“Little Tragedies” by A. S. Pushkin on the Tatar stage

   The article, for the first time, discusses the stage interpretation of Pushkin’s “Little Tragedies” in the Tatar theater.

   The object of the research is the performance “A Feast / Plague” (stage director Timur Sharafutdinov).

   The subject of the study is the specifics of understanding the key images and the content potential of “Little Tragedies”.

   This A. S. Pushkin’s work was translated into Tatar by N. Isanbet, G. Shamukov, Sh. Mudarris and Y. Minnullina in different years. The article focuses on the issues of translation strategy. It is proved that T. Sharafutdinov’s performance is distinguished by its text-centricity, the paucity of mise-en-scenes and the slow tempo that conveys the nature of the main character Valsingam’s mental activity, the content potential of “Little Tragedies” is revealed through his prism of perception. When developing the script, T. Sharafutdinov resorts to a “frame” composition. The “feast” story serves as the “frame” of Valsingam’s farewell Word, which absorbs human passions from “The Stone Guest”, “The Miserly Knight” and “Mozart and Salieri”. On the one hand, T. Sharafutdinov’s performance revives the traditions of the ancient theater (Chorus, a tragic hero); on the other hand, he fills the action with a postmodern game, whose roots go back to youth mischief.

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