1990 Masquerade, Lermontov, Soviet Army Theatre, (L. Haifetz Dir.) Moscow
Masquerade is a verse play written in 1835 by Mikhail Lermontov in 1835 and set in 1830’s St. Petersburg aristocratic society, and is often compared with Shakespeare’s Othello in its essential story line. The original version is a three-act play that ends with the death of Nina. Lermontov presented it to the office of the literary censor, then under the chief of the secret police. The censor did not approve the play, arguing it implied criticism of the masked balls held by the local aristocrats. Wishing to avoid radical changes, Lermontov added a fourth act and introduced a new character, The Unknown, which allowed Lermontov to show the protagonist Arbenin being punished for his deeds. The censor still did not approve the play. Lermontov then undertook a major edit, including a title change, but even in this crippled form, the play did not satisfy the censor, and it was not produced in Lermontov’s lifetime.
