TOY SALESMAN

The New Year's fairy tale will certainly delight children and parents with an understandable plot, detective and sentimental at the same time, and pleasant "hit" music.

The events of "Toy Salesman" are unfolding in our days, so classic tutus and pointe shoes coexist on stage with fur coats, police uniforms, mayor's boots and white coats of doctors. And the main character not only spins the fouette, but also goes skiing.

It's a magical story about a descendant of Russian princes, a young Frenchman Nicolas Bersky who goes to his historical homeland to look for his grandfather's treasures, it all replete with scenes on the topic of the day.

The "Toy Salesman", according to Viktor Dobrosotsky, was written under the impression of meeting a descendant of the Baryatinsky family, who came to their estate near Kursk (today the Maryina Roshcha VIP sanatorium operates in the mansion). A man with a markedly aristocratic manner turned out to be a supermarket clerk. A chance meeting prompted the plot of an adventure novel.

In recent years, he has been popular with directors. Based on the book, a dramatic performance has already been created at the Vakhtangov Theater, a film has been shot with Pierre Richard. Composer Alexander Zhurbin composed a musical based on the libretto of the novel (staged at the Ivanovo Musical Theater a couple of years ago), his colleague Alexei Shelygin composed a classical opera. It premiered in November 2019 at the Novaya Opera in the capital.

In Voronezh, the "Toy Salesman" became a ballet for the first time. The music was written by the same Aleksey Shelygin, one of the most sought-after contemporary composers. His works are heard in the mass of films and television series (suffice it to recall "Brigade", "Shadow Boxing" and "Penal Battalion"). The choreography was created by the artistic director of the Kremlin Ballet Theatre, People's Artist of Russia Andrey Petrov.

The premiere at the Voronezh Theater took place on November 27, 2020.

Photo: Kommersant / Oleg Harseev