The St. Petersburg Times Friday, Jan 12,2001

"Translated Theater for Foreigners"

by Tom Masters

Theater-going in St. Petersburg can be more than a little intimidating for those whose Russian is not up to the finer nuances of Chekhov or Ostrovsky in their native language. A new project from the Russian Drama Studio Theater will therefore come as a relief to those who avoid local theater for linguistic reasons: The ensemble's aim is to let foreigners hear what they have been missing via personal headsets providing an English translation.

Galina Perveyeva, general director of the studio - which has been collaborating since last year with art club Fish Fabrique in showing cult Russian films with English translations - explained that the group aims to "deepen foreign guests' understanding of Russian film and theater."

"Foreigners can go to the opera, ballet or music concerts, but the whole field of drama is cut off from them without fluent Russian," Perveyeva said at the inauguration of the studio's latest venture, a stage adaptation of Andrei Platonov's short story "The Potudan River," which played at the Theater of Young Viewers (TYuZ) on Tuesday.

The fact that simultaneous translation was available - via headsets given out in the lobby - was perhaps the least unusual thing about the production, however. Those assembled in the theater's small hall were treated to a spectacularly original fusion of puppetry and acting from the cast in a performance that ironically often transcended language.

The unique writing style of Platonov - a writer who is currently in vogue, with works being adapted for the stages of both the Maly Theater and the Lensoviet at present - lends itself to innovative adaptation. Ruslan Kudashov's production, using hand-manipulated puppets, a sand pit and innovative lighting, brings home both the brutality and humanity of Platonov's prose.

Incorporating elements of physical theater, shadow puppetry and music in- to the production, Kudashov impressively demonstrated the broad talents of his actor puppeteers.

The play follows the return of a soldier, Nikita, to his village after the Russian Civil War, and charts his relationship with his girlfriend and father against the backdrop of an increasingly non-individualist society.

The English translation was handled highly competently by interpreter Tatyana Balandina, and the international audience received the performance very positively.

The ambitious program seeks to put on plays by Chekhov, Gogol, Pushkin, Ostrovsky and Nabokov among others, using renowned theaters such as the Bolshoi Drama Theater and the Alexandrinsky, while continuing to show films at Fish Fabric every Saturday. In keeping with the theatrical theme, this months films are Russian versions of Shakespeare.

Indeed, Gregory Chislev's Golden Mask-nominated production of Chekhov's early play "The Wood Demon" will be performed next Tuesday with translation - a larger production not involving puppetry.

"There is an unprecedented theatrical renaissance in St. Petersburg going on at the moment," says Perveyeva. "The theaters play to full houses, and more exciting productions are being staged all the time. We want to include the foreign community in this."

Theater of Young Spectators (TYuZ), 1 Pionerskaya Pl. Tickets for "The Wood Demon" are 100 rubles and can be ordered from Galina Perveyeva on 167-08-27 (English spoken).