Pages of History: Akimov's Theater in St. Petersburg

The Akimov Theater in St. Petersburg in 2019 will celebrate its 90th anniversary. Founded in 1929, it is still considered one of the most popular in the Northern capital.

History of the theater: formation

Comedy theaters were located in the building of merchants Eliseev since 1904. They were located on the second floor, above the city-famous store, including the Nevsky farce and the Grotesque.

In 1929 a newly founded Satire Theater moved here, headed by the famous David Grigoryevich Gutman, who came to Leningrad from Moscow. There he worked as the chief director and artistic director of the Theater of Revolutionary Satire. At the same time, from 1924 to 1929, Gutman worked in the Leningrad Satire Theater, staged performances in the Moscow Operetta Theater and the Music Hall. Since 1930, Gutman was a director in the Leningrad Music Hall and the theater "Comedy", formed from the "Passage".

In 1931 the Leningrad Satire Theater was combined with the "Comedy" and the title received the corresponding - Theater of Satire and Comedy. But his fate could be different if in 1935 Gutman was replaced by Nikolai Pavlovich Akimov as chief director. This kept the theater alive.

«Akimovka»

Since 1935, the brainchild of Akimov was called the Theater of Comedy. N. P. Akimov made revolutionary changes in his fate: he almost completely changed the composition of the troupe and changed the approach to the productions. With him, the theater was recognized as one of the best in the country. And it's since then that the people began to be called the theater of Akimov.

In the first years of the new theater's life, one of the most remarkable Leningrad actresses, Elena Granovskaya, shone on his stage, for which all the main roles were written. Together with Leonid Utesov and Nikolai Cherkasov, she played leading roles in vaudeville, variety reviews and the first Soviet comedies. In the 1930s, the repertoire of the theater is replenished with performances on the famous texts of Lope de Vega, Sheridan and others. The performances were so vivid and topical that they aroused discontent of the government. In the theater, Olga Aroseva, Sergei Filippov, Elena Yunger, Erast Garin, and others played. A number of performances, such as "Shadow", "Dragon", were staged specifically for Akimovka.

In the late 1940s, N. P. Akimov was forced to leave the post of chief director and in general this field of activity in connection with harassment. But after Stalin's death, in 1956, he returned, and again the theater gained its former popularity. Shortly before the death of Akimov, in 1967, he became an academic.

After Akimov

After Akimov The theater of comedy was headed by such directors as Vadim Sergeevich Golikov (1970-1976), Petr Naumovich Fomenko (1972-1981), Dmitry Khananovich Astrakhan (1991-1995). Since 1995, Tatiana Kazakova has been in charge. In the repertoire of the play, which not only attracts the public's interest, but also makes one think about many problems of society as a whole and of each individual. But they are not boringly-edifying. All the performances have unexpected turns of the plot, they are decorated with the brightness of the costumes, the unusual decorations, humor and irony, music and dance. The most famous performance of the modern theater was Evgeny Shvarts's play "The Shadow".

To the 85th anniversary of the foyer, a permanent exhibition was opened, in the exposition of which unique exhibits are presented - several surviving layouts of scenery from the performances of the "Akimov" time. The tradition of such exhibitions before the performances was introduced by NP Akimov himself. And it is important for the theater.

Since 2017 the theater has been working in two shifts, which makes it possible to cover more and more categories of spectators with diverse performances. Thanks to the Comedy Theater named after Akimov, Saint-Petersburg includes in the theatrical education and the younger generation. The repertoire includes performances on the subjects of J. Rodari, R. Kipling, S. Aksakov, E. Schwartz , etc. The performances for children are bright, musical, with subtle humor, and, most importantly, they teach goodness and honesty, they bring up decency and truthfulness, love To the neighbor and respect for people in general.

Address of the Akimova Theater - St. Petersburg, Nevsky Prospekt, 56. Gostiny Dvor metro station. The corner with Bolshaya Sadovaya street.

Unique building

The building in which the theater of Akimov is located and to this day, St. Petersburg is rightfully proud. It is a monument of architecture of the epoch of Northern Art Nouveau, erected in 1904 by the project of Gabriel Vasilyevich Baranovsky.

When the building was erected, it caused a lot of controversy in St. Petersburg society: some thought it was too pretentious and looked like a cake, others admired the author's bold idea. From the point of view of designation, the structure met all the requirements of customers. In the lower floor, on the side of the front facade, there are huge showcases of the richest deli of the city. Through the giant glass, you could see not only the richness of the interiors, but also the famous crystal chandeliers, sparkling with pendants as brightly as if they were made of real diamonds.

The gastronomy of the Akimov Theater in St. Petersburg belonged to the Brotherhood of the Eliseev Brotherhood and was built by the order of Grigory Grigoryevich Eliseev. Its facades were processed under a natural stone of pink hue and decorated with stained-glass windows, arches and sculptures on consoles located at the level of the second floor. Figures were made by sculptor A. Adamson and represented allegorical images of industry, trade, art and science.

The halls of the building were decorated with huge mirrors, marble counters decorated with mahogany, quaint lamps.

The Akimova Theater is still the visiting card of St. Petersburg. Perhaps there is not one inhabitant of the cultural capital, who at least once would have visited it.