Israeli Theater Manufacturing of ‘Anna Karenina’ Receives Standing Ovation in Paris – Sudden Success Exceeds Expectations

Your “Anna Karenina” was written about by, it appears, your complete French press. And in a number of evaluations I instantly got here throughout the phrase “the viewers erupted right into a standing ovation”. May you may have predicted one thing like this?

No. It is a surprise we have been there in any respect. We felt that, with the present occasions, this isn’t the proper time for Israeli theater to go to Paris. To be trustworthy, we agreed with the organizers a very long time in the past, greater than a 12 months in the past, and naturally I anticipated them to contact me – you recognize, not now. However I heard “in the present day it is vitally essential to assist Israel, to assist Israeli theater, to assist you, so we are going to manage these visitor reveals”. With all due care we did so – and it should be mentioned that the success exceeded all expectations, each on our aspect and on the aspect of the visitor. It was utterly sudden that folks in Paris would react this approach to a present in Hebrew, which isn’t the most typical language in France. And it is vitally nice and superb that we current this manufacturing in Riga.

We love Riga, we’re ready for Riga, we’ve got already been in Riga and we hope for a brand new assembly.

It’s mentioned that many productions begin a particular life on tour after which return dwelling utterly totally different. Did “Anna Karenina” change in Paris?

There are. It grew to become totally different. With French stylish, with French endurance… First, we performed this present ten instances in a row. It hardly ever occurs {that a} overseas theater performs ten reveals in a overseas language in a metropolis that has already seen all the pieces. Corridor bought out! Indisputably, the actors had a particular elevate… However I’ve to say in regards to the viewers as effectively. They’re very intelligent, these French observers. Very cautious.

It isn’t all the time straightforward to observe the present with subtitles, however the plot of “Anna Karenina” is thought all around the world …

We expect so too, however in actuality, everybody on the planet is aware of that Anna threw herself underneath the prepare, and nothing extra. Nevertheless it does not matter. The viewers adopted the love story. The primary factor is to observe Tumin’s directions. And utterly together with the minimalism preached not too long ago. Nonetheless, Rim spoke to the creativeness of the viewers in his productions. With the delicacy of the general ornament and the best way of expression, it gave a really robust impression. They referred to as a bow 5 – 6 instances, tearful spectators left the corridor, the actors have been ready within the hall after the efficiency. You may’t think about what it was like… Apparently, such a present about human life could be very uncommon in our time.

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Paris and Riga received to know Tumin in the identical approach – first they noticed his performs staged in Lithuania, then these staged in Russia, then these staged in Israel … This, after all, is a shock: he labored with actors from there many various colleges, who’ve totally different feelings… As he was raised within the theater “Gešer” ?

Our actors believed that he ought to imagine it. However this doesn’t all the time occur. Like all director, he needed to discover widespread floor with the actors the language of birds. In order that they perceive the chief from half a phrase, from half an eye fixed. It takes time, after all. To start with it was not straightforward typically. However over time got here an understanding. And love. As a result of he was a particular chief. He was a grasp, a stage grasp.

He knew how one can get drama out of bother. He knew the value of chapter. He knew how one can work with music.

After “Anna Karenina”, I’m often requested: “Ship us this waltz.” Right here, I say it now, and ants run throughout my physique, as a result of it cuts to the bone, this waltz, which was written for “Anna Karenina” by Giedrjus Puskunigis. It is actually good. As Rim mentioned, it is all of the fault of the waltz.

“Anna Karenina” will go to Riga on June 1 and a couple of. Along with your expertise of visitor performances and data of our viewers, can you expect prematurely whether or not the present might want to change ultimately?

We cannot do something particular. Any present, if it is alive, is all the time correcting itself. In Paris, for instance, the primary present was very totally different from the final one – power, cease. The actors had already understood the place and the way individuals reply. By the best way, they responded in time, which suggests, firstly, that the credit have been good, secondly, that the digital camera was good, and thirdly, that the actors felt the breath of the grass. However we nonetheless have this remedy – the primary character is performed by the Israeli star Efrat Ben Cura, a star certainly, however she is about twice the age of Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina, so this story has a tone get just a little totally different than within the novel, and this story is far nearer to me and I prefer it a lot better for pure causes – however everybody has their very own instance…

Ephrata, I feel, is sort of a magnet on stage. It does not matter what language she speaks. The Russian viewers in Paris, who do not know French or Hebrew, – the interpretation was in French, however the subtitles have been in Hebrew, so that they weren’t notably targeted on the textual content, for example – they mentioned – superb, all the pieces is simple to know , right here, each view is comprehensible, for what and the way. However daring for the director.

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In addition to the primary character’s age, what different modifications have been made to the canonical plot? Karenina was not relegated to a different period, wearing a mini?

The clothes are nineteenth century model quite than historic. However lengthy. It is simply, you recognize, it does not matter on this present. That is how two partitions and three benches characterize each place of motion and nobody asks the place it’s – on the station, the opera or the Oblonsky Home, the identical is true with the uniform I feel that’s not the primary factor there. I feel the primary factor is the unimaginable power that comes from the stage and that, because of the actors, because of the textual content, because of the music, with the magic of Rima Tumin, strikes to the viewers -listen ultimately. Whatever the language and nation the place we play.

Earlier than Riga, we are going to go to a pageant in Budapest, very fascinating how the present will probably be obtained there. Due to this fact, I feel that “Anna Karenina” will acquire particular muscle tissue in influencing overseas language viewers.

However your observers, the Israelis? Do they arrive to the theatre? Are you in search of salvation there?

You understand, we did not work for 2 months. When this accident occurred on October 7, we have been in shock… All of the theaters have been closed, after all. At first, everybody went to the entrance. Secondly, this was not the proper time for theater, there was a shelling with rockets – when it comes to energy, this operation, this battle, is totally different from all of the others, we sadly already used. And after two months we began enjoying reveals once more. With “Anna Karenina”.

To be trustworthy, I feel what to do, what to play once more, what the hell does “Anna Karenina” want now, when individuals sit, obey to the information, and ready for the youngsters to return from captivity, and depend the lifeless every single day, and go to the funeral. Nevertheless it turned out that the theater is required.

It turned out that they got here to “Anna Karenina” and the corridor was full, and clapped like loopy, and mentioned thanks that they have been separated from the information even for 2 and a half hours. As a result of the issues in actual life are so horrible and horrible that folks wanted to disconnect from them and breathe collectively just a little. As a result of there may be nothing prefer it wherever else, everybody now watches motion pictures alone, listens to music alone, watches TV alone, in one of the best case with the household. However right here all 800 individuals who got here to our corridor started to breathe collectively. And it helped.