Lev Tolstoy

War and peace

16+

Directed by Rimas Tuminas

4 hours 45 minutes with 2 intermissions

The brilliant dramatization of the epic novel by Leo Tolstoy. The production was staged by Rimas Tuminas to celebrate the 100-th Anniversary of the Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia. ‘War and Peace’ was shown for 100 times during its first year (that is a significant number for the Russian repertory theatre that has more than 50 shows and plays them in rotation). It was highly recognized by spectators and professional critics.

The events of ‘War and Peace’ began in 1805, when Napoleon I had already acquired control of most of continental Europe by conquest or alliance. Following the Leo Tolstoy philosophic ideas, Rimas Tuminas choses the “family thought” as a core of the whole production.

The family is a microcosm of the human community, the beginning and foundation of society. Napoleonic Wars become the background for the lives, ambitions, hopes and sorrows of the families: the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, the Kuragins. These houses differ primarily in their internal atmosphere. Open-hearted and emotional Rostovs, honorable and uncompromising Bolkonskys, arrogant and ravishing Kuragins – all of them deserve compassion. Especially Pierre Bezukhov with his virtue and naïve soul of a really strong personality.

The production unites all the generations of the Vakhtangov actors: stars of Soviet and Russian cinema and stage and rising young talents. ‘War and Peace’ lasts for almost 5 hours and all spectators in their reviews mark that every minute of the performance is breathtaking.

Rimas Tuminas:

We create, explore, comprehend destinies, paradoxes, madness, love, joy, despair. The world that we study and present to the audience is beautiful, aesthetic, theatrical, fragile. And it will be destroyed by the ominous comet, which is already in the sky above.

The theatre is always attracted by the edge of times, by changes and transformation. The performance demands elegance and simplicity. Don’t be afraid to break boundaries and old recipes for right and wrong.

Everything evokes memories. Memory is the “home of the soul”. Everything comes from childhood.

Something has happened to this world and this war. Something wrong.

Logic disappears against the background of war, other laws come to stage. We need another acting. As soon as the viewer predicts your next gesture, the actor becomes unnecessary. Psychological somersaults are very important — in actions, in thoughts. This is your duty: to cause changes in the soul, mood, impulses. The duty of our profession is to reveal the Word, to reveal the Thought.

Main Stage

  • 13 November, Wednesday, 19:00

  • 14 November, Thursday, 19:00

  • 18 November, Monday, 19:00

  • 3 December, Tuesday, 19:00

  • 24 December, Tuesday, 19:00

  • 9 January, 2025, Thursday, 19:00

  • 21 January, 2025, Tuesday, 19:00

  • Ticket price: from 1300 to 12000 rub.

Premiere was on 8 November 2021

Characters & Cast:

The Rostovs
Count Ilya Andreyevich RostovAndrey Ilyin
Sergey Makovetskiy
Countess Natalya Rostova
his wife
Irina Kupchenko
Evgeniya Ivashova
Vera
their elder daughter
Asya Domskaya
Lada Churovskaya
Natasha
their youngest daughter
Olga Lerman
Kseniya Treyster
Nikolay
their son
Yriy Tsokurov
Sonia
their cousin
Maria Volkova
Irina Smirnova
The Bolkonskys
Prince Nikolai Andreich BolkonskyEvgeny Knyazev
Viktor Sukhorukov
Andrey, his sonYan Gakharmanov
Victor Dobronravov
Yryi Polyak
Maria
his daughter
Ekaterina Kramzina
Polina Chernyshova
Liza
Prince Andrey's wife
Maria Berdinskikh
Maria Rival
Mademoiselle Bourienne
Princess Maria's companion
Adelina Gizatullina
Anastasiya Zdanova
Count Pyotr Kirillovich ("Pierre") Bezukhov Pavel Popov
Denis Samoylov
The Kuragins
Prince Vasily Sergeyevich KuraginVladimir Simonov
Yury Shlykov
Andrei Zaretskiy
Elena (Hélène)
his daughter
Anna Antonova
Yana Sobolevskaya
Anatole
his son
Vladimir Logvinov

Crew:

The idea, literary composition and staging Rimas Tuminas
Set design Adomas Jacovskis
Costumes Mariya Danilova
Composer Giedrius Puskunigis
Choreographer Angelica Cholina
Lighting design Alexandr Matveev
with assistance of Damir Ismagilov
Scriptwriter Maria Peters
Literary consultant Elena Kniazeva
Assistant directors Eldar Tramov
Gulnaz Balpeisova
Scene speech trainer Vera Kamyshnikova
Make-up design Olga Kalyavina
Sound director Ruslan Knushevitsky
Stage managers Natalya Menshikova
Irina Gromova