“The Life of a Man”
By L. Andreev, A. Blok, A.P. Chekhov, and A.S. Pushkin
Preparation of the play:
Costume managers: Marina Barysheva, Bella Lurie
Decorations: Arevat Garamova, Alena Klimava
Sound: Olga Lavrova, Alena Klimava, Anna Chudnovsky, Nadya Kramerova
Advertisement: Tatyana Livshits, Liza Mirkovskaya
Music used in the play:
Ludwig van Beethoven
Franz Joseph Haydn
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Other contemporary pieces
Our special thanks to:
Anna S. Kudyma
Bella Lurie
The UCLA Slavic Department
The UCLA Performing Arts Department
The UCLA Mini-fund
The UCLA Vice-Chancellor’s Fund
Scene I
Mystics:
Jealousy – Marina Barysheva
Prudence - Alena Klimava
Love – Olga Lavrova
Joy – Tatyana Livshits
Fate – Anna Smorodinsky
Fate, Joy, Jealousy, Love, and Prudence discuss the birth of the Man.
Scene II
Colombina – Nadya Kramerova
Pierro – Larianna Danielyan
The Man – Nina Vatkina
Servants – Liza Mirkovskaya, Michael Ravin
Count and Countess Kamensky – Arevat Garamova, David Fikhtengoltz
Waiter – Liza Mirkovskaya
Pierro and his wife, Colombine, are at home. They discuss the coming ball. At the ball, There, Colombina meets the love of her life, the Man. The Man also falls in love with Colombine at first sight as well, and they start seeing each other every night. Pierro finds out about Colombina’s infidelity and confronts the Man. Colombina enters during the fight and chooses to stay with the Man. Pierro is devastated.
Scene III
The Man – Michael Ravin
Colombina – Anna Chudnovsky
The Man and Colombina are now married. They live in striking poverty but find happiness with each other’s love.
Scene IV
The Man – Michael Ravin
Banker – Mariya Bogatyreva
Man’s wife – Anna Chudnovsky
Banker’s friend – Liza Mirkovskaya
Servants – Anna Chudnovsky, Liza Mirkovskaya
The Man is invited to play at a rich reception. There, while setting up, he gets into an argument with the banker, the rich and ostentatious hostess of the ball, about the necessity of the death penalty. The Man claims that he would stay in self-imprisonment for fifteen years if paid two million rubles at the end. During the imprisonment, the Man realizes that material wealth is completely invaluable in comparison to spiritual richness. He leaves his imprisonment several hours before the official end of the agreement as to avoid receiving the two million rubles from the banker.
Scene V
The Man – Michael Ravin
Wife – Anna Chudnovsky
The Man returns home from his fifteen-year imprisonment. He finds out that his son that he has never seen has been assaulted on the street and is now dying from lethal concussion. He curses his Fate for being so unjust to him.
Scene VI
The Man – Diana Gevorkyan
Wife – Arevat Garamova
Salieri – David Fikhtengoltz
Salieri’s Conscience – Inna Selipanov
The Man is now famous and rich. However, he does not realize that vigorous jealousy shadows his life of enjoyment and love. His friend, Salieri, is extremely jealous of his merits, talents, and positive attitude. The Man is invited to play his most famous piece, The Requiem, at Salieri’s house. There, Salieri poisons the Man by giving him a glass of wine with poison in it. The Man is now dead.