Critics have called this new
Theater of Nations production the biggest event of the theater season. It has become an instant audience favorite, with tickets sold out months in advance. The new Theater had invested great hopes in the show, and they have been realized in full.
The idea of presenting the classic Soviet author's famous stories on today's stage belongs to Alvis Hermanis, a director often referred to as the "new humanitarian" of the international theater. The result is a hilarious, bittersweet and heartwarming tale of the Russians that were, are and will be. Shukshin's absurd and moving heroes have appeared on the Moscow stage and taken on a very special life of their own.
Rather than "becoming" their characters – Soviet peasants from the 1970s – Russia's brightest theater stars represent them by telling and showing their stories. The performance is played out on a stage that is bathed in the light of the bright Altay sun and its sunflowers – and the light that streams from the eyes of present-day villagers of Srostki, Shukshin's homeland.
(In repertory and touring)
Yevgeny Mironov's recognition for his roles:
