Gypsy Prima Donna: they said goodbye to Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya in Moscow
The farewell ceremony for People's Artist of Russia Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya, who died on July 3 at the age of 83 from thromboembolism, took place at the Moscow Roman Theater. The audience, colleagues in the creative workshop and officials will see off the legendary actress, who has devoted more than 60 years to the world's only Gypsy professional stage. Izvestia joined Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya's fans.
Farewell to the legend
There was a portrait in the foyer of the Roman Theater, the only gypsy theater in the world. Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya, People's Artist of Russia, smiled from him with a surprisingly warm and insinuating smile. Millions will remember her like this. It seemed that she was still comforting, encouraging and tuning up the troupe before going on stage again, to which she devoted 62 years, becoming a symbol of the golden era of the theater.
Since the morning, people have been walking towards the building on Leningradsky Prospekt. Devoted viewers and colleagues carried flowers. It seemed that all the Gypsies of Moscow and envoys from other cities had come to worship the actress.
— It's very, very painful for me... Even knowing about her illness, no one was ready for this finale," Nikolai Sergienko, artistic director of the theater, admitted to Izvestia. — A month ago, I had a nagging feeling that something had happened to Katya. She didn't pick up the phone, it wasn't like her. The alarm sounded in the theater. And the director was confirmed: The actress is in the hospital.
It seemed that the crisis was over, everyone was waiting for her to return soon. However, that terrible call rang, and Nikolai Nikolaevich found out that Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya had died 20 minutes ago...
— In the theater they called her the Gypsy Prima Donna, — said the grandson of the actress Andrey Zhemchuzhny. — Thanks to my grandmother, I came to the theater. The dynasty will not end there, but will continue.
The grandson of the actress Andrey Zhemchuzhny
His daughter Olga, son-in-law Roman Groholsky, and grandchildren Andrey and Anastasia serve at Roman.
Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya created dozens of images. But, as colleagues say, she loved not to suffer more, but to please the audience. The actors behind the scenes recalled that Zhemchuzhnaya embodied both deep dramatic and vivid comedic roles equally powerfully — she literally "bathed" in comedies, playing them with special pleasure.
"She possessed the magic of happiness and luck"
Funeral wreaths were brought up from the big bosses. There was a snow-white coffin in the center. A mountain of flowers quickly grew next to him: roses, carnations, daisies, chrysanthemums. On the screen, shots from Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya's film biography replaced each other.
Cinema brought the All-Union love to the actress. Millions of Soviet viewers will forever remember her proud Dawn from "Eternal Call", the Karma of many children in "Carnival", and there were also vivid images in the cult film "Tabor goes to Heaven", in the TV series "Carmelita". On screen and in real life, she has always remained the standard of dignity and female honor.
— I was already a leading actress when she came to the theater, recalls People's Artist of Russia Irena Morozova. — The theater was our family. She and Goga, her future husband, Georgy Zhemchuzhny, grew up before my eyes. At that moment, we had a Spanish director named Gutierrez. One day Angel Georgievich noticed a ring on Goga's finger and asked: "Are you married?" - "No, it's so that women don't bother." George was so handsome that it was impossible to take your eyes off him.
According to Morozova, Ekaterina "possessed some kind of magic of happiness and luck."
"It was given to her by her mother, who died in her arms," Irena Borisovna added.
Actress Irena Morozova at the farewell ceremony with People's Artist of Russia Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya
As a friend recalls, Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya could achieve everything she dreamed of. If she wanted to live in Moscow, she went to college and stayed in the capital, and if she wanted to work in the theater, she got a job. And when she wanted to live on the main street of Moscow, after a while she got this cherished home.
"She could get her husband into any clinic, to the most famous doctor, nothing was impossible for her," says Irena Morozova. — She could easily approach the right person. And—this is unthinkable—he has already helped solve her question. Once she went to the State Duma and rode in the same elevator with a respected deputy. I complimented him and invited him to the theater, but with a caveat: we really don't have a play ready yet. There was no money in the theater at all then: times were hard, there was no time for art. As a result, the deputy smiled and found the money for the performance. "Is 10 thousand dollars enough?" he asked Katya. "That's probably enough," she replied.
"I don't want anything else without Goga"
Everyone said goodbye to Ekaterina Andreevna and talked about the extraordinary love in their family. When Georgy Zhemchuzhny passed away, it was a serious blow for the artist.
Nikolai Sergienko, Artistic Director of the Moscow Musical Drama Gypsy Theater "Roman"
"After his death, Ekaterina was oppressed by deep mental pain, which she desperately struggled with," recalls Nikolai Sergienko, artistic director of the Roman Theater, People's Artist of Russia. — Katya often came to my office just to cry. In those moments, we could remember our youth, laugh at something. But even when she laughed, there was still longing and an enduring pain in her eyes that nothing could stifle. Until the end of her days, she kept repeating: "I don't want anything else without Goga."
As Irena Morozova recalls, Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya left everything in her house as it was with her husband.
"There are also his shoes in the hallway, and she sometimes put them on," says a friend. — Katya didn't know how to cook. Goga always did this in their house. He didn't let her do anything around the house. Her legs hurt, so she could lie down.
Nikolai Sergienko says that the only disease that Ekaterina Andreevna did not suffer from was star fever.
— This is a very rare quality in the acting environment, — says the artistic director.
And actress Nana Mushtakova recalls that Ekaterina Andreevna taught young people to take care of themselves.
—She was the most elegant, crazy beauty, and she told us to do our hair only in the middle," says a colleague. — There was no arrogance in her: she had a warm look for every viewer, and wise advice for young artists. Now Katya has gone to her Goge — now they are both with God.
For the large Roman creative family, this day was a moment of the deepest unity in common grief. The theater and the family continuously received official government telegrams and messages from the leaders of Russian culture. Vladimir Mashkov, Chairman of the Union of Theatrical Figures of the Russian Federation, Nikita Mikhalkov, Chairman of the Union of Cinematographers of Russia, Sergey Nikonenko, President of the Guild of Film Actors of Russia, and Grigory Zaslavsky, Rector of RATI-GITIS, sent their condolences.
In the last minutes of the ceremony, a gypsy choir sounded in the hall, followed by a solo by People's Artist of Russia Ekaterina Zhemchuzhnaya. The Gypsy Prima Donna was seen off on her last journey to deafening applause and shouts of "Bravo!" When the coffin with the body was placed in the hearse, suddenly a warm rain began to fall. The weather seemed to be mourning the main gypsy woman of the country.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
