Extraordinary, talented and lonely ... Today she is called the soul of a bygone era. The 120th anniversary of the great actress, the genius Faina Ranevskaya, in 2016 was marked by a dramatic comedy based on the aphorisms of the actress, whose popularity exceeded her film works. In The Lonely Mocker, directed by Lev Shimelov, the viewer sees the episodic queen in her Moscow apartment. Visitors visit her, and in the dialogue supported with them, the viewer hears a witty verbal dive.
The plot of the play
“The Lone Mocker” - these are fragments taken from the life of Ranevskaya. The performance intertwined the events that took place in the last year of the life of a beautiful actress and a man with her unique jokes that were not invented by the authors of the dramatic comedy, but were taken from books and memoirs about Faina Georgievna.
That is why there is every reason to call her a co-author of this performance. The place of events taking place in the play is Ranevskaya’s Moscow apartment, where the authors of the play invite spectators. Throughout the performance, Faina Ranevskaya is different. The viewer sees her vulnerable, with tears in her eyes, and after a moment - a proud and beautiful man in his loneliness. In the description of the play “The Lone Mocker” it is noted that this is a dramatic comedy. Literally, this means laughing through tears. And if the viewer went through this state during the performance, it means that everything is in order with his soul.
Premiere performance
Premiere performances were held in 2014 in many cities of Russia. Among them are the cities of Siberia and the Urals, St. Petersburg, Moscow, Vladimir. In Israel, the play was played in 2015. In the year of the actress’s anniversary , the artists brought a gift to the audience in Murmansk - the play “The Lone Mocker”. The dramatic comedy was presented to the audience of Chelyabinsk and Arkhangelsk, and in the spring of 2017 the performance was shown in the Baltic states. The audience expressed sincere gratitude to the wonderful production and play of the artists in the reviews of the play "The Lone Mocker".
The role of Ranevskaya was performed by Olga Miropolskaya, a wonderful St. Petersburg actress. She resembles Faina Ranevskaya both externally and in voice and inwardly. Even their names are a little consonant. Living alone, Ranevskaya turned to herself - Fanya. The actress, who played her, friends and colleagues are called Lyaley.
Cast
Wonderful cast of the theater. The Moscow City Council plays in the play. These are Olga Miropolskaya, Lilia Volkova, Honored Artist of Russia Zoya Buryak, People's Artist of Russia Alexander Pashutin and Natalya Lyzhina.
Miropolskaya admits that she got the role by chance. Once she failed a screen test for the series dedicated to Ranevskaya, and placed the remaining images in the image on social networks, from where they fell into the hands of the producer of the Lonely Mocking. When she was offered the role, she went to the grave of Ranevskaya. There, the actress felt something unusual ... When she returned, she said that she received a blessing for this role.
Honored Artist of Russia Vadim Romanov plays the accountant of the theater, in which Ranevskaya works. He enters her house, brings a salary, and at the same time tells fresh gossip, in return taking away the thoughts of the great actress about them. He needs to know that she will say about it, that - about that ... He is the one who word-of-mouth constantly spreads the opinions and statements of Ranevskaya. Perhaps, thanks to the character of Vadim Romanov, Faina Georgievna's humorous quotes circled the whole world.
World Ranevskaya
The dramatic comedy shows the viewer the wonderful world of Faina Ranevskaya. Actress Olga Miropolskaya transmits on stage what lives and what Ranevskaya feels. The viewer reveals her experiences and actions. And viewers share their experiences in reviews of the play "The Lone Mocker." Sometimes the hall explodes with laughter, and sometimes during the performance there is a ringing silence after the actress’s monologues. The authors did not need to bring something of their own to the play or to bring their reprises into the statements of the great Ranevskaya. Olga Miropolskaya speaks the language and words of Ranevskaya. What is her phrase in the play about "damned education": "I can’t stand when the men are sitting."
Cynicism Covering Loneliness
The brilliant and talented Faina Ranevskaya was still lonely. Colleagues often complained about her ironic and sarcastic character. Perhaps she looked like a cynical man, but it was only a defense, and behind cynicism was pain, despair, loneliness. In fact, it was a delicate and vulnerable nature.
And those who were the objects of her jokes often did not suspect that this was more of a defensive manner of behavior. Ranevskaya did not cheat, choosing expressions, she told her opponent what she thought of him. Sometimes funny things happened, and their description sounded simply anecdotal, which raised doubts about their credibility. But, knowing the abrupt disposition of Faina Georgievna, it could be assumed that the stories are actually true.
Ranevskaya’s nightly notes talk about how hard it was for her in her loneliness, she wrote about the days spent in vain for her life that no one needed. Having a wonderful sense of humor, she closed herself by it, looked like a completely different person - light and cheerful. After the performance, littered with flowers, she lamented: "So much love, but there is no one to go to the pharmacy!".
The popularity of smart women
The play “The Lone Mocker” is a recollection of vivid images, ridiculous anecdotes of Ranevskaya, and the most tragic moments of life. About this in their reviews of the play "Lonely Mocking" the audience said. Ranevskaya was a popular person, but she also suffered from this popularity, and the comedy in her life had some tragic connotation. Her wise eyes, if you look into them, reflected sadness and sorrow.
Listening to compliments about her talent again, Ranevskaya wrote in her diaries that she was very unhappy in this life with all her talents. Faina Georgievna was a very smart woman. And thanks to her mind, she could “filter out” insincere acquaintances, friends, and friends. And often after the “filtration” for Ranevskaya she herself remained the best interlocutor.
Performance dedication
For the theater troupe this performance is special. “Each time before going on stage, the heart strives to jump out of the chest. But if you go out to the audience and the excitement passes, the responsibility is too great for the audience, for oneself, for Ranevskaya,” says Olga Miropolskaya, the lead singer. Actors play in the same breath as dedication, as admiration, as an emotional gift to the great Russian actress. Actually, they play fragments of the life she wrote - the life of the lone scoffer Faina Ranevskaya. In general, the fate of Ranevskaya gave little reason to laugh: for 87 years she lived, she remained almost completely alone, and the reason for this was herself.
Reviews for the performance
In the reviews of the play “The Lone Mocker”, the audience shares their impressions of the play. Many people say that after leaving the hall they still have a feeling that they visited Faina Georgievna and sat at the table with her. Behind them, the door of her apartment quietly closed, and they went home under the impression of a meeting.
A performance is a small fraction of what could be told about Faina Ranevskaya. But this play, which lasts two hours, told a lot about the great and amazing woman. This is exactly what the audience of St. Petersburg described the play “The Lone Mocker” in the reviews. This is the essence of the dramatic comedy.