The stage rotates, the fate is reincarnated, and life is dislocated, and the rising desire is like a "music box" in the hands of the devil, confusing people's hearts. On January 4th, the original Russian musical "Demon Onegin" ushered in the debut of Shanghai Cultural Square, showing a strong Russian aesthetic with gorgeous and magnificent choreography and pathetic and poignant music. The play toured China for the first time, and the performance brought together the top configuration of the Russian musical theater industry. Onegin is played by Ivan Orokin, winner of the Golden Mask Award for National Theatre and the Golden Sofitel Theatre Award, and this is his first appearance on the Chinese stage.
"Demonic Onegin" brought a unique exotic atmosphere to Shencheng and expanded the new territory of introducing overseas musicals. The reporter learned that Shanghai Cultural Square will soon stage 7 works from 6 countries: the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Russia, Ireland and China. "Broadway and London's West End musicals are highly industrialized and directors play a very important role, French musicals are passionate and full of romantic poetry, and German and Austrian styles are more rigorous and intriguing and profound. Fei Yuanhong, deputy general manager of Shanghai Culture Square, commented: "Russian arias are long and soulful, and Chinese audiences should be very familiar with the aesthetics of such long melodic lines. ”
The Russian aria is long and soulful
Pushkin's poetic novel Onegin has been staged by artists in several countries, and there have been several versions of operas and ballets in Russia alone. In 2019, Eugene Onegin, directed by Timinas, was performed at the Shanghai Culture Square, bringing a "storm of beauty". In contrast to the sacred beauty and deep poetry of the play, tonight's musical "Onegin the Devil" shows a sensual magic.
The creator of "Demon Onegin" boldly reconstructs the plot and creatively adds a new character "demon", revealing the contradictions and struggles of human nature like a magnifying glass. "The musical is a philosophical interpretation of the dark nature of human beings, hoping to allow the audience to observe Onegin's inner world from another perspective. Maria Oshmyanskaya, the author of the play's script, revealed that although the demon did not appear in the original book, the main creative team of the musical found "him" between the lines of the text, and thus promoted the development of the story.
Russian musicals have a unique stage style and have been labeled as "niche" on the English-language international musical theater scene, but their deep musicianship and unique story structure still attract a loyal audience. It is reported that "Demon Onegin" has been performed in the LDM Theater in Russia for nine years, and has become a Russian fairy in the garden of musical theater with its gorgeous choreography and moving melody. In tonight's performance, arias such as "Moscow" and "The Law of Fate" are soulful and moving, and the fusion of modern style and Tchaikovsky's opera is highly recognizable.
The gorgeous stage restores the style of the Pushkin era
This time, "Demon Onegin" toured China, and many Chinese audiences followed Ivan Orokin. The Russian "national treasure" musical actor has appeared in the Russian versions of musicals such as "The Phantom of the Opera", "Cat", "Doctor Transformed", "Beauty and the Beast", and he has also appeared in Russian musicals "Northeast Wind", "The Master and Margarita", "Karamazov". Tonight, Ivan Orokin was amazed by his mastery of the stage, singing the aria "Moscow" in the whole play, singing about Onegin's homesickness and parting pain. Sergei Khudiakov, who played the "devil" in the play, and Tatiana Kulikova, who played the heroine Tatyana, all performed well.
Irina Afanasier, the chief producer of "Onegin the Devil", revealed that for this China tour, the production team has expanded the volume of stage props for the first time. The "Music Box" turntable, which carries the main scenes such as balls and duels, is more gorgeous and exquisite than the resident version. The costume design restores the style of the Pushkin era. It opens with a scene from the upper class of St. Petersburg, where the ladies dress in a dignified and elegant dress with a huge hem and sewn with fine fur and elaborate decorations, and then to the countryside, where the actors wear blue and white striped Sarafan, all made of Russian hand-embroidery. "On the stage of 'Onegin the Devil', we enjoyed a lot of beautiful 'snow scenes'. Russian artists are fond of the imagery of snow, perhaps a gift from the kingdom of ice and snow. Fei Yuanhong said.