How stage satire survived in Soviet censorship, and artists managed to come up with masterpiece jokes

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

It was not easy to joke from the stage in the USSR. As for the pop spoken genre, the list of permitted topics was strictly regulated at the highest level. Would the will of the first leaders, satire would have been banned altogether. At least, attempts to minimize the influence of objectionable satirists on the viewer as much as possible have been made more than once. But the viewer wanted to laugh, and the authorities had to look for ways that would be safe for their images. And surprisingly, under the conditions of total ideological control, Soviet artists managed to create masterpieces that do not lose their sharpness today.

Frivolous attitude towards small art and suspicious satire under Stalin

With the coming to power in Russia of the Bolsheviks, a struggle began against all manifestations of the bourgeoisie. The pop genre, which was considered exclusively "bourgeois art", also fell under the press. Small genres of art henceforth did not receive attention, and satirical scenes, dances and songs were considered something frivolous and second-rate. And the very notion of entertainment in print was increasingly accompanied by the epithet "vulgar". In 1937, the Moscow and Leningrad music halls in their original form were closed at the same time. In renamed theaters with new rules, it was now possible to joke only on primitive everyday topics. At the same time, no one subjected the former satire to an official ban, but it became dangerous to joke.

Slander against the authorities and ridicule of the existing regime could be seen in the most unexpected theatrical manifestations. At the same time, ideologically consistent themes of glorifying the state construction did not enjoy popularity with the viewer. But somehow it was necessary to make me laugh, the genre beloved by the people was in distress. The sophisticated Leningraders were especially in need of high-quality stage humor. Every year there have been attempts to revive the activities of the classical theater of satire. Finally, there was some progress, and a miniature theater was opened in the building of the former music hall. At first, it became a venue for jazz performers, circus clownery, and stage-makers of Soviet songs. And already in the fall of 1939, a full-fledged variety and miniature theater was opened in the ex-restaurant "Bear".

Raikin's success and the new era of the ironic artist

At first, the establishment had little success. After the first season, the actors fled, the artistic director changed, the main director quit. But soon Arkady Raikin, a laureate of the All-Union competition of pop artists, came to the troupe of the Leningrad Theater. He began to sing, play, and perform the duties of an entertainer. The audience went exactly to Raikin. The program of any performance was based on it. Experienced theater critics argued that there is too much Raikin, and therefore he will not have to bathe in the rays of glory for a long time. But they were all wrong. Raikin the entertainer differed sharply from the usual characters. Unlike cheeky, loud and self-confident artists, Arkady took with his softness and shyness. Young, light and agile, he went on stage and after a couple of minutes became "his" for the audience.

The audience was literally fascinated by his insinuating manner, modest smile and sincere openness. “You sit, I will sit, too,” he said quietly from the stage, taking a chair. Or, about to deliver the opening remarks, Raikin quite unexpectedly pulled out a glass of tea from the lapel of his jacket. Raikin considered Charlie Chaplin to be his creative mentor. He managed to separate his work into a separate niche due to the fact that he did not ridicule the boss or subordinate, but the manifestations of evil in society. He approached the content of satire in a new way, subtly and skillfully proving that negative characters live their lives in vain.

Zhvanetsky's debut and joint success

It is no secret that special attention was paid to political satire in the Soviet Union. And if at first the same Raikin touched this topic as carefully as possible, then over time, the presentation of bureaucratic characters in his work became tougher. Among the heroes ridiculed, crooks, bribe-takers, crooks from bureaucrats appeared. Once, touring Odessa, Arkady Raikin drew attention to the local young actors of the Parnas Theater - Zhvanetsky, Kartsev and Ilchenko. After a short time, he invited them to work for him.

Zhvanetsky was appointed head of the theatrical literary section. As Raikin said, Zhvanetsky's value as an actor was that he was able to notice the subtlest details of reality and talentedly fit them into the form of colloquial speech. In 1969, a joint program "Traffic Light" thundered on the stage of the theater, where the legendary works of Mikhail Mikhailovich "Avas", "Age of Technology", "Scarcity" were performed. These works are still cited no less often than the statements of world philosophers.

Romka-actor and Odessa humor

"Romka-actor" - this is how the future famous satirist Roman Kartsev was called in Odessa. Kartsev was a "Romkoy-actor" even decades after gaining national fame. Odessan for several generations, he absorbed the local flavor from the cradle. Even at school, Katz (the real name of the artist) gathered a mass audience, parodying teachers. In the theater of miniatures, Raikin immediately recommended that the artist change his surname to a pseudonym, considering it dissonant and difficult to remember. The first success came to Kartsev after participating in Zhvanetsky's play "I walk down the street", where the artist played several roles at once. For a long time Kartsev performed in a duet with fellow countryman Ilchenko.

Most of their scenes were dedicated to Odessa and its special humor, beloved by the audience. Through sparkling images and dialogues, satirists skillfully reflected Soviet reality. The viewer was close to scenes of industrial relationships, school dialogues, everyday mental circumstances. Kartsev also appeared on the movie screen. One of the most sensational roles was the school teacher in the children's television movie "The Magic Voice of Jelsomino". In fact, his main words were listing the names of his students. But the audience burst with laughter as he reread the list again. The actor managed to make the viewer laugh even with silence. And the one who at least once heard Kartsev's monologue "Cancers" is unlikely to forget it. Having gained experience and popularity, Kartsev and Ilchenko returned to their homeland, creating one of the most popular miniature theaters in the USSR.

A comedian Elena Sparrow knew many ups and downs in her life.