SECRETS OF THE HOUSE WITH LIONS
Stravinsky Hall
PREMIERE
Musical and dramatic performance
SECRETS OF THE HOUSE WITH LIONS
To the 100th anniversary of the Museum of Modern History of Russia
Stage Director – Ilya Ilin, laureate of the Moscow Prize, Honored Worker of Culture of Russia
Music Director – Valery Kiryanov, laureate of the Moscow Prize
Screenwriter – Marina Skalkina
Premiere performances will take place on October 24, 25, 26 and 27, 2024
The Museum of Modern History of Russia and the Moscow musical theatre Helikon-opera joined forces to create the play Secrets of the House with Lions.
This is not just a performance – it is an exciting journey through time that will make the audience take a fresh look at the history of our great country.
The performance takes us to the legendary building on Tverskaya Street that once was the Moscow English Club where the cream of Russian intellectuals gathered. Here we meet Pushkin, Krylov, Zhukovsky playing cards – and it's as if we hear their living voices discussing the future of Russia. And then a rapid flight through the decades: revolution, war, space, perestroika – all the key moments of our history come to life on stage.
Secrets of the House with Lions is not a dull history lesson. This is a bright, emotional production, where drama is followed by comedy and tragedy by hope. It features songs of the times: from romances to rock and roll. One second the audience stays put listening to Lenin's voice from an old gramophone, the next taps the rhythm to the incendiary ditties of the MMM time.
The originality of this performance is in its authenticity. Every costume, every object in the theater is an authentic exhibit from the museum's collection. Spectators can see the real blue headscarf of Klavdiya Shulzhenko, the pen with which the treaty on the annexation of Crimea was signed and even the wedding rings of the builders of BAM, forged from rail steel.
Secrets of the House with Lions is not just a performance, it is a living museum where history becomes tangible. Not only great personalities come to life here, but also ordinary people: BAM builders, cosmonauts, miners. Their destinies, their joys and their sorrows – this is the real history of our country.
The union of the theater and the museum has created a truly unique spectacle. The creative possibilities of the Helikon-opera combined with the richest funds of the museum give an incredible effect – a journey through time. The audience does not just watch the performance – they become participants, they experience the brightest moments of our history together with the characters.
Secrets of the House with Lions is a reminder that history is not just dates in a textbook, but a living fabric woven from the destinies of millions of people. And each of us is the creator of this history.
The performance was created with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives and the non-profit organization Center for Educational Projects.
The premiere of the performance Secrets of the House with Lions will be held on October 24, 25, 26, 27 in the Moscow Helikon-opera theatre on Bolshaya Nikitskaya.