Avlabar is one of the oldest districts in Tbilisi and the setting for the famous vaudeville by Avksenty Tsagareli, «Khanuma,» written in 1882. It is a story about the rivalry between two matchmakers — Khanuma and Kabato — each of whom offers her own bride to the old Prince Vaso Pantiashvili. The story is funny, emotional, and in some ways simple—just as Georgian toasts are emotional, just as Pirosmani’s paintings are simple.
Viktor Kramer: «The world of Tsagareli’s play, the world of Avlabar with its simple joys, natural passions, and conflicts that are easily resolved, does not exist in reality—perhaps that is precisely what draws our attention to the play ‘Khanuma.’» In today’s challenging times, we want to give people a taste of normal human joy. The world is cruel, but we want to believe that somewhere there is a fictional Avlabar, where everything always ends well. Fantasy helps us survive spiritually."
«Khanuma» became a particularly welcome guest on the theatrical stage in the version by the comedians Boris Ratser and Vladimir Konstantinov, who half a century ago rewrote the original play for Georgy Tovstonogov and the Bolshoi Drama Theatre. However, at the Art Theatre, the audience will find a completely new «Khanuma» — in a new translation, with new songs and dialogues created specifically for the Moscow Art Theatre.
The production is a laureate of the «Musical Heart of the Theatre» award in the categories «Best Production» and «Best Director» (2023).
