Ilya Averbukh is preparing for the Grand premiere.

Ilya Averbukh and Alexei Yagudin

Photo: press service

Ilya Averbukh
started preparing for the new Grand show “Romeo and Juliet” premiere
on 1 July in Sochi, but in the autumn the ice show will see
Moscow. Starring Olympic Champions Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim
Marinin. Alexei Yagudin and Roman Kostomarov will be Mercuccio and Tybalt,
Margarita Drobiazko and Povilas Vanagas, Oksana Domnina and Maxim Shabalin
will represent the clans the Montagues and the Capulets. Alexei Tikhonov will play the role of Father
Lorenzo, from whose name in the show is a story.

Rehearsal
the play will begin in June, immediately after the rest of the skaters. Before a well-deserved
leave Ilya Averbukh gathered all Champions in a cozy Studio in the center of Moscow
to try on the imagery of Shakespeare’s tragedies to create a Billboard
project.

“Before
the preparation for this production, I reconsidered, probably, almost all existing
version of “Romeo and Juliet”, from the legendary film by Franco Zeffirelli
to musicals and classical ballet performances at the Mariinsky theatre — especially
went to St. Petersburg to see it, — says Ilya Averbukh. — How
my “Carmen” did not repeat any of the existing interpretations, and “Romeo and
Juliette” it will be a very special performance. Along with producer
Catherine Tsanava we created the libretto, which, besides the main line,
stand out and other characters. Now on this libretto by the composer Roman
Ignatiev writes music. We took as a basis the famous music of Prokofiev
ballet has retained all his main themes, but 80% of music
the material will be copyrighted.

The novel Ignatyev has vast experience in the theatre
we worked together on “Carmen”, in addition to operetta he wrote
“Anna Karenina” and “Monte Cristo”, he perfectly feels the nerve of the play. Our
the ice show will begin with the story of Pastor Lorenzo, and specifically for this role we
enter also the music of Bach. However, it will not be “musical allsorts”, namely
full musical performance with its own drama and live vocals
now we have selected 6 great vocalists. And as always the ice show Ilya
Averbuch audiences can expect a very ambitious set design. Ice Palace “iceberg”
provides a unique opportunity for the Director: our scenery in this performance
will be very large — 60 meters long and 14 meters wide. In addition to figure skating
will be involved in a variety of genres — acrobatics, aerial gymnastics, even
fencing.

In any
the performance all depends on the person, which places him: so says Alexei Yagudin. “Ilya Averbukh knows us all, knows how to feed our
characters, and he even the secondary roles are always important and can be at least
vivid than the main characters — said the skater. — My role, Marcuccio,
who in the play rather cynical and a romantic couple
Romeo and Juliet, it is me. I think it’s me.

Averbukh always
trying to bring in ice shows elements of other genres, and “Romeo” us
Roman Kostomarov, who plays Tybalt, will have a fatal duel
swords. Ilya was immediately set the task that it was not “ballet with swords,” so
that fight will be real! The phrase is Tatiana Anatolievna Tarasova, which
haunting me in life, “Yagudin can do anything”. I’m always interested in the different
experience. I am active in life, and very quickly come to the desired shape. In various
TV shows I swam with dolphins, jumped on the trampoline, even tried
in rhythmic gymnastics in exercises with a ribbon. As for the fencing,
in one of the shows we participated together with a legendary swordsman Paul
Korobkov, the current Minister of sport, so with this I’m a little
sign.

Don’t know it
a sign of fate or just a coincidence, but when we just recently along with
Tatiana Totmyanina discussed where to go during the may holiday, I decided
to visit the North of Italy – Florence, Venice and drive to Verona, home of Romeo
and Juliet. I’ve never been there, and I really want to soak up the spirit of this
the famous Shakespearean tragedy.”

Roman Kostomarov

Photo: press service