The 15th Sochi Winter International Arts Festival begins today for a 10-day run of songs, theater, art as well as occasions, however last night was the festival drape raiser: a production of Moscow Sovremennik Theater called “Don’t Leave Your Planet” that premiered at the very first Sochi Winter Festival in 2016.
Based upon “The Little Prince” by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, it is a “musical as well as visual dream” that was developed by Konstantin Khabensky– the celebrated star, author, manufacturer, and supervisor that was recently called artistic supervisor of the Moscow Art Theater– and also Yuri Bashmet– the popular conductor, violinist and violist.
Their idea was brought to the stage by Viktor Kramer, that wove together the message (making use of Nora Gals’ translation right into Russian), designed the outfits as well as collections and directed it.
The stage collection is straightforward: a huge sandbox, a platform for musicians, and also a backdrop of a huge, about designed mountain as well as sky. The artists– the Moscow Soloists Chamber Orchestra– take their seats, led by Bashmet. And after that the wiry Khabensky ruptureds onto the phase in an antique natural leather pilot’s coat.
Throughout the next 90 mins, Khabensky is the pilot that has actually crashed in the Sahara, he is the mild Little Prince from the tiny asteroid earth of B612 who has actually been taking a trip to other planets, as well as he is all the personalities the Little Prince met on those other earths. Sometimes he ends up being the personalities on stage; in some cases he is predicted as the characters on significant, inflated globes, cubes, as well as various other shapes that appear in the desert– and then he plays two or more personalities simultaneously.
Khabensky switches personalities, moods, and also tales in an instant, keeping his ear on the target market to weave a complaining child into the story he is informing. He tornados the artists and tosses their music right into the skies; he takes Bashmet by the hand and also sits down on the podium to talk with him; he dashboards off phase and out of the theater only to return a couple of minutes later on bring the substantial prop to repair his aircraft. The story is carried up by the musical score, magnificently picked as well as executed, and by the shades, forms as well as images that are forecasted on the stage and the backdrop of hill and skies.
The fox that instructs the Little Prince about love appears as a white cello that a spotlight turns brilliant orange-red. Khabensky ends up being the fox. He leaves the phase and also wanders among the rows, choosing a random person to help him understand friendship. He asks bemused participant of the target market to take a couple of actions in the direction of him, and after that back; then ahead as well as back. This goes on for some time till he lets the male stroll right to him as well as they embrace. They both then stroll up and down the aisle hugging others.
The minute is wonderful. Khabensky does not break through the “fourth wall” to go into the world of the audience– he opens a hole whereby the audience gets in the globe of the pilot and also royal prince, where they can fulfill a fox with a lesson regarding love.
At the end, it isn’t clear if the Little Prince existed or was visualized by the pilot in his anxiety and also anguish; it isn’t clear if the Prince passed away or the pilot died. However in the end, it does not matter.
In Moscow you can see the program at the Sovremennik in March and April.
