Brodsky Museum cancels play 'Democracy!' due to threats
A scene from the play «Democracy!» based on the play by Joseph Brodsky
The play «Democracy!» directed by Yevgeny Tsyganov will not be presented to the audience on 28 January. The organizers canceled the premiere, which was to take place in the parking lot of the Europolis shopping center with a parallel online broadcast.
On 26 January, the Telegram channel «Theater» reported that the show was canceled «for technical reasons.» The play«s page on the website has been removed, and social media confirmed that no rescheduling to other dates is planned.
In mid-January, the Telegram channel «Backstage» characterized the production as «that middle finger that doesn»t even fit in your pocket.« The publication hinted that Tsyganov, as a »sought-after artist,« has »many projects, and therefore the losses could be great.«
«Usually after such provocations, people run around offices asking to »understand and forgive,« and most importantly, to get their job back,» the same message noted. It mentioned the curator of the «One and a Half Rooms» museum, Marina Loshak, and actress Maria Shalaeva, who currently lives abroad.
This is the second joint project of Yevgeny Tsyganov with the Joseph Brodsky Museum. A year earlier, he presented the play «Marble,» which was also broadcast online.
The play «Democracy!» was written by Brodsky in 1990. The action takes place in a fictional Baltic socialist state, and the characters include the head of state, ministers, and a secretary.
