On March 7, the Taganka Theater hosted the premiere of Duck Hunt directed and choreographed by Anna Zakusova based on the play of the same name by Alexander Vampilov.
This is a modern interpretation of the famous text, unusual in its embodiment and the number of characters, which are more than in the classic version. In this work, no less than three Zilovs are presented, thanks to which the director more accurately showed the conflicting feelings and emotions experienced by the main character.
duck hunting
Photo source: Daria Bartachevich
He is constantly thinking about what is going on around and if he is valuable to the world. Having practically abandoned real life, he sinks into despair, searching for the meaning of life and the answer to the question “to be or not to be”, trying to figure out what to expect from the world.
The director conveys the internal experiences of the characters through plasticity: the movements speak for themselves, and the viewer has the opportunity to see what is going on inside the characters. The drama that plays out on stage is luminous, expressive, tense.
duck hunting
Photo source: Daria Bartachevich
Anna Zakusova says: “Zilov interests me. I want to talk about him, about his condition. Vampilov’s play was not staged for a long time, even the beloved film remained on the shelf until the audience saw it. Vampilov, continuing the traditions of Chekhov and Gogol, speaks of “superfluous people”, and I understand that I know such people, I know the Zilovs. I’m interested in talking about them, these real people.
We see Zilov at a dramatically tense moment in his life, on the threshold to be crossed. The moment that compels Zilov to act. The whole piece, a memory, even a dream. And this unreality of what is happening makes it possible to speak the language of movement, of the body and of plasticity…”
