THE ELDER SON

Alexander Vampilov

The Elder Son

Comedy

14+

2 hours 30 minutes (in two acts)

In Russian

Experimental Stage (3rd floor)

Premiere - 27 April 2023

They say that with a word you can both bring someone back to life and kill them. In the same way, a seemingly harmless joke can turn an entire family’s life upside down. Now, for life to return to its former course, the protagonist will have to deal with the problems of father and child relationships, marriage, and living together across different generations.

After an enjoyable evening at a cafe, Busygin and Silva miss the last train and end up on the street late at night. There is nothing else to do - they have to resort to a trick. Why not stage the return of a lost son? Busygin pretends to be the host’s illegitimate son, but the careless joke turns against the impostor himself. Looking for shelter for one night, he gains something much more valuable over the course of a few days - a family. Now he must decide whether to run away and forget or take a risk, give in to his feelings, and hope for forgiveness.

“The Elder Son” is one of five full-length plays by the playwright Alexander Vampilov (1937-1972). In his works, he masterfully portrayed the complex, contradictory nature of human beings, intertwined the tragic with the comic, and found the essential in the everyday, which is why he is often compared to Chekhov and described as one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century.

“In the Soviet-era play The Elder Son by playwright Alexander Vampilov, Daugavpils Theatre finds material for finely developed characters and relationships between the figures. The strength of the Daugavpils Theatre production lies in the fact that the director and actors do not try to prove anything, they do not transform anything and trust the play - in this case, that has proven to be the right move. The production has both specificity and a naivety that suits the depicted era.”

Theatre critic Atis Rozentals (“Test with a Close-Up”, Diena.lv,

• 25.06.2023.)

“Spēlmaņu nakts 2023” nominations

“Actor of the Year” - Miroslavs Blakunovs

“Supporting Actor of the Year” - Mihails Samodahovs

Director: Edgars Māliņš

Production designer: Oļegs Šapošņikovs

Set designer: Egils Viļumovs

Costume designer: Gatis Timofejevs

Lighting designer: Sergejs Vasiļjevs

Cast: Mihails Samodahovs, Miroslavs Blakunovs, Vladislavs Vasiļjevs, Artjoms Afanasjevs, Kristina Tiško, Jevgeņijs Mihailovs, Aleksandra Koguce