Through friction — stars: five Russian theaters plan performances in Israel
The Nikitsky Gate Theater is planning a two-week tour of Israeli cities with its famous production of Songs of Our Courtyard. Initially, they wanted to hold performances in the summer, but after the bombing they were postponed to September, Izvestia found out. Tickets are still on sale for other performances of Russian theaters in this country. So, Danila Kozlovsky is going to present his project "Loud" here, and Alexander Domogarov is going to present the play "Vertinsky". Daniil Spivakovsky and Andrey Ilyin are bringing the lyrical detective story "Attention to Me." The Boris Eifman Ballet Theatre is also preparing for concerts in Tel Aviv. Fighting, scandals and disruptions of Russian tours in the past have not stopped anyone: the public is waiting for these performances and is willing to pay for them, the producers say.
Which of the Russian stars will come to Israel
Despite the tense situation in the region, Israel has seen a marked increase in interest in Russian theater projects in recent months. We are talking not only about the performances of emigrated artists, whose performances in Tel Aviv, Netanya and Haifa have been established on a regular basis, but also about the productions of state theaters.
Five teams from Russia are going to bring their projects to Israel at once, Izvestia has learned. In June, Danila Kozlovsky's production company plans to present the romantic comedy "Loud" starring Victoria Tolstoganova and Maxim Vitorgan. In July, Alexander Domogarov and the jazz quartet of Evgeny Bortsa are preparing to play the musical and dramatic play "Vertinsky".
At the same time, the U Nikitsky Gate Theater plans to give 15 performances of Songs of Our Courtyard in seven cities of the country, and Daniil Spivakovsky and Andrey Ilyin will play the lyrical detective story "Attention to Me" seven times. The parade Alley should end with the Boris Eifman Ballet, which is going to show six performances of Crime and Punishment in Tel Aviv in September.
Boris Eifman, Soviet and Russian choreographer
The organizer of the tour, producer Ronen Spaner, calls this wave of interest logical and logical.
— Fresh faces are always needed. Those who left Russia have already become familiar. And these artists have been gone for a long time. We want to see how the public will accept them," he told Izvestia.
"The police commander said that they want to stage a terrorist attack in our hall in Tel Aviv"
According to the promoter's calculations, the number of tours by Russian bands has doubled in 2025 compared to last year. However, every trip comes with a risk.
So, in 2022 and 2024, pro-Ukrainian activists tried to disrupt the tours of the Russian Ballet Theater, but each time the Israeli anti-fascist movement stood up for the artists.
In 2023, Anatoly Bely, an ex-artist of the Moscow Art Theater (listed by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation in the register of foreign agents), launched a revolt on social networks against the tours of the Lenkom Theater, which planned to show the legendary play "Memorial Prayer" on the stage of the oldest Israeli theater "Gabima". Then the trip was canceled due to threats.
In the same year, 2023, the musical "Dudes" starring Anastasia Stotskaya and Alexander Peskov was in jeopardy. Ronen Spaner was doing the touring.
— I almost had a heart attack before the concert. The chief police commander called me and said that they were planning to stage a terrorist attack in our hall in Tel Aviv because Russian artists were coming. It was two days before the performance," Shpaner said.
According to the producer, all the actors unanimously decided to go on stage, despite the risk. It later turned out that the message turned out to be a provocation.
— We have grown ourselves an "elephant skin" and we just take into account that it will be hard, there will be troubles. But what to do? Money is money. Every business is a risk," explains Shpaner.
Politics and theater: who goes, despite the haight
Now similar worries surround Alexander Domogarov's future tours. Anna Mongayt and Ksenia Larina, who left Russia (both included in the register of foreign agents by the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation), launched a campaign against the artist on social networks, accusing him of working in the Theater of the Russian Army and supporting the actions of the Russian Federation in Ukraine.
Izvestia contacted Alexander Domogarov. He declined to comment in detail, but added: "There are many unanswered questions. It's all a bit later."
Tickets are actively being sold for all three performances of Vertinsky. The tour is scheduled from July 18 to July 20 in Haifa, Ashdod and Tel Aviv. Prices range from 256 (approximately 5800 rubles) to 406 shekels (9200 rubles).
— Even if one ticket is sold, we will still hold. Just for the thrill. We can afford it. Domogarov is selling well now, although the performances are only in mid-July. That is, there is a demand for it in Israel. This can be seen from the tickets sold," Ronen explains.
According to the producer, the Israeli touring market is a complex mechanism. On the one hand, there are many Russian—speaking people in the country who want to see theater stars from Russia live, but on the other hand, the political affiliation of the artist is important to many.
— For us, the producers, it doesn't matter. But the audience immediately reads what was said, who and when. Some went to Crimea, some to Ukraine. And then they write on the Internet," Shpaner said.
Haight on social media doesn't mean bad sales. According to the expert, if people are waiting for an artist, they "buy tickets, come and clap, despite the nastiness on the Internet."
The U Nikitsky Gate Theater is the only state drama theater from Russia that plans to arrive in Israel with a large—scale two-week tour.
— We have received an invitation from Israel to bring the legendary performance "Songs of Our Courtyard", which will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. This performance is a living chronicle of national memory. In Israel, we are waiting for those for whom these songs are part of a personal story. This is a dialogue theater: the audience sings with us, laughs, and cries. Not a performance, but a time machine," the theater's press service told Izvestia.
Mark Rozovsky's team hopes for a good reception and is confident that the Israeli public loves and awaits them.
How much does it cost for artists from the Russian Federation to tour and why is it beneficial for producers?
Satisfying the cultural interest of the audience is certainly not the only motivation for Israeli promoters. According to Shpaner, this is also a financially profitable deal.
— We bring them from Russia because, according to our money, it is very, very cheap. But the tickets we sell can't be expensive. And it's still worth it," the source concluded.
The promoter did not disclose the specific cost of the Russian projects, citing confidential information. However, he noted that the average performance for a touring group of ten people, of which only half will be artists, costs about 350-450 thousand rubles.
— At the current exchange rate, this is about 15-20 thousand shekels. We take the Auditorium in Haifa. That's about 1,200 seats. Tickets are an average of 300 shekels. This is 360 thousand shekels. So count it," the producer concluded.
Touring prospects of Russian theaters
Shpaner is confident that every year more and more Israeli producers will try to bring Russian stars to the country. The entrepreneur himself is preparing to resume cooperation with Anastasia Stotskaya and Alexander Peskov and a number of private projects.
As for the tours of major state theaters, there are some nuances here. Kirill Krok, director of the Vakhtangov Theater, told Izvestia that he was negotiating with foreign producers, but there were no concrete proposals yet. According to him, the Vakhtangov Theater also travels abroad in the summer, but to safe countries.
— There are significantly fewer such countries. So far, only three or four have remained open. Nevertheless, I am sure that both in the West and in America there will come an awareness of the political situation in which our country lives. I am convinced that in the near future or in the medium term, Russian theaters will return to the world," said Krok.
Russia is a great theatrical power that cannot be excluded from all global processes, he added.
— This idea is doomed to fail. I think the hottest heads in the West understand that they cannot exist without Russian culture," Krok told Izvestia.
If the summer performances of Russian theaters are successful and without disruption, this will be a signal to other venues, Izvestia's interlocutors believe. Over the past few years, the country has produced enough productions that can be brought to Israel and count on sales.
The following information has now appeared on the websites of Israeli sites: "Dear customers! Due to the current situation and in accordance with the instructions of the logistics service, during the state of emergency, all appeals are accepted exclusively in writing at: info@showman.co.il . Up-to-date information about the status of the events you are interested in is available on our website. We will inform you about any changes additionally. Thank you for your understanding and please stay tuned. Take care of yourself!"
Producer Ronen Spaner told Izvestia that while the country is "sorting out the primary problems: someone's houses have been destroyed, someone's loved ones have died." About Russian theaters, he says: "If they don't bomb and the situation allows, they will. If it doesn't allow it, it will be canceled." Tickets are still on sale, so far it is only known about the postponement of the Mark Rozovsky band's tour. The rest of the artists are still getting ready to go.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
