On June 22, 2016, in commemoration of the anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic war, at the Theatre of Commonwealth of actors of Taganka was played the spectacle “Four toast to the victory” by Nikolai Nikolaevich Gubenko, People’s artist of Russia. The play, which was first performed in 1995 as “Day of victory”, is still deeply touching the viewer, and raises in his mind this nationwide trouble and the victory of the Russian spirit.
This work, which demonstrates the spiritual foundations of the theater “Commonwealth actors of Taganka” (the highest professionalism, love of country and morality), we begin a series of publications about the strength of the traditions of Russian theatre.
«Initially in the traditions of the Russian national theatre was seen patriotism, love to Motherland-mother” – writes art historian M. N. Lubomudrov. “It (the theatre – approx. edition), of course, was not on derive from a fun-filled “the ultimate shame”, but from the “school” theatre that emerged and developed in Russia at religious educational institutions in the first half of the XVIII century. And aesthetics of the Russian stage is closely connected to its moral, spiritual basis.”
Poems, songs and footage of the war years based on performance can be found today everywhere, young and old people in Russia cling the ribbons to their bags and hang them on the sweatera. But the main lessons of the war are forgotten. The meaning is thoroughly eroded away with the glamour. The staging of the Commonwealth shows the basic things, it awakens in our memory the ancestors who fought for their country.
Everything that happens on stage, coincides with memories of my grandmother, who worked on the defense of Moscow and from the sorrows of the war brought the power of the spirit and thirst for life. And those terrible 5 years and the lean years after the war they continued to live. “Just war,” repeats this generation.
It is impossible to recount poetic and musical miniatures. Footage of the filming is also not able to convey the special spirit of the war years performances and the response of the viewer. The “Four toast to the victory” we need to see from the audience.
