The “Supporting” Characters of the Play Eugene Onegin at the Vakhtangov Theatre
Anna Smolyakova, December 5, 2019
On February 13, 2013, the premiere of Rimas Tuminas’s Eugene Onegin took place on the stage of the Vakhtangov Theatre. From its very first performance, the play captivated Moscow audiences, and soon it won the hearts of theatergoers across Russia. Its triumphant journey didn’t stop there: over seven years, Eugene Onegin toured almost the entire world, receiving enthusiastic ovations in the USA, the UK, Italy, Germany, France, Turkey, Hungary, Latvia, Israel, and China.
The production collected nearly every major theater award: the Crystal Turandot, the Golden Mask, the Nail of the Season, and others. Yet the greatest recognition of all remains the enduring love of thousands of spectators—every performance continues to sell out.
The main roles are instantly recognizable: two adult Onegins—Sergey Makovetsky and Alexey Guskov; two young Onegins—Viktor Dobronravov and Leonid Bichevin; adult Lensky—Oleg Makarov; two young Lensky—Vasily Simonov and Nikolai Romanovsky. The Tatyana roles—Evgenia Kregzhde and Olga Lerman—are complemented by equally stunning Olgas—Maria Volkova and Natalia Vinokurova; the nanny—Lyudmila Maksakova; the retired hussar—Artur Ivanov; and the dream narrators Tatyana—Irina Kupchenko and Yulia Borisova.
The “minor” characters are no less beloved: Vakhtangov Theatre actors who, together and individually, create the unique atmosphere, beauty, and charm of this familiar story on stage.
Tuminas’s hallmark of compassion and empathy in Eugene Onegin is embodied in a small, touching, inconspicuous character with a funny hairstyle and enormous, hopeful eyes. The “Wandering Woman with a Domra”—silent witness, universal conscience, angelic guardian, and true soul—is wonderfully portrayed by Ekaterina Kramzina.
The airy beauties of the dance class, the country girlfriends of the Larin sisters, daring “new Muscovites” who shed their long braids without regret, and the dazzling ladies at the ball—these roles are brilliantly performed by Anna Antonova, Maria Volkova, Natalia Vinokurova, Olga Borovskaya, Polina Kuzminskaya, Ekaterina Simonova, Yana Sobolevskaya, Aleksandra Streltsina, Oksana Surkova, Maria Shastina, Adelina Gizatullina, Anastasia Zhdanova, Asya Domskaya, and Irina Smirnova.
The Larin parents—kind, touching, and charming guardians of the two girls, slightly provincial yet warm-hearted and sensitive—are portrayed by Elena Melnikova and Alexey Kuznetsov.
A lively, dancing cousin who wholeheartedly joins the birthday festivities while worrying over Tatyana is brought to life by Lyubov Aleksandrovna Korneva.
The Larins’ neighbors—simple, hospitable people striving to serve Onegin copious amounts of lingonberry water—are played by Vladimir Beldiyan, Ruben Simonov, Valery Ushakov, Yuri Kraskov, Kirill Rubtsov, Sergey Bataev, and Artem Parkhomenko.
One of Tuminas’s most whimsical creations is the coquettish little rabbit performed by Maria Berdinskikh—a surprising twist for those familiar with her previous roles as Sonia in Uncle Vanya and as the Refugee, Pelageya, and Mother Nadezhda in Sergeyev and the Town.
Other notable characters include the languid, world-weary Muscovite cousin, Elena Sotnikova, and the dance class tutor—graceful, supple, and elegant Frenchman Pavel Tehda Cardenas, who also serves as the merciless arbiter of outdated hairstyles.
Through the language of love and sorrow, laughter and longing, silence and glances, every single actor in the production seems to tell their own story—but in essence, they weave a single, shared tale of life with all its hardships and joys, fools and paths, love and loneliness, dreams and reality.
