The director of the play “Hamlet” Viesturs Kairišs says about the production of Mikhail Chekhov at the Riga Russian Theater with the words: “A play whose setting is a country that still poisons its political opponents as in the Middle Ages, and mediocrity oppressed by an inferiority complex can become a king. A country where all things are done in quotation marks and things are not called by their proper names. Perhaps such a country does not exist at all? Hamlet tries to discover the truth beneath the facade of lies, hypocrisy and rot. But he never knows where the poison will be applied next…”
“On the one hand, it’s a common idea that if there were no evil, we wouldn’t be able to understand what is good, on the other hand, it’s a lot of food for thought. I can say exactly what I don’t like about orthodoxy. Our character in the show is an Orthodox person and we talk about it with the viewers. I don’t like the fact that you can do something bad, then ask for forgiveness and live on calmly and with a smile, joy,” explains Alexander Malikov.
Performance “Hamlet” by Mikhail Chekhov at the Riga Russian Theater
Photo: Inese Kalniņa
The main villain in the world
In the emphatically political production by director Viesturs Kairis, Elsinore is quite clearly Putin’s Russia and stars not Hamlet but the murderous King Claudius, or Claudine in the play’s version. The actor explains that Claudine’s character carries his own cross in the show, believing that he must be the villain.
“Honestly, it was difficult when I suddenly found out that I was going to be Claudine, I thought I was going to play Hamlet. We worked a lot with Viestura and in principle Hamlet suits me, then we see Bussel is Hamlet, Malikov is Claudine, how? After I understood that when I learned the interpretation and Viestura’s thoughts on how he will direct,” the actor explains.
“As soon as I realized what I would have to play, I was a little worried because I was in the process of changing my citizenship. At that time I was a Russian citizen, you understand how people live in Russia now and what problems there could be. I have to play a person who is basically the main villain in the world, I’m a little worried,” reveals Malikov.
Performance “Hamlet” by Mikhail Chekhov at the Riga Russian Theater
Photo: Inese Kalniņa
Speak openly
The actor emphasizes that he has a protest against the power in Russia and what is happening in the country. “I am hurt by what is happening now in Russia and Ukraine, I have relatives living there. Now I am almost Latvian and there were no problems. It was very exciting to work and very interesting. My goal was to play accurately, then funny, then terrible, let the viewer be terrified,” says Malikov.
“People, for example, in our theater and not only in our theater, are still afraid, because they think that they should not take and speak openly about the person who is now the president in Russia.
Sometimes people say – you will play like this, it must not be what you do. I answer that I really want to express my protest against what is happening in Russia,” emphasizes the actor.
“I’m scared, I’m a normal person. I walked around with a gas can after the premiere because I saw angry faces in the hall. At the premiere, then at the second show, at the third. There are happy faces with smiles nearby, but a lot of angry faces, interesting energy,” reveals Malikov.
A view from the play “Hamlet” by Mikhail Chekhov at the Riga Russian Theater. On the left – Aleksandrs Malikovs
Photo: Inese Kalniņa
The next level
Which roles have left an impression on the actor? As the first significant role, Malikov singles out the role of Raskolnikov while still studying in the 4th year of the theater institute. “Nobody expected me to be able to do it, and it was next level for me,” emphasizes the actor.
Malikovs also remembers the play “The Order of Things” staged by Ines Michulas 13 years ago, in which he participated as a young actor and for the first time took full responsibility for what he did on stage.
“For the first time, I realized that I can create a role myself, I can bring my thoughts to the stage, do as I think, what I want, what character and change it in the process,” reveals Malikov.
Which director has left an impression on the actor’s career? “Many directors, I don’t want to forget someone, because maybe I won’t have a job after that. But of course, I really liked working with [Elmāru] Senkovu, with [Vladimiru] Nastavshev, Viesturi [Kairišu]of course, and one director – Lera Surkova, she staged a play in which I, Guna Zariņa and Gītis Ivanauskas played, a very interesting play,” emphasizes Malikovs.
The actor says that every time he stages a play, it is important for him to hear himself first, but emphasizes that everyone can help in this process. “If you are open, any person can help you, not only a critic or a colleague, but also a neighbor who has been to the theater and said – I don’t understand why you are doing this, and you can immediately correct something. Of course, there is the opinion that I’m an artist and I see it that way, but that’s utopia, I think,” explains Malikov.
Performance “Hamlet” by Mikhail Chekhov at the Riga Russian Theater
Photo: Inese Kalniņa
Critic’s comment
“I would like to say that Alexander Malikov is one of those actors for whom it is definitely worth going to Mikhail Chekhov’s Russian Theater and for whom, in my opinion, the question whether this theater should stay in Riga is superfluous.
Aleksandrs Malikovs is an actor who has very successfully entered the general theater scene of Latvia,” comments theater critic Edīte Tišheizer.
The critic emphasizes that Malikov has a very definite and specific human attitude, and this is also reflected in his roles on the theater stage. “This role [Klavdina] is both politically accurate and at the same time has a lot of sub-layers – both what Shakespeare has given and what the age in which we live has given. Aleksandr Malikov executes it extremely precisely, while his Klavdin could be, but is not a caricature,” says Tischheiser.
“Being a clever actor, he uses a lot of physical, bodily signs, which are best understood by the Russian viewer, who is also in a different information space. He has put in a lot of signs that are recognizable directly to his countrymen and that make even more strongly this politically centered and focused, at the same time, a very human image,” emphasizes the critic.
“Gambler’s Night” ceremony and audience vote
“Night of Gamblers” celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. As usual, the award ceremony will take place on the birthday of Eduards Smilħas, November 23, where we will find out the winners of the “Spielmaņu naktus” stage nail awards in 15 categories, which are chosen by a professional jury.
The “Gamers’ Night” ceremony can be followed live on LSM.lv, LTV and Latvijas Radio.
In addition to the presentation of the jury’s awards, the ceremony will also welcome the three favorites of the final vote of “Spielmaņu nakts” audience sympathy – those who received the most audience votes in 2022/2023. season production of the year, actresses and actors.
In 2023, the sympathy vote of the “Night of Gamblers” audience for the best and favorite actress, actor and show takes place in two stages. In the first stage, from May 2 to October 15, the Union of Latvian Theater Employees invited the audience to evaluate the professional theater in 2022/2023. year’s season productions and acting works in the Latvian theater catalog Izrades.lv.
In this process, for the first time, the nominees for the “Night of Gamblers” audience sympathy awards were chosen by the audience themselves – previously, in the audience vote, interested parties were invited to vote for the nominees chosen by the jury.
“Gamblers’ Night” 2022/2023 chosen by the audience. The nominees of the 2018 season’s favorite vote participate in the final vote on the LSM.lv portal until midnight on November 19. Voters this year have the chance to win two invitations to the “Night of Gamblers” award ceremony.
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2023-11-18 11:23:24
#actor #Aleksandrs #Malikovs #nominee #Gamblers #Night #human #attitudes
