Theater in NYC: Diary of a Madman by Gogol

June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 arts-NY

Theater in NYC: Diary of a Madman by Gogol

Russian Arts & Theater Studio presents new play Diary of a Madman from June 2 – August 5, 2023 at Pushkin Hall in New York City

Tom Schubert as Poprischin in Diary of a Madman by Gogol at the Russian Arts Theater and Studio / Photo credit: Julie Skarratt

This season the Russian Arts Theater and Studio adds another robust production to its repertoire. This time it’s a play based on a short story by Nikolai Gogol “Diary of a Madman.”

Masterfully adapted for the stage by Di Zhu, the Managing Director, and directed by Aleksey Burago, the Artistic Director, the grey life of a resentful clerk swirls into madness in front of your eyes. Talented Tom Schubert in the title role keeps everyone at the tips of his nervous fingers. His pulsing energy and impeccable acting are the engine of the production. The rest of the cast, which includes Albert Baker, Luisa Menzen, and Sarah O’Donnell, skillfully recreates the fantastical and ordinary scenes with tasteful naughtiness and imperviousness to the absurdity around them. As the world spins out of control and the bleak routine turns from peculiar to surreal to outright mad, so is the storyline.

“Diary of a Madman” fits right in to the list of past theatrical productions staged by the Russian Arts Theater and Studio, including a dynamic interpretation of Marquez’s The Rise and Fall of Macondo (One Hundred Years of Solitude), warn and funny “Lambs for Slaughter” from the short stories by Roald Dahl, stunning Bunin/Berberova play among others.

Theater lovers will undoubtedly appreciate this high-powered staging and the remarkable acting.

Diary of a Madman

Based on the short story by Nikolai Gogol

Directed by Aleksey Burago

Adapted for the stage by Di Zhu

Cast:

Tom Schubert (Poprischin),

Albert Baker (Director),

Luisa Menzen (Sophie),

Sarah O’Donnell (Mavra/Madge)

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/diary-of-a-madman-tickets-631006697017

Dates: June 2 – August 5 , 2023

Venue: Pushkin Hall, 165 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024

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Theater in NYC: Lambs for Slaughter by Russian Arts & Theater Studio

March 3, 2020March 13, 2020 contact@arts-ny.com

Theater in NYC: Lambs for Slaughter by Russian Arts & Theater Studio

Russian Arts & Theater Studio has suspended the performances from March 10, 2020

Russian Arts & Theater Studio presents new play Lambs for Slaughter on March 1 – March 21, 2020 at Pushkin Hall in New York City

Russian Arts & Theater Studio cast in a scene from Lambs for Slaughter / Photo credit Tom Schubert

Aleksey Burago is never tired of expending the repertoire of Russian Arts and Theater Studio. After mounting a dynamic interpretation of Marquez’s The Rise and Fall of Macondo (One Hundred Years of Solitude), he turns to the short stories by Roald Dahl. Dahl, universally known as the author of the beloved children’s books “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Matilda,” and “James and the Giant Peach,” also wrote grotesque stories for adults. Four of his stories, The Man From The South, The Landlady, Mrs. Bixby And The Colonel’s Coat and The Great Switcheroo are adapted for the stage by the playwright Fred Pezzulli. Commonplace character shortcomings from deception to greed make for an eccentric and captivating theatrical spectacle.

Barring the stubborn desire to outsmart others, there are no lambs and no one gets slaughtered on stage. The vignettes, widely diverse in time and place, are connected mainly by satirizing crass arrogance.

The show starts with the high suspense of “The Man From The South”. A banal encounter leads to a ridiculous bet which ends up in a bizarre finale. The segment owes to the great stage presence by Christofer Zach (Carlos) who sets the bar for the artistic aptitude. Di Zhu, well-known to the audience for her successful prior roles with the theater most notably in Bunin/Berberova play, shines as Mrs. Bixby in “Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel’s Coat”. Two powerful actors, Paulo Quiros and Riccardo Ripani play one against the other with gusto and dynamism in “The Great Switcheroo”.

Burago’s creative addition of the sound-making crew to the stage, inventive use of props, and the soundtrack full of familiar melodies from the past fit organically into the storylines. Instructive and funny, each situation progresses from innocuous to risky to rout. With a little more zest and at least one more story in the sequence, the play could reach enough potency and rigor.

Lambs for Slaughter

Based on the short stories by Roald Dahl

Directed by Aleksey Burago

Adapted for the stage by Fred Pezzulli

Featuring: Luisa Menzen, Paulo Quiros, Riccardo Ripani, Christopher Zach, and Di Zhu

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Dates: February 29 – March 21, 2020

Venue: Pushkin Hall, 165 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024

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Theater in NYC: Bunin / Berberova – In Paris / The Waiter and the Slut

November 24, 2019November 24, 2019 arts-NY 1 Comment

Theater in NYC: Bunin / Berberova – In Paris / The Waiter and the Slut

RETURNING for an ENCORE RUN in DECEMBER, 2019

The Russian Arts Theater & Studio presents an elegant and subtle parable of the life in exile based on Ivan Bunin’s and Nina Berbersova’s stories; at Pushkin Hall from December 18 – 28, 2019

Theater poster for Bunin/Berberova: In Paris / The Waiter and the Slut / Image courtesy of The Russian Arts Theater & Studio

This summer, The Russian Arts Theater and Studio presents two gripping love stories by Russian émigré writers: Nobel Prize winner Ivan Bunin and the provocative Nina Berberova.

Driven to exile following the revolution, former Russian aristocrats now find themselves isolated as new immigrants in Paris. Their new lives are spent battling sickness, searching for affordable apartments and waiting in pawn shops. Ivan Bunin’s In Paris tells the brief and bittersweet story about the encounter of an ex-general of the old imperial army and Olga Alexandrovna, a young woman now working as a waitress in a Russian restaurant. Upon a chance meeting, they momentarily find a sense of home in each other’s arms. In Nina Berberova’s raw and searing The Waiter And The Slut, Tania, the daughter of a St. Petersburg big-shot, now finds herself in Paris, where her husband dies in a mental hospital and she is reduced to surviving on meals paid for by male admirers. As she ages, her admirers grow more grotesque, and she soon finds herself trapped in a devastating affair with a waiter—a man she soon grows to hate.

Directed by Aleksey Burago, the company’s artistic director, with the set design by Natalia Danilova, the production skillfully incorporates Edith Piaf’s songs and vintage film rolls and photographs of Paris in the 1930s to set the mood for a seemingly simple yet deeply disturbing tales. The choice of contrasting colors for the stage decor, airy and light for In Paris and gloomy and dark for The Waiter and the Slut, accentuates the pain and desperation. The nuanced read of Berberova’s prose by the director leaves aside the extreme misery of the characters’ situation which could make an opening for another play. Genuine acting by the cast of Roman Freud, Luisa Menzen, Tom Schubert, and Di Zhu keeps the spectators on edge and delivers a terrific theater night for every theater and literature lover!

Directed by Aleksey Burago

Based on the short stories of Ivan Bunin and Nina Berberova; performed in English

Adapted by Fred Pezzulli

Set Design by Natalia Danilova

Featuring: Roman Freud, Luisa Menzen, Tom Schubert & Di Zhu

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Dates: December 18 – 28, 2019

Venue: Pushkin Hall, 165 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024

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Theater in NYC: The Rise and Fall of Macondo at Pushkin Hall

November 4, 2019November 7, 2019 arts-NY

Theater in NYC: The Rise and Fall of Macondo at Pushkin Hall

The Russian Arts & Theater Studio presents the Rise and Fall of Macondo, a play inspired by One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; at Pushkin Hall from October 30 – November 24, 2019

The cast of The Rise and Fall of Macondo; The Russian Arts & Theater Studio / Image courtesy of the theater

Selecting One Hundred Years of Solitude for a stage adaptation takes tenacity and ambition. After all, to recount the tales of the long list of Buendia family members, their close and distant relatives and neighbors in the town of Macondo from Marquez’s masterpiece would seem to take an eternity in theater terms. Or, it could feel like eternity for the theatergoers. Yet, the company’s artistic director Aleksey Burago accomplished the task with fluidity and charm.

Adapted with the broad strokes of a pen, the script has all the major turns of Macondo’s history, from its founding as a place of seclusion to the ups and downs of the time of peace to the honors of the years of war and ultimate decimation. Skillfully weaving in the inventive soundtrack and elaborate ensemble scenes, Burago sets a perfect pace for the narrative and condenses the epic story into a little over a two-hour running time. The acting by the cast of The Russian Arts and Theater Studio is spot on and flows with ease.

The spirit of a big family all living under the same roof is recreated by the 15 cast members who are present on stage throughout the play. In keeping with the orthodox traditions and orders, male and female characters are positioned on the opposite sides of the stage for clear delineation of gender roles. But soon, Ursula, Di Zhu, the family matriarch takes control of the household in her hands and raises its 6 generations. She eventually passes the baton on to her great-grand-daughter Amaranda also played by Zhu. Fate defies the high expectations for Ursula’s sons and grandsons, so Amaranda is the last member of the Buendia family who ends the line. However, the ghosts of procreation and hope remain in the air even when the only creatures left on stage are ants.

Enjoy this sleepless journey of vivid allegories, earthy emotions, and the dreams of a simple life. The play is performed in English; running time is 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.

Inspired by the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Adapted and directed by Aleksey Burago

Cast: Jaime Carrillo, Micheal Donaldson, Roman Freud, Kristina Korop, Alex Malyi, Luisa Menzen, Ariel Polanco, Paulo Quiros, Riccardo Ripani, Tom Schubert, Lana Stimmler, Desen Uygur, Oleksiy Varfolomiyev, Naira Zakaryan, Di Zhu

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Dates: October 30 – November 24, 2019

Venue: Pushkin Hall, 165 W 86th St, New York, NY 10024

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Tag: Pushkin Hall