"St. Petersburg Vibe." Russian Director Staged "Heart on the Palm" by Shamyakin at Kupalauski — Reviews Are Polar
To promote the play, even food blogger Kakabay was invited.
"Heart on the Palm" as interpreted by Russian director Dmitry Akimov, who currently holds the position of artistic director at the Kupalauski Theatre, differs from the original source — it is an adaptation based on the theme, which was immediately emphasized during the work on the play.
In an interview with state journalists, Akimov shared that simultaneously with "Heart on the Palm," he considered another work by the writer for staging, about Chernobyl — "Evil Star," but the former "turned out to be closer to his heart."
The theater's management promises that Shamyakin is just the beginning of their new approach to the repertoire.
"The plan is to build Kupalauski's repertoire policy based on national culture and literature," Akimov commented, forgetting or not knowing that this was historically the case at Kupalauski, right up until the events of 2020.
Shamyakin's novel "Heart on the Palm" tells about events 20 years after the end of World War II, focusing on the fate of Doctor Savich and his repressed daughter Zosya. According to viewers who have already attended the premiere, in search of a new interpretation, the director lost the logic and vivid emotions of the original source.
"For the first time in my life, we left a performance; we waited until the end of the first act. More accurately, we wouldn't have lasted longer, even out of respect for the actors," shared one regular attendee of theater premieres on Threads.
According to the spectator, the production was overloaded with loud music, and the main characters were deprived of charisma and distinct personalities.
"How explosive Kiryl Shykovich is in Shamyakin's work — charismatic, he goes straight ahead. How boldly he allows himself to argue with Hukan. On stage, however, the character appears passive and soft, which completely devalues Shykovich's fight for truth. My subjective opinion: it's better to read Shamyakin's work itself."
"Splendid directing and acting, music, lighting, set design — all the pieces came together into a high-quality play, a kind of hypnotic magic. From the very first minutes, I caught the vibe of a production I saw in St. Petersburg at the Tovstonogov Theater," says theater blogger Iryna Valoshchyk, who has completely different impressions. She adds that the production "is not for everyone": "to some, it might seem boring."
"A classic Belarusian novel meets the tradition of Russian psychological theater," another Belarusian woman formulated her impressions of the premiere.
Bloggers invited to the preview of the play loudly advertised the production "as something one must see," noting the cinematographic quality and spectacular nature of the new offering at Kupalauski.
"To tears," was the laconic comment from food blogger Kakabay.
"For those who appreciate thought-provoking plays and thinking, rather than just visual stimulation," commented Ksenia Vyatskaya, an influencer who also specializes in food-related topics.
For some potential viewers, the invitation of non-theater bloggers for the play's promotional campaign became a red flag, after which they decided not to attend the premiere.
As critic Dzianis Marcinovich noted on social media, a pressing problem for today's theater scene is evident.
"Bloggers were invited to the premiere, and now all of 'Threads' is filled with their posts about how wonderful everything is. However, there isn't a single clear argument, just a collection of bombastic words. I can even theoretically assume that the play was a success. But prove it, explain why. After all, theatrical criticism deals with such explanations, and there's almost none of it now."
In addition to "Heart on the Palm," in the new season, Kupalauski invites audiences to performances of "The Gates of Immortality" by Kandrat Krapiva, "The Dawns Here Are Quiet" based on the novel of the same name by Boris Vasilyev, "Olshany Castle" by Uladzimir Karatkevich, "Paulinka" by Yanka Kupala, "Evening" by Aliaksey Dudarau, "Pisarau's Name Day" based on the play by Belarusian playwright Uladzislau Halubok, and more. There are no contemporary Belarusian authors among the works chosen by the theater for production.
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