The monoplay AntiWagner by Olga Bolycheva was among the winners of the International Drama Competition ‘Monodrama-2019’, held by the Russian State Art Library (RSAL) and the journal Contemporary Drama. Recently it was staged by the Kaliningrad Regional Musical Theatre, where the author served as director of the performance.
In the play, a musician from Donetsk, hiding in Berlin from being conscripted, gives interviews to unknown persons in a street cafe. Who are these unidentified people? Journalists or intelligence agents? And who is he himself—a crazy genius, a spy, or a messiah called to save the world? He makes a living playing the accordion on the street, rents a strange apartment near a cemetery, talks about music, communicates with the dead, and has prophetic dreams. His music influences people, making them do odd things. Does he bring good or chaos to the world? And why did a street musician attract the attention of the secret services?
The performance does not give a concrete answer .... It leaves the audience with the opportunity to reflect on the mystical symbolism of Richard Wagner, the impact of his work on the audience and the extraordinary talent of a musician of our time with the prefix ‘Anti’ ....
In the play, the music by composer Andrei Korobkov is a full-fledged character in its own right. The role of the musician is artfully played by Ilya Richter.
