Театральная компания ЗМ
Alexander Molchanov

THE KILLER

TYuZ, Moscow
Award nominations 2012

Драма / спектакль малой формы
работа режиссера ()
Director: Dmitry Egorov



At the first glance The Killer play by Alexander Molchanov is more like a movie script: one’s imagination readily suggests episodes of a film about a student who almost became a killer – he had lost all his money at cards and had to obey a ‘tough guy’ from his students’ hostel.
Meanwhile, the author uses a very simple but powerful and ‘pushing aside’ device. Internal monologues of the characters are turned into their lines, the characters do not so much communicate with each other as in turns retell that, in fact, tough story. For that reason, the story being one hundred per cent truthful in detail suddenly acquires the character of a little mischievous and sometimes moral fantasy. The director Dmitry Egorov together with his actors found a very true, clever and effective way to tell the story. The actors very skillfully glade across the text surface, more denoting situations rather than penetrating into the plot – as they are not entirely sure if the story has to be told at all. That is why you try to catch every word they say. They seem to be the head submerged in a dull routine, in the Russian hopelessness spilled in our mutual air. But at the same time they retain their simplicity and very appropriate in this case childishness. This performing manner in particular makes The Killer disarmingly touching.


Roman Doljansky



Photo © Elena Lapina