Abramovich Helps Bring Russian Company to UK
Thanks to “generous support” from billionaire Roman Abramovich, acclaimed Moscow theatre company Sovremennik will make its UK debut at the West End’s Noel Coward Theatre next month.
According to press material: “In a landmark event for London and UK theatre, one of the giants of Russian theatre, Sovremennik (which translates as Contemporary) is to make its UK debut … Sovremennik’s strictly limited season at the Noel Coward Theatre, made possible with generous support from Roman Abramovich will be the first time in over 20 years a major Russian theatre company has performed in the capital.”
The season’s opening production, Into the Whirlwind, is an account by journalist Eugenia Ginzburg of her time imprisoned in the Gulag, while the Chekhov productions will feature “lavish, visually stunning scenery and costumes”. All three plays will be performed in Russian with English surtitles.
The all-Russian cast is helmed by artistic director Galina Volchek, who has led the company for 40 years, and the London season is produced by Oksana Nemchuk, who has toured the company internationally since 1999. The executive producer is Artsbridge Ltd.
