A simple life: birthdays, Mardi Gras, the doctor’s drinking spree, departure of the military, tea, pies, solitaire, winter, spring, summer, fall… Between the everyday cares and the habitual dreams of Moscow, life is slowly but surely passing by. It’s a life, full of thirst for love and conversations about work, happy confessions and painful reticence. This is the house, where people cry and confess of not loving someone, and laugh, when speaking of their failed love. “What is to be done, we should go on living!..”

• Awards
• Winner of the Golden Mask Prize in the “Drama/Large Scale Production” category, 2006
• Pyotr Fomenko won the Golden Mask Prize in the “Drama/Best Director” category, 2006

Three young women are passionate about life and being happy, but they are soon to learn that life and happiness are not necessarily the same. The girls resist as much as they can, clinging to games and laughter, to the foolish and futile work, to somebody’s shaggy great-coat, the symbol of security, or even to the sugar candy that Chebutykin always carries with him… and wouldn’t you say that their sober, grownup comprehension of the fact that happiness is transient, dreams are more often than not elusive, and the suffering is eternal, is very dramatic? This is what this stage production is about.

Marina Zaionts, Itogi

Opening night: September 14, 2004

Running time: 3 hours 50 minutes with 2 intermissions

Subtitles are available in: English, German, French, Russian