Russia has been a crazy, amazing, and sometimes overwhelmingly impactful experience. Our days have been filled with beautiful architecture, delicious food, and, of course, wonderful, outrageous theater. We've seen everything from small, intimate, experimental productions in black box theaters to grandiose ballets and operas in spectacular golden theaters, and everything in between. But one production stood out to me the most.
Before coming to Russia, Professor Robinson introduced me to a children's show by the name of Синяя Синяя Птица (Blue Blue Bird) with outlandish costumes, strange, whimsical music, and high-tech set, and I was unbelievably excited. When the day came, it was all that I imagined, and a whole lot more. Walking into the theater, we were met by hordes of children just as eager as us college kids, sitting in front of a beautifully ornate, dark blue curtain ordained with sparkling white doves, bring to mind the title of the show. I waited with baited breath for the magic to begin until a man with a conch shaped hat and crank organ walked in.
Well, four to be exact. Each conch-hatted, crank carrying man had a long nose paired with bushy eyebrows and mustaches, dressed in puffy, Elizabethan style pantaloons and ruffle collars, white tights, and platform foam sandals (used to make them all the same size), all offset by their candy apple red, bass drum shaped crank organs that spun hypnotizing red swirls on each side. They lumberd through the aisles, menacingly cranking their organs and slowly waving at us with their white gloved hands as they slowly made their way to the stage. This unsettling, clownish, wonderful ordeal was ever more warped with the introduction of our presumed emcee, a man with the same wild features as those in white, but in red coat tails and top hat, who goes by the name of Синьор Гастролли (Señor Gastrolly {Tours}). The band of strange clown men sing an eerie song of magic, wonderment, and foreboding to the children, then slowly make their way off stage. Let the story begin!!
When the curtain finally opens we are introduced to the main character, Матильда (Matilda) , a young girl with red pigtails and dark blue dress, her brother, Тиль (Till), with neon yellow hair and plaid PJs, and their grandmother, as they spend the rainy day inside playing. It is also here that we are introduced to the stupendous effects and set design in this production. Great, light up, movable sets that can smoak and change color, interactive projections behind (and sometimes in front of, with the use of a scrim) the set, and oddly proportioned, wild props and costumes, all paint the scene and make it seem as it had just jumped out of a child's imagination and took on a crazy mind of its own. This is all crowned by beautiful original vocal songs and underscores that mix pop, rock and roll, and new age electric to create an unbelievable soundscape gently floating through the theater. All this to help a pretty simple, yet incredibly fun story.
When Тиль gets “sick” (he's just really lazy), Матильда sets out on her own to get medicine, but is stopped by Синьор Гастролли, who, like Mr. Fox from Pinocchio, cons her out of all her money for a ride to a magical land made just for children. This displays another feat of technology, as, after riding away on 8 bit style, giant video game icons (Матильдаs fittingly being a bluebird), a miniature RC bluebird with a figure of Матильда on it's back flys around the theater, only to crash down after losing control. Being lost in this strange, magical world, Матильда must make her way across different lands full of carnivorous sweets, clockwork robots longing for love, and giant, half human half bird hybrids determined to capture her. Along the way, she meets her long lost teddy bear, Медвежонок Тидель (Tidell Bear), who informs her her brother has been captured by Царица Ночи (or the Queen of Night) and she must save him. In the end, all is well, when Матильда finds that the real Царица Ночи is just her inner doubts and childish fears and, by conquering Царица Ночи, she becomes strong enough to save her brother from his “cold” and be the strong big sister. I believe this was the perfect ending message for the children (and adults) in the audience, showing that, no matter how crazy or confusing and even overwhelming something can be, you can always overcome your worries and doubts to become strong.
As stated before, this performance fully lived up to my internal hype. I had never seen anything quite like this in America before and, like all the the theater we had seen this far (like from the Гоголе Центр {Gogok Center}!!), I was extremely moved and impressed by the caliber of the Russian art form. Whether it be a small children's performance, such as Синяя Синяя Птица, or grand, deep plays, like Три Сестры (Three Sisters by Chekhov), the troupes put 110% into everything they do to make it the best experience possible. I feel that America, in all its Glory and innovation, has truly become scared to be provocative and out there anymore, but Russia strives to make the audience feel something outrageous and spectacular, and I feel that Синяя Синяя Птица, for me, did just that. Overall, this was by far my favorite play I've seen on this trip. With the costumes, set design, and great fairytale message to bring the audience to a new world. I really hope to one day comeback and see this production again, if not to be part of this wonderful acting troupe. Here's to hoping!!
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