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Photo: press service of the theater

If not success, then the noise around the project in «Gogol-center» are calculated with mathematical precision from all sides: busy controversial Director Konstantin Bogomolov, tormenting the Russian classics, and how to perceive it, but here he as an actor. With him partnersthe TV presenter of the cultural program, skillfully charming and telling about the Opera, Sati Spivakov, the husband of which is very (and deservedly) respected the power that can be seen as a protection in case. And what can be, for… but the «because» — on. Finally, the main dish to our table — a naked crowd number 18, and both sexes. And not the shy couple minutes, and two hours without parting with a scene in the buff. Moreover, on the theatre’s website posted a video with compelling artistry the intentions of the Directors: leg to leg, belly to back, body curves — in General, artistic sculptural poses exciting to buy a ticket, not that, God forbid, more.

Finally a stern warning: «the Administration reserves the right to refuse attendance of the play parties that look (!!!) under the age of eighteen years and who cannot provide proof of their age. The cost in this case is not refundable». However, not only pimply teenagers on performance «Machine Mueller» ordered the road here. About social networking and it is needless to say: Kirill Serebrennikov a long time and better than other colleagues realized that today the most important of all arts for us is PR. And well done: own product is not enough to produce — it should be able to advance, even without taking into account the sign of quality.

So, watch «Machine Mueller». This is a montage of two pieces of German postmodernist of Heiner Muller’s «hamlet machine» and «Quartet», as well as his diaries and letters. The first, written back in 1977, banned for production in the GDR, and premiered at Paris’s théâtre gérard Philippe in 1978. In Russia it was staged infrequently: in the Museum of Anatoly Vasiliev (2001), and later in St. Petersburg — Andrew the Mighty, and in 2009-m — myself Serebrennikov in the Moscow art theatre, Small stage called «the Machine». The Quartet put even rarer: in the 90-ies of the Taganka, not already existing in the Theatre of Alla Demidova, Director of the Greek Terzopoulos released «Quartet» with Demidova and Pevtsov. That’s the whole track record of productions in Russia by Heiner Muller, the author of complex, intricate pieces with lots of meanings about the problems of human existence and madness.

First I’m a little dim light in some people’s lives and household appliances: the TV screen glows, the lady in the seat motionless like a mummy, and nurse beside with a book lip-synching, radio catches the waves crash, the girl from the left edge retrieves the bow sounds from the cello, someone lies motionless on the bed under the sheets. An inscription on the wall: «we Can say that the fundamental element of theatre, drama and also, is the conversion and the last conversion is death. The only thing that can unite the audience… the fear of death». Well, I think, again will frighten.

Already seen a good light designer, you can appreciate given the high level of sound design that fills the space in a variety of sound nuances; on the walls slowly creep projection with destroyed cities, but without specific addresses, and their inhabitants in mass protest and violent clash with the security forces. Is a countertenor with a pure beautiful voice that sings in German.

And then back to the hall emerged naked men with bulging buttocks and ruined everything. Buttocks nothing to do with it: the beautiful boys were frozen like statues in a Museum, and in their inflated Asses carnivorous bites the hand that appears, Sati with intellectual Spivakova the text of the «Quartet» written by Muller based on the novel «Dangerous liaisons» (the end of XVIII century). So the installation Serebrennikov — the third layer after Mueller, in turn, philosophically youth doing Shakespeare and Choderlos de Laclos.

But beautiful men… do not give focus on the intellectual text is distracting. What can you do, so imperfect is our perception that the choice between intelligence and the physiology of the meanest manner chooses the latter. What is complex post-modern dramaturgy and how it sounds in the twenty-first century, doesn’t matter anymore at the sight of the naked body. The child of nature, nature: the chest, stomach, butt, pubes, with shoots of different thickness and different length. And then when the boys start jumping, and their «rattles» to jump with them to the beat, completely strikes the air, and together with accessions ladies two hours eyes cause callouses in places… Here is the Director’s hope that the cultural codes and messages about imperfection of the world, on the edge of the abyss, by which mankind goes, will be heard, read, break on male and female flesh exposed. Agree, after all not every day in our theatres running around naked and shaking before her personal belongings to smart modern audiences appreciated the Director’s idea and thought, «Here’s an advanced good, I found that single form, which itself plays the spectacle subjugates and actor, and spectator». He did not think, even if the evil one critic about this clever and wordy write.

A pity: Mueller, interesting, but complicated and very «not for everyone», the author, was reduced to provocation for its own sake. No matter what the critics and snobs, but watching a performance by Kirill Serebrennikov, they hardly think about the global catastrophe and the inevitability of love. Or the inevitability of disaster and world of love — no matter how rash words, goes everywhere W-PA.

But the important thing here is to talk about it, cheekily eclipsed suddenly unearthed a rare now in the theatre the role of a charming villain Kostya Bogomolov and diligent effort Sati Spivakova, overcame a difficult text on male and female roles (heroes and then change floors), and provocatively about the art itself, which is always on the verge, always a challenge, and today still act.

Now, there is an act of the artist, and have a game in it. Romeo Castellucci, known theatrical provocateur of world renown, did the play «Project J: on the concept of the Face of the son of God» (2011, brought Chekhov festival), which started the Catholic Church. Castellucci brought on stage a portrait of Christ and human excreta. Why? Thus the artist has put the issue of intimidation faced by two people — bedridden father and caring for him adult son. How can the Lord tolerate the humiliation of his servant, when one is humbled by physical weakness and pouring out his excrement, and the other from exhaustion desire the death of his neighbour? It was the thing to do.

It is difficult to compare risks, but the performance of the same Bogomolov in the last ceremony of the prize «hit of the season» bare — he was covered by the project «fundamentals of state policy in the field of culture», that is, in a personal protest put on them with the device, is the same thing. Print eighteen and naked and force them to jump two hours in meaningful, albeit high-quality, surroundings… Alas, the art in this was less than in the bath or on a nudist beach.

Well and last: it turns out that not only persons without documents confirming their age are not allowed on the bare performance, but in the black list of Democrats from «Gogol-center» were disloyal to the art by Kirill Serebrennikov journalists and critics, including the journalist of «MK». So many W-PY in «Gogol-center» is not scary: all the terrible has already happened here — the artist has lost his self-irony and too seriously is yourself. A «Machine Mueller» — that case when it is not important to be serious.