Based on Nikolai Nekrasov's poem "Who Is Happy in Russia?"
The play consists of three parts.
The first is "Dispute". It is about peasants who are asking the famous question: “Who lives fun and freely in Russia?”. What forced them to give up homes and families and hit the road? Where are the boundaries of "Russian world"? What prevents them from finding long-awaited freedom?
The second part of production is "Drunken Night". Drunken peasants wander in the fields; they are hearing voices that are calling for them. Is it real, or the phantoms of a sick imagination?
The third part is "The Feast for All the World”. It is about happy people, about "the keys to female happiness", about defenders and blessed...
Kirill Serebrennikov, director:
“Nekrasov has made up “national poem language”. It is the first time after Pushkin when writer has invented his own recognizable unique verse. The poem was written when selfdom had already been cancelled in Russia. This work is about impossibility of getting freedom and convenience of habitual slavery.
To write these lines it is vital to love and clearly understand your country:
«You are as needy as abundant, and as mighty as powerless, Mother Russia!»
The premiere occurred on 15 September 2015.
Authors:
Composers:
Ilya Demutsky
Denis Horov
Costume designers:
Kirill Serebrennikov
POLINA GRECHKO