The title role is taken by Yevgeny Mironov, a top stage artist and, quite simply, one of the leading Russian actors today.
Grigory Zaslavsky
Courtesy of vesti.ru, 2011
Yevgeny Mironov, a powerful actor with amazing stage presence
... , at times reaches the heights of genuine tragedy here.
Yekaterina Danilova
Courtesy of culturavrn.ru, 2011
This may just be Mironov's greatest role yet.
Alyona Karas
Rossiiskaya gazeta, 2011
Nekrošius put his money on Yevgeny Mironov because he knew: laying bare the arduous soul-searching that turns up emptiness, the horror of facing nonexistence, the despair and agony felt by a sensitive but damaged soul – only one actor is equal to the task. Once again Mironov displays his singular ability to cast aside his own nature for the sake of the role, in the name of charting another spirit's course. His effort is explicit and palpable; the intensity with which the Theater of Nations' artistic director portrays the charismatic tyrant is unreal. Playing a madman, Mironov places himself on the brink of madness.
Nataliya Vitvitzkaya
Vash dosug, 2011
In this staging Mironov hazards the treacherous peaks of emotional frenzy from the likes of which many a Dostoyevsky hero has fallen.
Olga Pogodina-Kouzmina
Courtesy of chaskor.ru, 2011
For the length of the four-hour show Mironov carries most of the burden.
... Deftly negotiating the rollercoaster of life and death in ancient Rome is all in a day's work for him.
... A fabulously complex Caligula drawn by a master's hand.
Yelena Dyakova
Novaya gazeta, 2011
This has got to be Yevgeny Mironov's most powerful role to date
... – a trenchant and intense portrayal of a soul's quest for perfection that paves its road to Hell.
... The vastness of his existential loneliness sends shivers down your back.
Nataliya Kaminskaya
Kultura, 2011
Mironov treads the far reaches of passion, not sparing himself physically or emotionally. His is a tragic hero in the ancient sense of the word, alluring and beautiful in his depravity.
Kseniya Larina
Novoye vremya, 2011
The consuming bitterness felt by a disillusioned boy who is determined to refute death with violence – but cannot decide whether he is an artist playing at being a monster, or a butcher with artistic flair – is given nuanced treatment by Yevgeny Mironov.
Alla Shenderova
Kommersant, 2011
Caligula moves so harmoniously you can't take your eyes off him. And it's not Mironov's agility but his staggering charm that is responsible: in his pursuit of transcendental freedom this Caligula is spellbindingly attractive.
... For four hours straight, the brilliant actor – and I do not use the word lightly – pours his soul into the role, stretching the limits of artistic commitment to a degree unparalleled on the modern stage.
... The playbill
... should rightly say "staging by Eimuntas Nekrošius and Yevgeny Mironov", so great is Mr. Mironov's contribution to the artistic whole.
Zhanna Zaretzkaya
Courtesy of fontanka.ru, 2011
Onstage, Mironov challenges the laws of gravity the way Caligula challenges moral norms. The show's elaborate gymnastic and acrobatic elements equate the actor with the role. Existing at the limits of human endurance, Mironov/Caligula tightens the strings with each scene, taking the character's actions beyond the brink of absurdity and horror.
Rodion Chemonin, Denis Zhulin
Courtesy of annews.ru, 2011
In a stunning display of agility, the emperor climbs what is essentially a vertical slab of roofing.
... A top-notch performance by Yevgeny Mironov.
... The greatest stage actor of his day brings to the role of Caligula emotions that can barely be named.
Olga Romantzova
Gazeta, 2011
In fairness, Yevgeny Mironov's performance deserves a detailed description and thorough analysis.
... By some intangible means – a facial expression, a few repeated gestures, a hush, a sudden halt – the actor manages to convey the junction of hollowness and heartbreak where Caligula suffers his meltdown.
... [His] best moments are those of an unbearable innocence.
Mariya Khalizeva
Ekran i stzena, 2011
The show features actor
numero uno – Yevgeny Mironov, the illustrious Prince Myshkin.
... The antihero's facial features
... are transformed: they blur, the eyes grow dim, the mouth snarls, the nose becomes a beak. The actor's visual metamorphosis right in front of the audience is as spectacular as it is frightening.
Liubov Lebedina
Tribuna, 2011
Mironov is in top physical form, able to perform stunts that verge on acrobatic.
Sergei Sychyov
Courtesy of interfax.ru, 2011
Mironov's masterful performance here is all about abrupt transitions: freeze – die – come to life. It's like there is a complex relay that sparks and clicks in his head at voltage limit, calculating the formula of passion and the trajectory of a leap into the history of Russian theater.
Oleg Zintzov
Vedomosti, 2011
Yevgeny Mironov's acting leaves little doubt that, like his character, he's living on the edge. Take, for instance, the stunt he pulls three times at each performance: standing at the footlights facing out, he suddenly runs backwards, eyes never leaving the audience, and backs into a narrow upstage archway at full speed. A slight misstep, and he'll crash into a Roman arch made of corrugated roofing
... . Why risk it? Because Mironov is not playing jacks. His is a dangerous game, akin to a confession. Without deviating from the director's outline, Mironov exposes for public inspection his own experience as a man close to power and endowed with it. Such is the nature of this actor's gift – to absorb and reflect all he sees. But because the anguish of his emperor is so immense and genuine, his turmoil so tragic and tenable, you find yourself inclined, against your better judgment, to show a little understanding and maybe even compassion for the powers that rule us today.
Yelena Levinskaya
Teatralnaya afisha, 2011
The Mironov/Mironova duet is a selfless and intelligent example of actors plugged into the director's concept.
... As he moves through the circles of Hell, Mironov's Caesar gets more and more appealing until, as he suffocates Caesonia with his body towards the play's end
... , you are surprised to catch yourself heaving a sigh of keen sadness.
Boris Pavlovich
Piterburgskii teatralnyi zhurnal, 2011
Yevgeny Mironov's Caligula is someone whom you love instantly, whose every appearance you cherish. You want to skip through the scenes he's not in.
Anna Balouyeva
Komsomolskaya pravda, 2011
The audience
... has come to see Mironov. To them, he is a guarantee of excellence.
Zoya Igumova
Sobesednik, 2011
This actor's participation in a project is a mark of quality in and of itself.
... An artist as dedicated as Yevgeny Mironov is a remarkable thing these days. He is always searching and trying new things, always honest and interesting to watch.
Olga Galakhova
Courtesy of rian.ru, 2011
Yevgeny Mironov is not just a charismatic talent; he is an actor of depth, subtlety and sensitivity who feels the role down to his fingertips.
Vash dosug, 2011
Mironov's glorious transformation into the infamous
... Roman emperor looked all the more genuine against the natural background of ancient Rome.
Dmitri Yerusalimsky
Courtesy of russkiymir.ru, 2011
So far, the show's only lucid and powerful offering is the personal story of Caligula as told by Yevgeny Mironov.
Dina Goder
Moskovskiye novosti, 2011
"Loneliness?", says Mironov softly – he really knows how to play it soft – and with that one word creates a moment of naked truth onstage.
... If you're thinking whether to see
Caligula ... , do it just to watch Yevgeny Mironov act.
Marina Tokareva
Courtesy of openspace.ru, 2011
One of Mironov's best.
Dmitri Renansky
Imperiya dramy, 2011
[Translated by Vlada Chernomordik for the Yevgeny Mironov Official Website]
