The play by Nikolai Erdman, which once captivated Stanislavsky, was directed by the Petersburg director Nikolai Roschin. The performance is dedicated to the 125th anniversary of the Moscow Art Theatre. In 1931, the playwright Nikolai Erdman read his freshly written "The Suicide" to Konstantin Stanislavsky, and he laughed to tears. The work, which begins with a joke, turns into a drama, linking it to "The Government Inspector." Just like in Gogol's work, an unremarkable person suddenly becomes the center of public attention, but while Khlestakov manages to dominate others, Erdman's hero Semyon Podsekalnikov is literally driven to his grave by society. Stanislavsky was so inspired by this black comedy that he asked Stalin for permission to stage it (the play was banned at that time). Preparations for the premiere took six months but were never completed. You can find more performances in Moscow on our website in the theater section.