Leonid Bronevoy. Losses are irreparable. You can change actors, and perhaps new actors will play the roles of those who departed better than they are. But… this will not be the same style, not the game that fans of Lenkom have already got used to.