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Where there is no law, but every man does what is right in his own eyes, there is the least of real liberty
Henry M. Robert

ARE GOOD THINGS ALWAYS IN SHORT SUPPLY?

13 November, 2012 - 00:00

Kyiv theatergoers have long been denied the pleasure of new plays. There were 65 premieres in 1997 compared to 120-150 in the early 1990s, a disheartening statistic. The early months of this year did not gladden hearts either, although new productions were prepared and it seems interesting to watch the reaction of the most exacting unforgiving and uncompromising local critics. The Day tried to sum it up by staging a kind of blitz poll. The returns point to three best plays: “The Philoctetes Concerto,” “You Beloved of My Soul “ (Drama and Comedy Theater), and “In the Steppes of Ukraine” (Podil Theater). Almost unanimously, the critics proclaimed Oleksandr Ihnatusha the best actor for his impersonation of Halushka in the “Steppes...” and Alla Maslennykova the best actress for her Liya in “You...”

Of course, ratings in the arts as in any other domain are relative, yet critics agreeing in principle may be listened to by the ordinary theatergoer. Regrettably, “The Philoctetes Concerto” has vanished from the billboards and the “Steppes” is performed only now and then, while “You...” is staged mainly as a chamber play with an audience of 60. Well, it is perhaps just another of our good old traditions: good things should not only be kept in short supply; there has to be a shortage of them.
 

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