Acclaimed contemporary playwright and prominent theatre figure Ivan Vyrypaev is known for his brilliant postmodern provocations. In this play, “Valentine’s Day,” he takes as his starting point the story of the main characters from the famous play “Valentin and Valentina” by Mikhail Roshchin. Yet recognizing the original story of youthful first love in Vyrypaev’s play is about as difficult as identifying a composer’s original idea in a jazz performance by virtuoso musicians—so full is it of improvisation and sparkling talent.

“Valentine’s Day” is both a continuation and a unique reinterpretation of Mikhail Roshchin’s play “Valentin and Valentina,” which enjoyed extraordinary success in the Soviet Union during the 1970s. It told the story of how practical adults, driven by rather mercenary motives, destroyed the love of their children.

At the turn of the century, Ivan Vyrypaev writes his own version. His Valentina is already sixty, yet she still suffers from her love for Valentin. Back in the 1970s, he married Katya, a woman he did not love. Fifteen years later, he accidentally met his Valentina in the subway and spent about five years torn between her and his wife. And then… The story of young love from the Soviet past continues in 2012, transforming into a melodramatic farce filled with both comic and dramatic situations.

Time in the play flows smoothly from past to future. Yet what truly matters is not the time of the action, but the actions of the characters themselves. Vyrypaev deliberately places as the epigraph to his story the words of the Arab philosopher Kora Al-Muzani:

“Do not try to look for logic in time—there is no logic in time. Do not try to explain time through logic; time, as such, does not exist. There are only two things: love and love.”

Thanks to the engaging staging by director Pavel Safonov, the trio of main characters—performed by some of Russia’s finest actors—appear before the audience in three different stages of their lives.

Cast:

• Evgeny Stychkin
• Honored Artist of Russia Agrippina Steklova
• Olga Lomonosova

Director:

• Pavel Safonov

Premiere: April 6, 2014, Moscow.