Princess Turandot (1922)

This legendary performance produced by Evgeniy Vakhtangov in 1922  became the symbol of the theatre for years. An elegant artistic form, the flying dynamics of the action, the wealth of acting talents defined an absolute success of the performance which became the carte de visite of the theatre.

“Princess Turandot” defined the main features of theatrics: striving to combine the truth of feelings with acute spectacular form, attention to means of external expression- rhythm, plastics, gesture. It was this production which in many ways defined the improvisational style of the theatre.

The best students of Vakhtangov were involved in the performance: T. L. Mansurova, Yu. A. Zavadsky, A. A. Orochko, O. N. Basov, B. E. Zakhava, B. V. Schukin, R. N. Simonov and others. When “Princess Turandot” was shown to troop of the Moscow Academic Art Theatre, K. S. Stanislavsky admired: “For 23 years of existence of the Arts Theatre, there were not many achievements like this performance”.

Main Stage

Premiere was on 27 February 1922

Characters & Cast:

Altoum,
Chinese emperor
Osip Basov
Ivan Lobashkov
Turandot,
Chinese princess
Tsetsiliya Mansurova
Maria Grachova
Valentina Vagrina
Adelma,
Tatar duchess, Turandot’s slave
Anna Orochko
Zelima,
Turandot’s slave
Alexandra Remizova
Vera Lvova
Skirina,
Zelima’s mother
Elizaveta Lyaudanskaya
B. Bendina
Timur,
knight of Astrakhan
Boris Zakhava
Natan Turayev
Qualaf
his son
Yuriy Zavadskiy
Leonid Shikhmatov
Barakh (Gassan),
Quallaf’s tutor
Joseph Tolchanov
Vladimir Balikhin
Ismail Konstantin Mironov
A. Ziltsov
Nikolay Yanovsky
Pantalone,
Altoum’s secretary
Ivan Kudryavtsev
Lev Ruslanov
Tartalia,
Great Chancellor
Boris Schukin
Osip Basov
Truffaldino,
Turandot ‘s harem master
Ruben Simonov
Anatoliy Goryunov
Brigells,
head of the guard
Oswald Glazunov
Alexander Kozlovskiy
Wiseman, Divan members Vladimir Balikhin
Anatoliy Goryunov
A. Ziltsov
Boris Korolyov
Vladimir Moskvin
Turandot’s slaves
Slaves B. Belyankin
Vasily Kuza
Nikolay Yanovsky
Boris Shuhmin
Backstage servants

Crew:

Production Eugeniy Vakhtangov
Stage directors Boris Zakhava
Yuriy Zavadskiy
Decorator Ignatiy Nivinskiy
Music Nikolay Sizov
Alexander Kozlovskiy
Ladies’ dresses Nadezhda Lamanova
Female hats I. Alekseeva