<!-->There’s a lot of improvisation in this stage production by Mikhail Krylov. It seems as if each scene is born right before our eyes out of nothing. This is the acting profession freed from all the constraints. It’s quite possible that the same thing was done by Molière’s company, which devised the scenes in process, having fun with each other and with their audience.<-->Translated by Vasily Gippius.
Text redacted by the theatre.

Arnolphe is a middle-aged gentleman, who call himself “de La Souche “ to make himself appear aristocratic. He plans to marry his ward Agnes. Arnolphe is terrified of being betrayed by women and, for many years, he kept the girl locked up in order to “educate” her as „a good wife.” However, youth and true love naturally win out in this story about family relations in the French style.

Mikhail Krylov's production is filled with improvisations. It seems as if scenes come into being out of nothing. This is the acting profession, pure and simple. Chances are, Moliere's troupe performed the same way — inventing on-the-go, having fun, enjoying each other and the public. Krylov made this production about love and, first of all, about love for theater, but not for a dusty, velvet-draped theatre. His “School for Wives” is about being in love with the theatrical craft, about the ability to believe in, and to find, theatre everywhere.

Everything is trying to tell us that this is not a story from the past, it’s a make-believe. This make-believe is sparkling, charming, and light. Technically the actors tell a story of love. In practice, it’s a story about their beloved theater and the ability to see it in the most mundane things and old-fashioned stories.

Natalya Vitvitskaya, Vash dosug

Opening night: December 22, 2015

Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes with one intermission

Ticket price range: 1500—20000 rub.