Arlekin Players’ ‘State vs. Natasha Banina’ Turns Virtual Theatre on Its Head in Groundbreaking Production

August 27, 2020September 10, 2020 michaelhobanLeave a comment

(Darya Denisova in Arlekin Players’ ‘State vs. Natasha Banina’)

‘State vs. Natasha Banina’ Directed by Igor Golyak, based on Yaroslava Pulinovich’s ‘Natasha’s Dream;’ Performed by Darya Denisova; Translated by John Freedman; Animation by Anton Iakhontov; Video by Igor Golyak; Music composed by Vadim Khrapatchev. Produced by Arlekin Players Theater in partnership with ArtsEmerson and the Cherry Orchard Festival. For upcoming performances, visit arlekinplayers.com/state-vs-natasha-banina-online-interactive-live-performance-2/

by Shelley A. Sackett

If there are silver linings to the COVID-19 pandemic (and I firmly believe there are many), the robust and varied ways in which live theatre has adapted itself to the digital Zoom era ranks at the top of the list. Some have opted to create a virtual replica of the silent, passive invisible spectator model, maintaining a masked cyber wall between actor and audience, with mixed and inconsistent success.

Not so Arlekin Players Theater’s production of ‘State vs. Natasha Banina.’ Under Igor Golyak’s ground-breaking direction, his “live theater and experiment” audience is far from detached and anonymous. Digging deep into his interactive theatrical bag of tricks, Golyak uses graphics, animation and live viewer participation to erase the glass barrier between observed and observer and create a unique film/theater hybrid. The result is one thrilling corona coaster ride.

A Magical Theatrical Experience with Arlekin’s ‘The Fisherman and the Fish’

March 3, 2020 michaelhobanLeave a comment

*‘The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish’* – *Presented by Arlekin Players Theatre*

By Julie-Anne Whitney

‘The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish’ – Written by Alexander Pushkin; Directed by Evgeny Ibragimov; Set, Costume, and Puppet Design by Ksenya Litvak; Masks designed by Katya Popova; Original Music by Nikolay Yakimov; Lighting Design by Stephen Petrilli; Stage managed by Inessa Ostrova. Presented by Arlekin Players Theatre in Needham, MA through April 12, 2020.

Please note: this is a non-verbal 60-minute performance suitable for ages 4 and up.

The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish is a fable published in 1833 by acclaimed Russian dramatist, novelist, poet, and short-story writer, Aleksandr Pushkin. The story has been translated into several languages and adapted into many other art forms (paintings, poems, short stories, ballets, songs, animated films, and plays), perhaps most famously by the Brothers Grimm in their German fairy tale version, The Fisherman and His Wife (1905).

Arlekin Players’ ‘The Seagull’ is Extraordinary

November 11, 2019November 11, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

L to R – Anne Gottlieb (Irina Arkadina), Darya Denisova (Masha), Eric Andrews (Semyon Medvedenko) in Arlekin Players Theatre new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s ‘The Seagull’ – Photos by Irina Danilova

by Julie-Anne Whitney

‘The Seagull’ – Written by Anton Chekhov; Conceived and directed by Igor Golyak; Script translation by Ryan McKittrick, Julia Smeliansky, and Laurence Senelick; Scenic Design by Nikolay Simonov; Costume Design by Nastya Bugaeva; Lighting Design by Jeff Adelberg; Original Music by Jakov Jakoulov; Produced by the Arlekin Players Theatre at Studio 368 in Needham, MA through December 8, 2019.

As you walk up the stairs into Studio 368, the home of the Arlekin Players, and into the intimate black box theater, you feel a sense of uncertainty: the space is separated into three sections with two seating areas to choose from – one on the left and one on the right – with the performance space placed directly in the center of the room. There is a wooden arch with two black doors on either side and a large circle of sand in the middle of the floor. The space feels ominous- the only light emanating from the floor and from a few naked bulbs on the wall. You take a seat and you wait.

Looking to the Future Past with Arlekin Players Theatre’s ‘The Stone’

September 19, 2019 michaelhobanLeave a comment

Arlekin Players ‘The Stone’. Foreground: Mieze(Rimma Gluzman) Background L to R: Heidrun(Viktoriya Kovalenko) Witha(Darya Denisova) and Stephanie(Anna Kovalenko)

Review by James Wilkinson

The Stone – Written by Marius von Mayenburg. Directed by Igor Golyak. Scenographer: David R. Gammons. Costume Design: Nastya Bugaeva. Lighting Design: Jeff Adelberg. Composer: Jakov Jakoulov. Video Designer: Vladimir Gusev. Presented by Arlekin Players Theatre, 368 Hillside Ave., Needham through September 29

For Arlekin Players Theatre’s production of The Stone, the past isn’t just present, it’s also rotting to disintegration before our very eyes. This isn’t a pleasant trip through old times. It’s claustrophobic. It’s uncomfortable. It’s frustrating. (This is all mostly by design). What else would you expect from a play that grapples with the memories of Nazism in contemporary Germany? Plenty of artists across a wide range of disciplines have wrestled with depicting the lead up and aftermath of the Holocaust. There’s no shortage academic writing assessing the success and ethics of those attempts. It’s one of those subjects so enveloping that taking it on threatens to crush you under its weight (Perhaps it’s appropriate then that the play is called The Stone).