The Chekhov Moscow Art Theater opened a series of performances of the play "The Seagull" in Beijing

The Chekhov Moscow Art Theater has opened a series of screenings of its play "The Seagull" in China. The venue for the first tour performance was Beijing.

The specific Beijing climate in August is hot and humid. The time difference with Moscow is five hours. But artists have to work, and more than that, they have to play.

"We focused on female characters, because it is women who are the main characters of this play for us, it is women who move this world, creating men the way they are," said Konstantin Khabensky, artistic director of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater.

Why the Seagull was taken to China is a completely meaningless question. If any theater has a Chaika in its repertoire, then this is a brand, even for the Moscow Art Theater — since the end of the 19th century. The Russian Theater is equal to "The Seagull".

"I know that there is a lot of interest in the Russian theater all over the world, and in China, of course. And so, I think we really hope that it will make a great impression," said Igor Vernik, People's Artist of the Russian Federation.

It's important that the Chinese think the same way. During the pandemic, the country was very homesick for the Russian theater. China then sealed its borders tightly for several years.

In China, they are honestly trying to "understand Russia with their minds." It's not always clear to the Chinese, but it's always interesting. Every single ticket was sold on takeoff.

"There is sign language translation, there is us. Probably, sophisticated viewers will come, and, probably, mostly those who do not know this play will come. And they will be watching this story for the first time, so it's about this mysterious Russian soul," Wernick said.

Chekhov will be given in China for three days: one performance in Beijing, one in Shanghai. Then there was one in Xiamen in the south-east of the country. Three screenings are three steps to understanding the soul.

One soldier in the field: the Moscow Art Theater staged "Twenty days without war"

How did the stage version of Konstantin Simonov's film story turn out?

On May 15 at the Moscow Art Theater named after Chekhov staged a play in the genre of "folk tale for adults." Khabensky and writer Alexander Tsypkin created the play "Once upon a Time There was a House." based on their own composition. The production consists of nine stories united by a common ending.

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