Streetkids

“In the suburbs of one little Swedish town you can see a greatly neglected garden. And there is a blackened old tumbledown house in this garden. And exactly in this house Pippi Longstocking lives. She already turned 9 and just fancy it – she lives there absolutely alone. She doesn’t have mom or dad, and to tell you the truth this fact even gives her some advantages – nobody makes her go to bed at the most interesting moment of the game and nobody makes her take cod-liver oil when she wants to eat candies…” this is how the story of “Pippi Longstocking” written by Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren starts. It is a story about little girl’s adventures filled with the optimism and devoted faith in the very-very best.
The young actors of “The Way home” fund drama studio did their best during the premiere in conveying all the kindness and optimism, with which Astrid Lindgren endowed the characters of her story. Oksana Celutina coped excellently with the role of the main character. According to the story Pippi was 9 years old, but even though the actress is twice as old as her character, she easily grew accustomed to the image of a naughty girl with two braids. As Alexey Barkasov, the director of the play, noticed on one of the rehearsals: “Pippi – is the main source of energy, from which everyone can charge one’s “batteries”. Young actress coped with the role of the positive emotional source, which charges both the partners at the stage and spectators in the auditorium absolutely splendidly. 8 years old Anton Dmitriev and 14 years old Lena Snisarenko played roles of Tommy and Annika, brother and sister, Pippi’s best friends. It was difficult for Lena, since she was able to open up only by the end of rehearsal period. Unfortunately, those scenes where Annika’s character would be exposed fully were not included into the production (oh, how director wanted to stage a large and complete performance, where each character would have his own line, his beginning and final! But so far it is just a dream), but it still wasn’t an obstacle for her to make her début in an interesting role. Little Tommy and the inmate of “The Way Home” Anton Dmitriev – is a single whole. Both on the stage and in everyday life Anton is a fun and curious little man, and if in reality Anton doesn’t have a sister then he has got one on the stage, and everyone really starts to believe that Annika is his real sister. Invisible threads were connecting actors and turned them into dear to each other relatives. As a result – Anton and Lena excellently cooperate with Oksana-Pippi and ductile etude when brother and sister meet with the main heroine makes us believe that it is truly their first and a very interesting acquaintance. A couple of robbers which broke into the Pippi’s house at night – is another story. Burglar (Rita Bezverhaya) and Bloom (Serezha Yakovlev) started their rehearsals later than the rest of the actors. But it was only because during the first weeks guys were learning their final dance, during which Pippi manages to tie the luckless pilferers and after all lets them go and rewards them with a few coins for “dancing twist with her all night long”.  Robbers turned out to be very funny and what is very important absolutely different. And all together they looked very nice although they came there not for “dancing dances”. If to speak in general about the performance we can say – it worked! Of course, premiere – is a premiere, it would be great to see “Pippi Longstocking” after a month, when everything is sorted out and when children can feel each other even with their eyes shut. “Adults never have fun. They always have tons of boring work, stupid dresses and communal taxes. And also they are stuffed with prejudices and other nonsense. They think that an awful disaster will happen, if one sticks a knife into the mouth and all that kind of stuff”. Pippi is a child’s dream of strength and nobility, wealth and generosity, freedom and selflessness. But somehow adults don’t understand Pippi and vise versa they are trying to educate her. And probably that is the reason why Pippi doesn’t want to grow up: “Who said that a person has to become an adult?” Nobody can make Pippi do something that she doesn’t want to do!