The play "Mademoiselle Nitush" staged by the Moscow theater named after Yevgeny Vakhtangov evokes a variety of feelings. Everyone sees and feels it in their own way. Some admire the talented acting of the actors, others believe that there is too much expression and freedom in their behavior on stage. One thing is clear - the performance will not leave any spectator indifferent.
Eternal plot
The composer Florimont Herve is considered the founder of the French operetta. Of all his works, the most popular was "Mademoiselle Nitouche", which appeared in 1883. Its premiere took place on the stage of the Variety Theater in Paris, and then the classic sitcom began its triumphant march around the world. This production mixes solemn chorale and merry dances, hypocrisy and greed coexist with a youthful thirst for life. In general, characterizing the story, we can say that the main thing in it, of course, is love.
Events unfold in the French province of the second half of the 19th century. Denise de Flavigny is the main character of the operetta. A young girl is brought up in a monastery boarding house, but has long secretly dreamed of a theater. Once escaping from a strict boss, she ends up in a local variety show, where the premiere of an operetta takes place. It turns out that the author of the piece is her music teacher Celestin. At the boarding house, he behaves sanctimoniously, and outside his gates he burns out his life and composes musical parts for his friend, the operetta prima Corina. When Celestin once again sneaks into the city, Denise follows him to get to the show. That evening, Corinne is scandalous and does not want to participate in the premiere, under her pseudonym "Mademoiselle Nitouche" Denise comes out, who knows the game by heart. The performance of the girl resonates in the hearts of the audience; Lieutenant Fernand Champlatro, present in the hall, is not only conquered by the talent of the aspiring artist, but also confesses his love to her. After a series of comical misunderstandings, a happy ending follows.
There is a version that the image of Celesten, who gave music lessons in the monastery boarding house and invented operettas, Herve drew from his own biography. In his younger years, he had to lead a similar life.
From premiere to anniversary
For the first time the operetta "Mademoiselle Nitush" was presented by the Vakhtangov Theater to the audience in 1944, directed by Ruben Simonov. The musical performance of the war years was a great success, and for many years did not leave the theater's posters.
After 60 years, the Vakhtangovites took the risk of staging the performance for the second time. The premiere of the new Mademoiselle Nitouche took place on the stage of the Vakhtangov Theater on December 30, 2004. The production, written by the famous director Vladimir Ivanov, turned out to be an excellent gift for Muscovites on New Year's Eve. The main "highlight" of the performance is that a real professional orchestra takes part in it, and all the actors sing live and dance beautifully. All this brought the performance not only audience love, but also a number of prestigious theatrical awards.
For many years the play has continued its triumphal march. During this time, the cast has changed three times. The only thing that remained unchanged was the performer of the role of the head of the Heavenly Swallows boarding house. During the jubilee 300th performance, all three cast of actors took the stage. The audience got a unique chance to see simultaneously several performers of the role of Denise, three Celestenes, Colonels and even brave hussars who are invited from the Theater of Satire.
Cast
The current cast of the play shines with its splendor. The only artist who has steadily appeared on the stage more than 300 times in the role of the mentor of the boarding house is Maria Aronova. The actress has a lot of theatrical roles and film works in the piggy bank. Honored Artist of Russia has won several prestigious awards. Her touching, bespectacled heroine in "Mademoiselle Nitouche" makes the whole audience laugh out loud, even the most severe skeptic is unable to restrain a smile. The elements of the image: an immense backside, a hare bite and a red bun of hair, together with the artist's comic gift, help to easily make the audience laugh. Some believe that the jokes of the heroine Aronova are somewhat vulgar, but no one will deny that the actress has incredible energy and is good in every appearance on the stage.
The role of Celesten and Floridor is performed by Alexander Oleshko. Often the name of the actor is associated with his work in film and television. However, theater is the second important part of an actor's life. A talented young man from Chisinau, he graduated with honors from the pop school and theatrical institute. For the creation of the image of Celesten, the Honored Artist of Russia received the "Seagull" award for the best comedic role. In another cast, the image of Celesten on stage was embodied by the actor Viktor Dobronravov.
The role of the operetta diva Korin in the play is performed by Nonna Grishaeva. The artist's talent is multifaceted: participation in theatrical performances, dozens of roles in films and television programs, dubbing of films and animation films.
Among other actors, I would like to note the play of Vladimir Simonov, Lidia Velezhaeva, Anatoly Menshchikov, as well as the young and pretty actress Olga Nemogai in the role of Deniza.
Pros and cons
The sparkling vaudeville on the verge of farce is quite consistent with the traditions of the Vakhtangov productions: "Straw Hat", "Ladies and Hussars", "Old Russian Vaudeville". Music alternates with playful dialogues, so the time, while "Mademoiselle Nitouche", flies by unnoticed. In addition, bright costumes and beautiful decorations can be noted.
The production is perceived easily, it resembles a musical, where music sounds almost all the time, and small pauses are filled with remarks. The heroes of the performance sing, dance, arrange pranks, thereby causing the audience to smile. The performance, staged by a graduate of the Shchukin school, Vladimir Ivanov, doomed to success not only an intricate plot, but also an unpredictable game of actors. The play is replete with comic situations. Characters fall out of the blue, hide behind curtains and under tables, change their gait, and even faint. In a word - the whole set of vaudeville stamps. Each of the heroes sets his own goal and, as a result, achieves happiness for himself. In the finale of the play, three weddings of the characters take place simultaneously.
Among the fans of the theater there were many spectators who considered the production of Vladimir Ivanov sound, but boring. It turned out that the light genre of operetta is rather difficult to stage. In their responses, viewers note that the actresses wag their backs, laugh unnaturally, puff up their eyes and scream loudly. Jokes are not always funny, and sometimes even vulgar. Some theatergoers believe that there is too much in this production: bitchiness, innocence, tearfulness and even stupidity.
Hervé's original authorial music is almost absent in the production; it was replaced by French chanson. This fact also found a lot of criticism from the audience. According to the director, he removed the “non-winning” numbers from the performance and replaced them with melodies by French composers to make the operetta lighter and more airy. Unfortunately, this changed the general mood of the story, its charm.
The image of Colonel Alfred Chateau Gibus caused a lot of controversy among theater critics. A red wig, a bursting accent and a cavalry gait gave him a special comic. There is some awkwardness in a complex image.
"Bestseller"
Despite the contradictory opinions and all the shortcomings, the performance has much more fans today. The production, which lasts 3 hours and 50 minutes with two intermissions, never ceases to gather a full audience. The audience laughs and claps.
The performance is intended for viewers over 16 years old and remains a hit of the theater. Tickets can be purchased both at the box office and via the Internet, without leaving home, in order to soon enjoy the ironic and infectious operetta Mademoisen Nitush performed by the actors of the Yevgeny Vakhtangov Theater. The Teatral magazine awarded the Vakhtangovites a prestigious award for the most commercially successful production, which has been sold out for many years.
You can appreciate the performance of the artists and appreciate their live voices only by visiting this kind, funny performance staged by a renowned theater. I would like to wish the residents of Vakhtangov further prosperity and new work.
