In the branch of the Maly Theater Dostoevsky read by Anton Yakovlev

MOSCOW. On April 28, a branch of the Maly Theater presented the audience a new work by director Anton Yakovlev. Director’s productions based on classical prose go on the stages of many theaters in the capital. This time, Anton Yakovlev turned to the story of Fyodor Dostoevsky. The play “Village of Stepanchikovo…” appeared in the repertoire of the branch of the Maly Theater.

Anton Yakovlev wrote the scenic version of the story himself and offered Yuri Solomin to be staged in Maly, expecting to participate in the performance of Vasily Bochkarev in advance. Now a wonderful actor can be seen on stage in the main role of the play. Vasily Bochkaryov plays Thomas Opiskin, the hero of the complex and ambiguous. However, Dostoevsky has no other characters.

According to the director, it was precisely the complexity of Dostoevsky’s works that was always what attracted him to the writer’s works. A stage composition based on prose is always a difficult task for the author. The appeal to Dostoevsky’s prose is much more complicated. The more you read the text, the more clearly you see how many layers of subtext there are in it. There are parodies, and metaphors, and prophecies.

The performance, staged by Anton Yakovlev, is not similar to the version of Stepanchikov’s Village, already staged in various Russian theaters. It’s not about a specific person, a rude and stupid Thomas Opiskin, as many directors see him. First of all, it is a many-faced image, which has gathered many human vices in itself, trying to use every person who met on its way. In fact, Thomas Opiskin is a talented manipulator who turned the village of Stepanchikovo into his own theater, where everyone plays the role imposed on him by the director.

For Vasily Bochkarev, the role in the performance was an excellent opportunity to show his talent for improvisation

Ludmila Trautmane © Gallerix.ru