On the Small Stage of RAMT, a performance based on the book by Anna Starobinets “Beastly Detective” was staged. This is a cycle of stories about the inhabitants of the Far Forest, where there is an important rule of life: no one eats anyone, and an experienced inspector Badger and his young colleague Badgercat keep order
Thanks to the internal projects of the theatre, whether it is a series of readings “Aloud” or various laboratories, a large number of excellent works for viewers of all ages enter the repertoire of the RAMT. “Beastly Detective”, which was played to the audience only once, caused such enthusiasm that tickets were sold out three months in advance. And now the theater is looking for a place in its extensive playbill for additional screenings.
Director Irina Vasilyeva, in collaboration with artist Nina Yungvald-Khinkevich, created a world that is interesting both for children (the performance is marked 6+) and for the adult audience. You follow the adventures of the inhabitants of the Far Forest with fascination: here you want to remember every scene and drop in for an evening at the Knot bar for a muhito or a stump-deck. Everything is framed by the style of film noir, flavored with humor and pranks of artists.
The imposing, only seeming slow Badger performed by Alexei Mishakov resembles the heroes of Jean Gabin, and sometimes Humphrey Bogart. You can’t lead him astray or out of thought, and even possible traps he will surely predict himself.
Badgercat, on the contrary, is too immature and active, trusting, and all the time his vain feline part outweighs the potentially reasonable badger. Vladimir Zomerfeld continues his gallery of his marvelous characters from the animal world in Barsukot (everyone who has seen “Treasure Island” remembers his enchanting parrot), and here he also competes with the main cat of RAMT Viktor Panchenko (“Savel’s Days”, “Cat of Shame”) . Cat lovers will understand: you look at his plastic and see a real cat. Written perfectly. Therefore, the most difficult thing is to refrain from addressing “kis-kis-kis” instead of “bravo”. Mishakov and Zomerfeld turned out to be a harmonious duet, and I would like to repeat it in other performances.
The whole story is tied to the classic plot: one-two-three-four-five – and now only a tail remains from the bunny. The Wolf immediately gets into the suspects, and who else. Alexey Bobrov created the most colorful Gray. Facial expressions, gait, image – there are so many recognizable images in their subcortex: here is Rosario Agro, from whom no one left, and recidivist Brick Sadalsky from “Meeting Place …”. And a million new strokes invented by the artist himself. And so it is possible to tell about each. Mouse-psychologist Maria Turova, Coyote Yot with schizophrenia by Ivan Zabelin, Zaichikha Marianna Ilyina, who is always shy, the duet of Owls-lawyers Anastasia Volynskaya and Yana Paletskaya.
“Beastly Detective” is a feast of acting impromptu, here you can compose new characters (and this has already been done more than once during rehearsals), here the line between acting and partner split is oh so thin. A separate joy is to follow the artists at such a moment. From the wonderful RAMT troupe, a small, but enchanting ensemble gathered. Someone leads only one character, someone got a whole cohort. It is impossible not to single out Dmitry Burukin and his kaleidoscope of images: the snob forensic expert Grif, the adopted baby Skvorchonok, the savvy foreman Mole and, of course, the heroic Zhuk Zhuk. “How then will I look our larvae in the eye?” – I want to pull the whole performance into quotes.
It turned out a very accurate portrait of our modern reality: what is only the foreman Krot with his team and the especially colorful giraffe Rafik worth, or the operational “squeezing out” of the Wolf’s lair by a large family. “Beastly Detective” is an endlessly funny and witty spectacle that both children and adults will enjoy watching.
Author: Olga Shishorina
