...And a headshot to be sure

Abstract

The article looks at several contemporary theatrical productions of classical plays that subtly ridicule the original or even reject the original plot twists. The author examines the productions of Ivanov by P. Shereshevsky (2014), Count Nulin [Graf Nulin] by M. Romanova (2016), A Month in the Country [Mesyats v derevne] by A. Ledukhovsky (2023), Hedda Gabler [Gedda Gabler] by M. Lebedev (2021), and Without a Dowry [Bespridannitsa] by G. Smirnov (2022). Apart from A Month in the Country, staged at the Astrakhan Drama Theatre, all plays were put on stage at the Novokuznetsk Drama Theatre. I. Kim argues that changing the canonical ending has become a principal method of reinterpreting a play for modern theatre. On the one hand, it helps to adapt a one- or two-hundred-year-old classical piece of drama to contemporary taste and context and make it more relatable for the audience. On the other hand, such an experiment only pays off if the audience is familiar with the original and can therefore appreciate the director’s ingenuity as well as the play’s original message.