Russia (bbabo.net), - In the grand foyer of the Vakhtangov Theater on February 14, the exhibition "Gadibuk", Vakhtangov and "Habima": The Line of Life, dedicated to the hundred-year friendship of theaters, will open.
Both theaters - Vakhtangov and "Gabima" - owe their birth to Evgeny Vakhtangov. Cultural ties between the two groups, Russian and Israeli, were maintained and renewed during the 20th century and continue into the 21st. In 2022, both theaters celebrate the 100th anniversary of the legendary productions of Yevgeny Vakhtangov: in January - "Gadibuka", and on February 28 - "Princess Turandot".
The exhibition "Gadibuk, Vakhtangov and Habima: Line of Life" is a joint project of the Vakhtangov Theater and the Israeli Center for Performing Arts Documentation of Tel Aviv University, with the participation of the Theater Archive named after I. Gabai. The creators of the project tell the story of the performance "Gadibuk" from the moment of its birth and until the last days of stage life... And there is something to tell about: "Gadibuk" is the only Vakhtangov performance that has traveled almost the whole world and has been played in its original form for more than 40 years.
But still, it is worth starting the story from 1917, when the theater-studio "Gabima" arose in Moscow. Thanks to the fiery enthusiasm of the actor and director Naum Tsemakh, with the direct assistance of K.S. Stanislavsky. "Habima" was called the Bible Studio of the Moscow Art Theatre. The first artistic director of the theater, which presented its performances in Hebrew, was Evgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov. And the hallmark of the theater was the play "Gadibuk" by Semyon An-Sky, born as a result of an ethnographic trip to Jewish towns.
Yevgeny Vakhtangov staged the play "Gadibuk" in January 1922, 4 months before his death. It is amazing how, not knowing Hebrew, Vakhtangov managed to create in "Gadibuk" the language of universal fantastic theatricality, which amazed the audience in Moscow, Europe and America. This performance brought Habima world fame. Among the fans of "Gadibook" are not only the great European directors Max Reinhardt and Gordon Craig, but also Albert Einstein.
Only in Russia "Gadibuk" was played 300 times. The Russian artistic world perceived "Gadibuk" as the embodiment of a dream of a modern mystery theater: "In the play "Gadibuk" "Habimy" the most indicative of Vakhtangov's directing genius was in my eyes the fact that I, almost without understanding a word of Hebrew, was all the time we rhythmically shake the theatrical action, sometimes reaching an ecstatic experience with the "playing actors," wrote the "Jewish Herald" in 1922.
In March 1928, "Habima" arrived in Palestine, anticipating the establishment of the State of Israel. In 1931, "Habima" made the final decision to settle in Palestine, eventually becoming the national theater of Israel.
The performance "Gadibuk" was played on the stage of "Habima" more than 1000 times, it was performed until the end of the sixties. For many years, the actors and directors of "Habima" have preserved the performance as a treasure, kept the memory of Vakhtangov and wrote memoirs about working with him.
The exhibition "Gadibuk", Vakhtangov and "Habima": the line of life" will last until February 21, and then it will be replaced by a new exhibition dedicated to the 100th anniversary of Vakhtangov's masterpiece "Princess Turandot".
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