"The Seagull" in Beijing: Moscow Art Theater named after Chekhov showed China the Khabensky method

From August 8 to August 23, a tour of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater will take place in three Chinese cities. Konstantin Khabensky, the artistic director of the renowned stage, brought Chekhov's famous "The Seagull" to the Eastern audience, with which the Stanislavsky Theater began 127 years ago. The launch was given by the premiere in Beijing. Shanghai and Xiamen are next in line. How Russian artists were received in China and what a surprise Khabensky prepared for the audience — in the Izvestia report.

How China surprised Russian artists

After an eight-hour flight, a delegation of Russian artists landed in China. There are plans for a two-week tour in Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen. The renowned Moscow team brought to China Chekhov's famous "The Seagull", the symbol of the Moscow Art Theater and the first directorial work of its artistic director Konstantin Khabensky.

The tour program includes nine screenings of the play. In addition to work, the artists' schedule includes exploring local beauties. On the first day, the troupe went for a walk around Beijing. In the morning, a trip to the Forbidden City: high gates, red walls, roofs decorated with golden figures — everything gave them the impression of a large—scale performance, where the scenery has been stationary for many centuries. Next is the exit to the Great Wall of China.

Konstantin Khabensky, Artistic Director of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater, actor, director of the play The Seagull

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko

"This is my first time in China,— Konstantin Khabensky confessed to Izvestia. — Beijing greeted us with an abnormal heat wave. She decided to break us right away, but it didn't work out. We were on the Chinese Wall, went to the Imperial Palace, walked around, fantasized.

While some were photographing local fashionistas, Chinese lanterns and famous architecture, Igor Vernik started looking for a teapot. It turns out that the actor has been collecting them for many years.

— I really love East Asian culture. I have a huge cupboard at home, full of Chinese teapots. Friends who have been here on business trips have always brought them to me. That's how the collection developed. But I've always dreamed of coming here personally and finding the one," Wernick told Izvestia.

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"Everyone in China knows Chekhov's play very well"

There is still interest in our Russian culture in China. This is evidenced by the demand for touring performances. The Moscow Art Theater will perform three times at the Poly Theater in Beijing as part of the trip, but there are almost no free tickets.

— In China, everyone knows Chekhov's play very well. We also staged The Seagull in many versions by Russian and European authors, as well as productions by our domestic theaters," one of the local residents told Izvestia.

Sofia Shidlovskaya as Nina Zarechnaya in a scene from the play "The Seagull"

Photo: RIA Novosti/Pavel Bednyakov

In his "The Seagull" Konstantin Khabensky tells a story about people and for people. This is a conversation about youthful maximalism, human selfishness, and the desire and need to be heard and loved here and now. According to the director, these themes are universal and understandable in every corner of the world. And as a compliment to foreign viewers, he added Chinese to the lines.

— We decided to share our variation of the reading of Chekhov's "The Seagull", how we feel about it today. We focused on female characters. For us, they are the main characters of this play. It is women who make this world, creating men the way they are," said the artistic director.

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The first cry of the Seagull

This is not the first tour of the renowned theater in Beijing. Before that, the troupe came here in 2006 and 2011. Those viewers who were already familiar with the band were all the more excited. At the entrance to the theater, the guests were greeted by a giant poster of the Moscow Art Theater "Seagull". There was a lively noise in the lobby. This evening is not just a tour, but a meeting of two theatrical worlds, played out in front of the Beijing audience and envoys of cultural diplomacy.

Igor Vernik as Evgeny Dorn in a scene from the play "The Seagull"

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko

— Chekhov's plays are very complex. In them, as they say, everything is under water. They consist of many layers. Of course, I know that there is a lot of interest in Russian theater in China, as well as around the world. Therefore, we really hope that the performance will make a great impression on the audience," said Igor Vernik.

The very first show did it. The local audience watched the action with bated breath, respecting every word and the famous pauses. Even in an unfamiliar language environment (the play is in Russian with simultaneous translation on the screens), attention is focused on the rhythm of human relationships. Here Trigorin (Andrey Maksimov) enters the stage through the hall, and Nina Zarechnaya (Sofya Shidlovskaya) runs around the stalls, now Arkadina (Kristina Babushkina) goes down to the audience and sobs into their vest when the manager does not give them horses — full immersion.

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After the final scene, there is a pause in the audience — the one that actors are used to producing: no whistling, no thunder, just a long, respectful silence. Then the applause, timid at first, then louder. In Beijing, as in any major cultural center, people do not come for a "show", but to appreciate their skills and reflect.

Andrey Maksimov as Boris Trigorin and Kristina Babushkina as Irina Arkadina in a scene from the play "The Seagull"

Photo: RIA Novosti/Vladimir Fedorenko

— When the audience comes to the theater, they expect a conversation with the universe, with themselves through great playwrights, writers, directors, actors. This is the most important conversation. Nothing can compare to this feeling when a piece of life passes in front of you in three hours. Theater changes consciousness, makes the world a better place. I really believe that our tour in China will also contribute to making this world even more beautiful," concluded Wernick.

After the performances in Beijing, the Moscow Art Theater will show "The Seagull" at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center (August 15, 16 and 17) and finish the tour on the stage of Xiamen Jiageng Theater (August 22 and 23).