A musical comedy, or musical, has long become a familiar part of our cultural and entertainment program. Despite the fact that this genre was born in America, it was very liked by the whole world. Contemporary art is already inconceivable without original, from the point of view of staging, scenery and involved actors, musical performances. The Wastelands, a musical whose reviews consist entirely of superlative adjectives, was first shown in November 2012.
About the musical
The genre of musical comedy itself is unique. Sometimes critics say that this is a revived operetta. There is some truth to this. But there are some differences:
1. The musical never had its own drama. All librettos correspond with classical operettas or dramatic works.
2. The musical part of the productions is replete with jazz techniques, departing from the canons of classical operetta.
3. Often the performances are based on shocking, stunned spectators.
4. The choreography of the musical is fundamentally different from the salon dances of the operetta.
In general, musicals are much more complicated and realistic than classic light operetta productions. This is perhaps the most important difference - the performance can be a comedy, drama, phantasmagoria or tragedy. And the operetta is a light comedy.
Old song in a new way
In 1926, the writer Valentin Kataev wrote a story, which he converted into a script for the drama theater in a couple of years - the play “The Wastelands”. The musical theater took on this work, and the light was an excellent sight. Let's be honest: not every modern viewer knows the name of Valentin Kataev. The first books to come to mind were the books “The Lone Sail Whitens” and “The Son of the Regiment”, and even his satirical works were definitely not read by everyone. But in vain!
For the first time, the play was staged by the director of the Moscow Art Theater Gorchakov. These stages were awarded such an honor, because in 1925 the government announced the fight against theft and embezzlement in the industries of all sectors of the national economy. Kataev at the same time ridiculed philistinism - a tasteless desire for a "beautiful" life.
It should also be noted that The Wastelands (a musical about which all the media published immediately after the premiere) was written on the basis of materials from rabcors who sent their works to satirical magazines. So we can declare with full responsibility: the plot is based on real events.
Search for investors
Despite its considerable age (about 90 years), the play remains relevant to this day. In an interview, Maxim Leonidov, the author of music for the musical, said that “the theme of this joke” is not just not outdated, but is becoming more in demand every day, judging by the news programs and the headlines of the print media.
According to the author of the libretto and the director of the modern version of Alexander Shavrin, the musical The Wastelands (tickets for the Broadway tradition for the premiere performance were sold at half price) literally scared potential investors. Bankers, without thinking for a second, refused, hearing the name of the future production. Probably, the associations with this word are so strong that no one wanted to finance such a project.
What is the play about
What is so terrible telling "Wasterers"? The musical, reviews of which do not focus on the obvious theme of the play, takes us to the time of the NEP. The new economic policy is the development of cooperative and entrepreneurial activities, a fun life, the desire to surround oneself with “wealth” and “foreign” things, light dances and glamor.
It was at this time that Mr. Prokhorov Philip Stepanovich, the protagonist of the play, “grabbed” the treasury of the enterprise. And of course, squandered it. As the chief accountant, Philip Stepanovich could not independently turn his scam. Therefore, on stage appears his companion - cashier Vanechka.
With stolen money, they go on the run, look for a beautiful life, traveling around the country, and find themselves in the center of events of many unusual stories. The desire to get into high society (according to the laws of the NEP, which consisted of nobles of the former empire) and take a walk in taverns echoes the fun festivities of commoners from Vanechka’s homeland. Of course, justice could not be without triumph - the robbers were eventually caught and sentenced to five years each.
Adventures, lyrical history, fun - all this so meets the requirements of the genre that it is simply impossible to miss the musical The Wastelands. The actors, mostly young and not yet famous, judging by the reviews, perfectly got used to the images, managed to convey the extravaganza of time and the phantasmagoria of adventure.
And morality is what morality is!
We learn a lot from Western culture; not finding suitable terms in our language, we attach particular importance to foreign ones. So it is here. The musical message is very correct - happiness is nearby, you just have to look around; crazy riches and crazy adventures are not the most important component of our life. And the pursuit of them often turns into incredible problems and tears.
But what we need, we do not value - the love of a good person, for example. And this is the most expensive. Understanding such a simple truth comes during the endless runs and adventures of our heroes.
Debut
To write music for his performance, Alexander Shavrin drew the famous artist and beat-hit writer Maxim Leonidov. What did the “Wasterers" turn out to be? The musical (the opinions of the audience on this issue are unanimous) perfectly conveys the era of the 20s of the 20th century. Here there is a variety of styles, and the dissonances of time (and music), and reckless gypsy festivities, and urban romance, and, of course, the Soviet symphony of the beginning of the century. It should be noted that for the first time Maxim Leonidov acted as the author of music for a full-fledged performance. Maxim himself called this musical “a paradise for the composer”: light couplets, “thieves” songs and romances - this is not the whole arsenal of musicians.
During the casting, it turned out that it was very difficult to choose a singing dramatic actor of respectable age. The central aria of Philip Stepanovich requires not just vocal data, but professional singing skills. Therefore, the composer also became the lead actor. Periodically, he is replaced by Alexei Kortnev.
In the remaining roles, as already noted, there are no high-profile star names. The production involves young, but already quite famous Ksenia Larina and Anna Guchenkova, Artem Lyskov and Stanislav Belyaev.
Scenery
Talking about the play "Wastelands" (a musical lasting 2.5 hours), you can not ignore the scenery. The change of the backdrop occurs already 29 times! The art of the time of the NEP is so diverse and free that the artists-decorators could not resist. We observe the experiments inherent in that era on the stage: surrealism, cubism, avant-garde ... Artist Olga Shagalina (reviews from satisfied viewers confirm this fully) did everything bright and colorful, catchy and unusual.
The era of the proclamation of freedom
Among other things, the beginning of the 20th century is also significant with the freedom that a woman realized, and most importantly, received. Therefore, we like the fashion of those years - lightness, flirty, emphasized femininity in every detail of the toilet. Flowing fabrics, light draperies, ruffles, stockings, hats ....
Of course, the creators of the play could not leave this moment aside. Female extras look like a great vaudeville, which is even more breathtaking and already amazed and enthusiastic viewer.