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The International Theatre Festival of Kerala (ITFOK) saw a Russian musical in the typical classical operatic style. In a post-modern epoch, where cynicism often masquerades as sophistication, Mark Rozovsky's Poor Liza arrives as a poignant reminder of theatre's enduring power to stir the soul. One might dismiss its narrative as "outdated," a relic of sentimentalism, yet it is precisely within this embrace of heartfelt emotion that Rozovsky finds his strength. As he himself declares, "It's old-fashioned, and that's its strength." This is not a concession to obsolescence, but a defiant reclamation of sincerity.
Nikolai Karamzin's novella, a cornerstone of Russian sentimentalism, unfolds with a simplicity that belies its emotional depth. Nikolai Karamzin penned Poor Liza or Bednaya Liza as a sentimental novella in 1972. It is one of Karamzin's best-known short stories in Russia. It was first translated into English in 1803, when it appeared in a collection titled Russian Tales by Nicolai Karamsin. The delicate romance between the innocent peasant girl, Liza, and the aristocratic Erast, tragically ensnared by societal constraints, is rendered with a vibrant, musical palette. Rozovsky's adaptation, a veritable homage to Karamzin's era, weaves together poetic verses and evocative melodies, transforming the familiar tale into a timeless meditation on love, betrayal, and morality.
To truly savour Poor Liza, one must relinquish the expectation of narrative twists and embrace the production as a holistic aesthetic experience. It is a journey into the heart of Russian romanticism, a realm where emotions reign supreme. For the post-modern cynic, this may seem anathema. Yet, for those who still harbour a flicker of romanticism, Poor Liza offers a profound resonance, akin to the Indian aesthetic of rasa where Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram – Truth, Goodness, and Beauty – coalesce into a transcendent experience. Poor Liza, in its maudlin beauty, serves as a poignant reminder of these enduring values. It is a testament to the power of sentimentalism, not as a weakness, but as a conduit for profound emotional truth.
In a world saturated with technology and information, Poor Liza offers a refuge, a sanctuary of untainted beauty. It celebrates the virtues of romanticism: the awe of the natural world, the primacy of emotion, and the purity of innocence. The imagery of Liza as a shepherdess, untouched by societal artifice, embodies this ideal. Maria Matveenko, in her portrayal of Liza, captures this essence with breathtaking sincerity. Her voice, imbued with a crystalline clarity reminiscent of a young lyric soprano, carries the weight of Liza's heartbreak, moving the audience to tears, much like the emotional catharsis of a powerful operatic performance. One can hear the delicate phrasing, and the emotional coloratura that conveys Liza’s inner turmoil.
Karamzin’s love of nature is seen in Ksenia Shimanovskaya’s Scenography. The natural world in Poor Liza functions as a dynamic symbol, its portrayal evolving in tandem with the story's emotional arc. The deliberate parallelism between nature and Liza's emotional trajectory amplifies the story's sentimental impact, creating an atmosphere of profound emotional resonance.
The cast delivers stellar performances, each embodying the essence of their characters. The musical score, featuring Ryashentsev's elegant poetry, is a testament to the power of language to evoke emotion. The lines of Poor Lisa are poetic. For instance, When Liza is in love, "never have the skylarks sung so well" and when she is distraught about her lover Erast leaving the sky is red, "like a scarlet sea". When her heart is broken she says "'I cannot live…….If only the sky would fall upon me'". Such lines capture the essence of Liza's emotional journey with breath-taking simplicity. The melodic lines, often reminiscent of Russian art songs, are rendered with a vocal purity that enhances the emotional impact of the narrative.
Poor Liza is a testament to the enduring power of Russian sentimentalism, a literary movement that celebrates the beauty of emotion, the purity of innocence, and the enduring power of love. It is a production that invites us to suspend our cynicism and embrace the beauty of a bygone era. It is, in essence, a relishing aesthetic experience for the senses, a poignant reminder of the enduring power of art to touch the human heart.
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar is a Sociologist and Playwright. He has been teaching Film Theory and Aesthetics and involved in theatre-making, poetry, and cinema for a decade now. He is the Artistic Director of Metamorphosis Theatre and Films.
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