Russia’s Bolshoi scraps performances by essential administrators

By AFP

MOSCOW: Russia’s Bolshoi Theatre has introduced it’s cancelling the performances directed by Kirill Serebrennikov and Timofey Kulyabin who’ve spoken out towards Moscow’s army marketing campaign in Ukraine.

Late Sunday, Russia’s prime theatre introduced that as an alternative of the three performances of “Nureev”, a ballet directed by Serebrennikov, the audiences this week will see a manufacturing of Aram Khachaturian’s ballet, “Spartacus”. 

The prestigious theatre additionally stated that as an alternative of “Don Pasquale”, a comic book opera by Gaetano Donizetti directed by Timofey Kulyabin, audiences this week will see a manufacturing of Gioachino Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”

The Bolshoi didn’t give any purpose for the cancellations and spokeswoman Katerina Novikova advised AFP on Monday that she had no “official” remark. The Bolshoi carried out “Spartacus” in early April, saying that proceeds could be used to assist the households of Russian troops who died in Ukraine.

Serebrennikov, 52, was allowed in March to depart Russia, the place he had been discovered responsible in 2020 of embezzling funds at Moscow’s Gogol Centre theatre. His supporters say the conviction was revenge for his criticism of authoritarianism and homophobia below President Vladimir Putin. 

Speaking to AFP in Berlin final month, Serebrennikov stated he felt “just horror, sadness, shame, pain” about Russia’s army marketing campaign in pro-Western Ukraine. “Nureev” is predicated on the lifetime of Russian dance legend Rudolf Nureyev, and its use of onstage nudity and profane language outraged Russian conservatives. 

Kulyabin, 37, who can be believed to be now primarily based in Europe, has spoken out towards Putin’s choice to ship troops to Ukraine. Several dancers have in latest weeks stop the Bolshoi together with prima ballerina Olga Smirnova.