Rimas Tuminas' play based on the poetic drama of Mikhail Yurievich Lermontov is a territory of freedom, where no one is accountable to anyone: for faces are hidden behind masks, and you are no longer you... Festive music and dances, masks and disguises, unbeatable joy, jokes, sarcasm, and tripping each other - all this is a masquerade. Before the audience unfolds a grotesque mosaic, the patterns of which are characters, intrigues, flirtations, risky revelations, and passionate confessions. This is a realm of jesting and cynicism, mystification and clowning. Here, "they know no shame," thanks to their anonymity, they play with others' fates and poison with words, and then remove the mask and shed "bitter tears of compassion." The play is dynamic and unfolds a picturesque image of old St. Petersburg, shrouded in a snowstorm. The action takes place in the snowy Summer Garden. On the ice and snow, according to Rimas Tuminas, it is difficult to walk and dangerous to live, which fully reflects the concept of the play. Arbennin, played by Evgeny Knyazev, has an antagonist, the "evil genius" - the Man of Winter, introduced by the director. Music plays a special role in the performance, creating an additional emotional and meaningful layer. The main musical theme is the waltz by Aram Khachaturian, created 70 years ago for the Vakhtangov Theatre. The artistic design of the performance is by Adomas Yacovskis, costumes by Maxim Obrezkov. See even more performances on our website in the theatre section.