Shanghai audiences are no strangers to Pushkin's masterpiece "Onegin", which has been staged in Shanghai for opera, ballet and drama, and now it has a musical version. From January 4th to 9th, the original Russian-language musical "Onegin" will be performed for 8 consecutive performances at Shanghai Culture Square. After its premiere in St. Petersburg, "Onegin the Devil" has been performed for 8 consecutive years.
At the end of last year, the Russian-language musical "Anna Karenina" just came to Shanghai, and at the beginning of the new year, the Russian-language musical "Demon Onegin" was ushered in. What is the unique charm of Russian musicals compared to musicals from all over the world?
A still from "Onegin the Devil".
Interpreting the classics in a new way
Many viewers still remember that in 2019, Tuminas directed the drama "Eugene Onegin", which brought a very poetic presentation to the Shanghai Cultural Square. "Onegin the Devil", also from Russia, is more sensual and magical.
To give a new interpretation of this well-known Russian masterpiece, Maria Oshmyanskaya, author of the libretto of the musical "Onegin" the Devil, admits that it is very difficult. "We've added two new characters to the original book, the old Onegin and the Demon, and with these two characters, we're telling the story in a whole new way. ”
The role of "Demon" has been added
In the play, the elderly Onegin looks back on his life and wonders what is the source of his life's suffering, and the devil gives him a chance to start over with Tatyana. How will he choose this time?
Playing Onegin in "Onegin the Devil" is Ivan Orokin, a famous Russian musical theater actor, producer, winner of the Russian National Golden Mask Musical Heart and Golden Sofitel Theater Award. The Russian "national treasure" musical actor has appeared in the Russian version of world-renowned musicals such as "The Phantom of the Opera", "Cat", "Turning into a Strange Doctor" and "Beauty and the Beast", and he is also featured in Russian musicals "Northeast Wind", "The Master and Margarita" and "Karamazov". "Demon Onegin" is Ivan Orogin's Chinese debut.
Ivan Orokin
"Onegin was a haughty, struggling, painful, contradictory man. This image allows us to see that there is a bright side and a dark side, a good side and an evil side in the heart of each person, and the two are always in a constant struggle. Ivan said.
Ivan is a well-known "workaholic" who performed 30 times a month in Russia, and this China tour has followed every stop. "There is a saying in Russian, choose a job you like, and you will never need to work in your life," Ivan said. I get a lot of energy from the performance and from the interaction with the audience, and I can perform well in every show. ”
Kyoma
Expand the territory of overseas musicals
Fei Yuanhong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Culture Square, said: "Broadway musicals in New York and the West End are known for their industrialized level, French-language musicals are passionate and poetic, German-Austrian musicals are profound and intriguing, and Russian-language musicals have attracted a loyal audience with their unique aesthetics and unique story structure." There are many snowy scenes in "Demon Onegin", which takes the audience to the northern realm, and the long and sad melody of the music in the play is also very in line with the aesthetics of the Chinese. ”
Irina Afanasier, the chief producer of "Onegin the Devil", said that the tables, chairs, bridges, snowflakes and garlands and other props in the play all reflect the customs of Russia. For example, there was no electricity in St. Petersburg at that time, so the theater placed olive-shaped shells on the edge of the stage and kerosene lamps in them, which was one of the important sets for Onegin. Another example is that the actresses in the play wear beautiful garlands, because during the Russian festival of Ivan Kupala, when spring flowers bloom in the fields, the girls go to the fields to pick dandelions, cornflowers and other flowers and weave them into garlands.
The actress wears a beautiful garland
The costume design of "Onegin the Devil" strives to show the audience the original era of Pushkin. The play opens with scenes from the upper class of St. Petersburg in which people wear huge skirts, dignified and elegant designs, sewn with fine furs and elaborate ornaments. Turning to the countryside, you can see the appearance of a white-striped blue salavan (a Russian folk costume) using authentic and delicate Russian hand embroidery. In the play, all of Onegin's costumes are handmade and unique.
From the end of last year to the beginning of this year, the "year-end performance season" of Shanghai Culture Square included 7 performances from 6 countries in the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Ireland and China. Fei Yuanhong said: "Cultural Square has been expanding the territory of musicals, hoping to broaden the audience's horizons and bring new viewing experiences. ”
Curtain call
Column Editor-in-Chief: Shi Chenlu Image source: Photo by Dong Tianye
Source: Author: Wu Tong