Russian theatre directors stage daring plays despite crackdown

MOSCOW: In a Moscow theatre, an unusual adaptation of the British classic children´s book "Alice in Wonderland" has the audience erupting in laughter.

The musical sees Alice escaping from prison with the help of the White Rabbit and travelling through a Wonderland that turns out to be a lot like today´s Russia.

Nearly every scene is a parody of modern life in the country, from the Caterpillar demanding Alice hand over her identity papers to the Queen of Hearts imposing a ban on "everything".

It is one of many bold performances staged in the Russian capital, where contemporary theatre with a political twist is booming despite a recent crackdown by the authorities.

"It´s hard to live in Russia if you have no sense of irony," the musical´s director Maxim Didenko tells AFP.

"If you took everything seriously, you could go mad."

Didenko has staged several surprising re-inventions of Russian and Soviet classics -- many of them musicals that are elaborately costumed, humorous and often have political undertones.

Speaking in Moscow´s Taganka Theatre, he says the play -- called "Run, Alice, Run" -- was his reaction to the arrest of leading theatre and film director Kirill Serebrennikov, which shook Moscow´s theatre circles in August 2017.

Serebrennikov has since then been on trial accused of embezzling state funds. His supporters see the case as part of a growing clampdown on artistic freedom under President Vladimir Putin.

Siberian-born Didenko is one of many arts figures to attend the ongoing trial of Serebrennikov, whom he describes as a role model who "completely changed" Russian theatre.

He says that even the courtroom is a drama in itself.

"It´s also a kind of theatre. You leave your coat, take a seat and listen," he says. "It´s like a performance."

Didenko says that he strives for all his works to "reflect the reality" of today´s Russia.

But there are topics he steers clear of, such as religion, which he sees as "too sensitive" given Russia´s strict legislation on offending believers.

"I rely on my own internal compass, I hope that´s enough," he says.

Boris Mezdrich knows the price that theatre directors can pay in Russia if authorities believe they go too far on stage.