In recent years, the Russian language has been heard less frequently from the theatrical stages of Latvia. But not everything is so bleak. If we include a sense of humor, perhaps the outstanding humorist Gennady Khazanov, who frequently visits Latvia, will help us?
Anna Karenina Speaks Yiddish
The Russian-language theater in Latvia is currently significantly limited. For understandable reasons, the numerous and quite high-quality tours of Russian troupes, which used to come to us in previous years, are no longer happening.
The festival "Golden Mask in Latvia," which annually showcased the best performances from Russia and was held according to the now-terminated cooperation agreement between the Ministries of Culture of the Russian Federation and Latvia, has been canceled. After this, what should the festival organizers do, who have clearly experienced tremendous stress? Information from behind the scenes, spoken by one of the festival organizers: "The West will help us!".
In this sense, there are some movements — although it was the East, represented by the Israeli theater "Gesher," that helped us by showing the last two productions of Rimantas Tuminas, the artistic director of the Moscow Vakhtangov Theater, who left Moscow in 2022 and passed away in exile ("Anna Karenina" and "Cyrano de Bergerac"). However, these productions were performed in Yiddish — with subtitles in Latvian.
Soon, at the initiative of the organizers of the deceased "Golden Mask in Latvia," an evening is planned in the small hall of "Dzintari," featuring the famous Russian pianist Polina Ossetinskaya and actress Ksenia Rappoport from the Small Dramatic Theater in St. Petersburg. Wonderful! Although compared to what was happening just five years ago, this is certainly not comparable.
Grim Signs of the Times
The last stronghold of Russian-language theater in Latvia is considered to be the Chekhov Theater. However, even this was not so simple. Close the theater? That would be scandalous and illogical, considering that it is, in fact, the oldest theater in Latvia, with a history of over a century! But not only this theater is alive for the audience, whose native language is the great and mighty language of Ivan Turgenev.
For example, the "Society of Free Actors" ("OSA") has been successfully operating for more than fifteen years. The theater is non-governmental, existing on grants and ticket sales. However, it has its own regular audience. Recently, a premiere of Martin McDonagh's black comedy "The Skull of Connemara" took place here to a full house. The production is directed by Edwin Klimanov — a director from the "Yorik" theater in Rezekne, where performances are held in Russian, Latvian, and Latgalian.
The plot is quite grim, in line with the current times. In the Irish hinterland lives a gravedigger, Mick Dowd, who drinks Irish whiskey by the liter. Every year, on behalf of the church, he digs up old bones to make room for new corpses. According to Edwin Klimanov, the Yorik theater's performance will continue to tour in Riga, then in Daugavpils, Rezekne, and other cities. As for the grim humor in the play, which the audience enjoys laughing at, it is a tribute to the times and the idea that, in the director's view, the Irish are very similar to Latvians in mentality. "Because we too, without being hypocritical, express love through our roughness, and for the Irish, this is a cultural code," says the Russian director from Rezekne.
Emigrants on the Riga Stage
Moreover, during these days, the fifth, anniversary international festival "Theatrical Baltic" is taking place in the large hall of the Riga Jewish Community until November 2. As the event organizer, director Aba Hertzbach, explained, all performances are in Russian, featuring groups from Israel, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, and Estonia. "These are artists from theaters, as a rule, from the former Soviet Union, who have spread across the globe and have their own studios," says Aba, the head of the chamber troupe of Riga schoolchildren "Wanderers" and the small theater "Abajur." "When the well-known events began in 2022, many artists came from Ukraine and Russia, they are uniting, and theaters are emerging."
In total, there are ten performances. One event includes two performances for children. The recommended age for viewers is 10-15 years.
This weekend, premieres of the so-called "chitakleys," that is, plays read and acted out on stage by artists, will take place in the hall of the K.Suns chamber cinema. This includes "The Book of Reviews" by playwright Ron Elisha, one of the leading contemporary playwrights in English-language theater, an Australian. The director is Denis Sergeev, a former Russian journalist and theater figure who has been living in Latvia for over ten years. The lead role is played by Vera Babicheva, a merited artist of Armenia, once the leading actress of the Russian Theater in Yerevan, and later worked in Moscow and has also been living in Latvia for many years.
"The Book of Answers" is the second production of the Theater "12 LUGAS/12 PLAYS," created in Latvia in 2024. This international theater project introduces audiences to the best English-language plays of the 21st century. Productions based on them have been staged and continue to be staged on major European stages. Christmas performances for children are planned.
Talents and Fans
It seems, what does the brilliant Gennady Khazanov have to do with this, who recently suddenly sold almost all his real estate in Moscow — for a whole billion! Rubles. Considering that he, a citizen of Israel and Russia, has long settled in Jurmala (and in Israel), and this is no secret.
On December 1, he turns 80 years old (he looks great!). Just the age at which the heads of important Moscow troupes retire with honor. And Gennady Viktorovich is the head of the Moscow Estrada Theater, located opposite the Kremlin!
So, Gennady Viktorovich has been spotted in Latvia several times recently. Moreover, he visited an art bar in Old Riga, where he attended a poetry evening hosted by his Riga friend-humorist (a businessman, by the way). Khazanov left a happy waitress not only a generous 20 euros tip but also an autograph on the wall.
And that's not all — recently, Gennady's wife, Zlata, also sold her property in Russia. "Only" for 250 million (again, rubles). Coincidence? I don't think so! Especially since last week Zlata was seen in a Riga art space in the company of the former director of the Riga Russian Drama Theater, Eduards Cehols.
With colossal connections and experience, Khazanov could buy at least two Houses of Moscow in Riga (and there is a wonderful stage and hall, by the way). Of course, for understandable reasons, the humorist will not do this. However, it is clear that some amusing movement is taking place in this area of the "Russian-language theatrical front." After all, the great Khazanov is also "Russian-speaking," who else could it be?
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