Modern reading of Turgenev’s play in the Nizhny Novgorod theater

Today, on November 20th, in Nizhny Novgorod, on the stage of the Drama Theater, the premiere performance by Turgenev’s play “The Freeloaders” will take place. The performance was staged by the director from Orel, Boris Golubitsky, who was invited to work in the Nizhny Novgorod theater for the second time. The director’s recent visit showed that his knowledge of Turgenev’s creative heritage allowed him to very unusually translate the staging of one of the most interesting novels of the writer - “Fathers and Sons”.

Golubitsky read the play “The Freeloaders” in his own way, changing the final scenes in the play. The director believes that the approach to this play, as to everyday melodrama, does not correspond to its content. Indeed, it is not for nothing that censorship for 14 years delayed the appearance of the "Freebies" on the stage. This was explained by the fact that the Turgenev play allegedly contained attacks against the Russian nobility.

The progressive audience waited a long time for the play to appear, only when the legendary play was finally staged, then a long wait did not go for it - the theater-goers accepted the performance so cool that it was removed from the repertoire the same year. After this disastrous premiere, The Freeloaders did not appear on the Russian stage for another 17 years, although the audience enthusiastically accepted the performance on the stage of Europe.

Despite the fact that “Freeloaders” were written a century and a half ago, thanks to the work of the director, the play turned out to be surprisingly modern. It turned out that the relationship between the characters of the play, their experiences, are close to the modern viewer, and the word "parasite" has not lost its meaning. The main character of the play, performed by the national artist Valery Nikitin, does not cause pity. Having voluntarily exchanged dignity for the role of a parasite, he only gets what he deserves.

For many viewers, the performance will be the discovery of Turgenev’s work.

Ludmila Trautmane