The members of this troupe have long been a kind of brand of domestic humor. Witty and unlike anyone, they are very popular, and performances and films with the participation of Quartet I according to the scripts that they write for themselves, instantly understand quotes and become winged.
The beginning of the creative path
Not everyone knows that in fact Quartet I (films with their participation will be described separately) does not consist of four people, but of five: besides Leonid and Rostislav, these are Alexander Demidov, Kamil Larin and Sergey Petreikov (the last of these is artistic director).
But it all started with Odessa. More precisely, when Leonid Barats and Rostislav Khait (better known as Lesha and Slava) back in 1978 became classmates in their first year of study at the Odessa school. However, they became friends with other participants of the future Quartet only a decade later, while studying at GITIS.
It’s no secret that the theater audience has previously learned the answer to the question: “Who are the Quartet And?” Films with their participation (a list of all film works can be seen later) gained immense popularity, but the guys are more known as a theater troupe. But the first steps to success were, as is usually the case, uncertain and difficult. Tickets were sold poorly, and the proceeds were not enough to cover the costs of staging, renting premises, etc. When it became quite difficult, one of its members, Sergey Petreikov, saved the troupe from the “death”. He rented his apartment on Bolshaya Nikitskaya to foreign lodgers, and donated the rent for the development of the future theater ($ 7,000 by that standards was a huge amount). Of course, this money was returned to him over time.
First successes
In 1995, the play "La Comedy" saw the light - the first project, after which there were regular viewers. Three years later, the guys engaged in stage improvisations called "Acting Games". In 1999, La Comedy 2, the first performance, was released, the proceeds of which exceeded the cost of the production. But real success came in 2001. It was this year that the guys launched their new performance - Radio Day, which became their hallmark. This was followed by a continuation - “Election Day”, then “Faster than rabbits”, as well as the first works in the cinema ...
Films featuring the Quartet And
The list opens the film "Election Day." In fact, the guys have long had a ripening desire to create a movie. And then one day a St. Petersburg businessman came to them with the desire to make a film out of the play “Election Day”, because he believed that this was the most urgent topic for the audience. Having become not only a sponsor, but also a producer, Nikolai Ulyanov (that’s the name of the businessman) called Oleg Fomin to the director’s chair . But in the end, the rental of the film did not bring the investor profit. And the Quartet participants themselves were dissatisfied with the film, motivating them to be too much like a play, and they suggested that the play “Faster than Rabbits” should be made to film, they say, it is more cinematic. But the final word was not theirs. This was followed by a continuation - “Radio Day”, this time more successful. And although the plot of the continuation is not connected in any way with the first film, our favorite Quartet I is in the title role. Films with their participation (the list can be seen below) after that began to gain an increasing audience.
“Election Day” (2007)
This, in the author’s definition of “force majeure,” comedy begins with a phone call in the apartment of the director of the Moscow radio station “Like Radio”. An oligarch named Emanuil Gedeonovich “asked” to send the staff of the radio station to one of the Volga regions to promote Igor Tsaplin, the candidate for governor. Children will have to face the local mafia, Cossacks, police and soldiers, as well as pressure from the local governor. Despite all the problems, our heroes come out of any situation with humor and enviable professionalism. As a result, Igor Tsaplin gains an overwhelming majority of votes in the elections, but it turns out that the elections were won not in the area where necessary. The film ends with the oligarch sending a new candidate.
Radio Day (2008)
Starring - all the same "Quartet And." Films with their participation (the list began to replenish almost every year) are very diverse and not similar to the previous ones.
Now this is a story about a crazy night in the life of the radio station “Like Radio”. An emergency happened: when only a few minutes were left before the live broadcast, it suddenly turns out that the topic of the live marathon was intercepted by competitors. However, it is impossible to cancel the marathon, because each employee may be out of work, and besides, leading rock musicians of the country are invited to the rally. Guys are required to come up with a new topic.
Meanwhile, a boat carrying the animals of a local regional circus on board went on tour from Japan to Nakhodka. Suddenly, in the open sea, the boat stalls. It turns out that the crew member "left" leaked half the fuel tank. And the remaining fuel should have been enough, but only the second crew member (ship's captain) had leaked half the tank even earlier ...
Thanks to the creative efforts of the Kak Radio staff, the KTSR 12 boat turned into a huge ship in distress in the Sea of ​​Japan, Doctor of Sciences Professor Schwarzenhold, with the rarest animals on board. And of course, all this is presented exclusively on the air of the radio station. While the guys are asking to comment on the situation "Bridget Bardot herself", the Ministry of Emergencies and the Ministry of Defense are joining the fight for the animal gene pool ...
“What Men Talk About” (2010)
Four friends go by car from Moscow, through Kiev, to Odessa, to a concert of the rock band Bi-2. During the trip, friends discuss pressing issues that concern middle-aged men: love and friendship, lies, the transfer of grandmothers across the road, and even the conventions of contemporary art ... As a result, the guys, despite the accident, end up at the concert.
“What else are men talking about” (2011)
December 31, Moscow. Sasha and some wealthy woman did not miss each other's cars. Scandalously, the woman sends two impressive defenders to "deal" with Alex. Alexander did the only thing he could, he called his friends for help. And now, being locked up in Sasha’s office (waiting for them on the street), friends again talk about life, share who they wanted to become in childhood and who achieved something in life. And they are also trying to figure out a question that torments everyone: how to deal with beloved, and sometimes unbearable, women?
“Faster than rabbits” (2013)
Two friends wake up in a strange room - a house consisting of rooms and corridors, with no windows and doors. Trying to find out what happened yesterday, friends meet people who are busy with the same problem. The company is also concerned about unexpected finds: a memorial table and a gravestone. Everyone frantically recalls how they got here? And finally, where is this "here"? Isn’t it time to think about what they leave behind?
"Wonderland" (2015)
This time the heroes are from different parts of the country. Here is a family from the province, which had a chance to get to the "Field of Miracles", and a teaching staff member who is experiencing his first working day, and who drinks Valera, who has a choice: to save the world from a global flood or fly away with aliens to another planet, and young lovers introducing their parents, as well as four passengers who can’t fly to Moscow in any way ...
Election Day 2 (2016)
Igor Vladimirovich Tsaplin is re-elected for a third term. Having done nothing for the region, he wonders: is it all this? In addition, the advertised bridge across the Volga collapsed right during its grand opening. And this is just before the election! A team of PR political strategists from Moscow takes up the matter ...
What's next?
It is worth noting one detail regarding the creative team with the name “Quartet I”: films with their participation (the list was listed) have long gone beyond the scope of the usual comedy film - they have a place in drama, melodrama, and even philosophy. They amaze their viewer with every new project. And once again, after watching a play or a movie, the question arises: “And what, in fact, is next? How else will they surprise you? ” This is what fans have to figure out.