A classic of literary horror directed by Ruslan Kudashov - a whimsical world of nightmarish visions materialized in a diabolical dance on stage. Gogol's "Viy" serves as a fertile ground for theatrical improvisations, allowing directors to experiment with both context and staging solutions. Ruslan Kudashov fully embraced this freedom, transforming the famous text into a horror nativity scene, labeled as a "chronicle of spiritual decline." Khoma Brut, portrayed by Denis Pyanov, is the only human in a devilish dark world, where its inhabitants come to life as whimsical puppets, seemingly drawn from Bosch's characters. The set design corresponds perfectly, an eclectic mix of stylized rural life and picturesque allusions: from Rublev to Pirosmani, exacerbating the confusion between the real world and the otherworldly. The reality embodied on stage is a nightmarish vision and delirium tremens, graveyard horror and a child's scary tale, which, when breaking free from the confines of words, turns out to be not so amusing. But the most terrifying aspect is not the materialized monsters, but the weakness of man, his helplessness against sins that pull him into the abyss. Duration: 1 hour 40 minutes, with one intermission. For more performances in Saint Petersburg, visit our website in the theater section.