Shakespeare on both your houses: Apeksimova's daughter staged Bernstein

There is no story more famous than the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Even if the action is transferred to the New York slums, the lovers are called Tony and Maria, and instead of Montague and Capulet, the Jets and Sharks gangs are at war. On the stage of the Taganka Theater, "West Side Story" appears almost the same as it has been known for several generations of viewers: without a radical rethink, but with a strong acting ensemble, spectacular choreography and music that still sounds modern. Izvestia was among the first to see the premiere of the new theatrical season.

A story with an unhappy ending

While the stage is hidden by an iron curtain, an orchestra led by Armen Poghosyan comes out to the audience. The performance begins with the recognizable music of Leonard Bernstein. The interlude gradually gains tension, and then, under the mechanical hum and tremor of the structure, the orchestra descends into the pit.

White letters flash on a red background — "West Side Story". A name familiar to every musical theater fan.

The musical appeared on Broadway in 1957, and four years later it turned into a film that won ten Oscars from 11 nominations and three Golden Globes. Directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins brought the story of Romeo and Juliet to New York in the 1950s. Instead of Montague and Capulet, there are the Jets and Sharks gangs, instead of medieval Verona, there are the streets of Manhattan, instead of ancestral enmity, there is a conflict of youth groups. But the plot remains unchanged: love, which turned out to be stronger than hatred, and tragedy, which can reconcile enemies.

At one time, "West Side Story" revolutionized musical theater, which had long been considered an exclusively entertaining genre. To the music full of love and pain, the characters sang and danced, talking about juvenile delinquency, violence, migration, racial discrimination, human rights and interethnic conflicts.

Before the current production on the stage of the Taganka Theater, the musical was staged in Moscow only once — in 1965, at the Operetta Theater. Now Daria Avratinskaya, the leading actress of Taganka and the daughter of theater director Irina Apeksimova, has taken over it. This is her directorial debut.

The project was not born easily. The name and production team changed. At the gathering of the troupe, Irina Apeksimova shared with Izvestia that her daughter's debut was largely a result of the prevailing theatrical circumstances. Avratinskaya not only saved the play, but also appeared on stage herself in the role of Anita, combining acting with directing.

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Love with a taste of Broadway

The tier with the musicians went underground, and three others rose up in front of the audience — the brick walls of the New York slums, abandoned by decent Americans and left to be torn apart by illegal migrants.

They throw a basketball into the ring, resolve local conflicts over the division of the territory, negotiate with local authorities, and, of course, dance in the evenings. From the first minutes of the musical, two thoughts appear in my head: the first is how beautifully the artists sing and move, the second is that we have already seen it all somewhere.

The set design of the play seems to remember the cinematic original. It recognizes the same New York - tough, cramped, disconnected, where space itself becomes a participant in the conflict. The same thing happens with costumes. In West Side Story, clothes are not just a sign of the times. It helps to divide the world of the characters into "friends" and "strangers", to emphasize belonging to a group, social environment, temperament. Latin American migrants — in fiery outfits, Americans — from head to toe in denim.

In the original film, the costume was part of a carefully constructed art world. Costume designer Irene Sharaff also won an Oscar for her work.

The once audacious production eventually became a classic. The revolutionary pathos gave way to the status of a musical legend. Nerves softened, corners smoothed out, and a bold conversation about the problems of the country and its citizens once again became a love story in a bright package.

The Taganka Theater stage remembers both manifesto performances and radical statements, but "West Side Story", of course, does not apply to such. But she opens up the possibilities of the young part of the troupe. The artists sing confidently, freely exist in the most complex plastic and withstand a serious choreographic load. It is especially important for this musical that dance here is not an ornament, but a full—fledged dramatic language.

Choreographer Nikita Vysotsky carefully transferred Jerome Robbins' recognizable choreography to the stage. The musicians accurately convey the scale of Leonard Bernstein's score, which combines academic tradition, jazz and Latin American rhythms. The artists adequately cope with the most difficult musical material.

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On the pre—premiere day, a surprise awaited the guests - artists from two compositions took the stage. Alexandra Khovanskaya and Pavel Levkin began the joint aria, then they were replaced by Alana Chochieva and Grigory Pavlishin, after which Khovanskaya and Levkin returned to performing. Obviously, it was important for the theater to check all the participants before the premiere, but the integrity of the drama was noticeably affected by this design.

As a result, "West Side Story" turned out to be a careful rather than a bold performance. He does not argue with the cult film of 1961, but carefully follows its intonation. The set design repeats a recognizable visual image, the costumes support its aesthetics, the mise-en-scenes refer to the Broadway original, and the plot remains the same tragedy about love among warring teenagers.

Even the inclusion of lines from Boris Pasternak's translation of Shakespeare in the production does not make this story truly his own. It is possible to regret that the performance lacked its own directing gesture, especially since the young team has all the possibilities for this. But so far, Taganka has not rewritten "West Side Story" in its own way.