Online reading of the book Funeral Prayer Part One

Online reading of the book Funeral Prayer Part One

Scene two

Tevye's house. Pre-Saturday bustle. At the table - Golda and two girls, the youngest daughters, Beilke and Shprintsa , are preparing dough for pies. A little to the side, Chava is cutting onions and reading a book lying on her lap.

Golda (for girls). Look here! We twist like this, we hit like this! (Kneads the dough.) What does the dough say? "I'm ready!" What does the rolling pin say? “Shouldn’t we go for a ride?” Go! (Rolls out the dough with a rolling pin.) Clack, clack, droshky, moving along the path!

Girls (joyfully). Clack! Clack!

Chava sobs.

Golda . Hawa, stop chopping the onions. I'm pregnant!

Hawa . The book is sad, mom.

Golda . What kind of book is there when you have a knife in your hands? Do you think literate people don’t cut themselves?.. Put it aside! (Gets up.) Put it aside, they tell you!

Hawa . Mom, leave it... In the most interesting place...

Golda (taking the book). At the most interesting place, father will return, but we have nothing ready... The sun is setting!

Girls . Clack, clack, droshky! (They play around with a rolling pin.)

Golda . Stop riding! We've arrived! (Takes away the rolling pin.) My God, what have you done here?

Tseytl enters with an armful of firewood.

Where's Godl?

Tseytl . She went to get water.

Golda . I hope not to the Black Sea? It's been an hour since...

Tseytl puts wood by the stove and begins to light it. Stepan enters .

Stepan . Hello, neighbors!

Golda (continuing to work with the dough). Hello, Stepan.

Stepan . At a wrong time?

Golda . There are eyes - decide for yourself.

Stepan . My head is pounding.

Golda . Stepan, I’ll say right away: there’s not a gram in the house.

Stepan . Your head is splitting... Well, at least turn it around, Golda.

Golda . Stepan, you see, my hands are full... Saturday is just around the corner.

Stepan . That’s why I’m saying... If I get sick, who’s going to milk your cows tomorrow?

Golda (stopped kneading). Oh, my grief... (Wipes his hands.) Sit on a chair. (Daughters.) Chava, do the dough...

Stepan sits down on a chair and closes his eyes. Golda stands behind him, extends her arms over him, and begins to mutter something.

Hawa . Some kind of savagery. In our age - sorcery!

Stepan . Tsits! They don't teach mothers!

Golda . Shut up, Stepan. Think about pleasant things... (Mutters a spell.) Tseytl, the stove is smoking...

Tseytl . I see... (Blows up the fire.)

Stepan (opened his eyes). Then they put the raw ones in... First, the wood chips...

Golda . Stepan, think about pleasant things... (Mumbling.)

Godl enters with a bucket of water.

Finally... It’s good to send for death.

Godl . Do you know, mom, who you met? Menahem-Mendla... Relative...

Golda . And what?

Godl . He said he would come to us...

Golda . Only he was missing. Why were you sent: for water or for a relative?

Stepan (opened his eyes). Who is this Menachem?

Golda (with irritation). Stepan, don't think about him. Think about pleasant things...

Enter Menachem Mendel , a man of urban type, in a frock coat and hat.

Menahem . Peace to this house!

Golda . Thank you for the kind words. Sorry, we're in a mess. Saturday Eve.

Menahem . I understand. Where's Tevye?

Golda . Where are people before sunset? Works.

Menahem . I understand. I'm also very busy. (Sits down.) Maybe it’s good that he’s not there.

Golda . Sorry, Menachem, I can’t give you a minute, I’m treating a neighbor. (Mutters a spell.)

Menahem . To your health. He doesn't bother me. (Lights a cigar.) Do they not smoke here?

Golda . Now they smoke.

Menahem (took raisins from a cup). Where do you get such large raisins?

Golda . You take it and we buy it.

Menahem . Reasonable. So, Golda, I have something to do with you. I'll start from afar... What do you think I do now?

Golda . How can a poor woman know what such a successful businessman does? You probably sell air or last year’s snow... You probably got rich... I saw your wife once. My eyes are teary... Probably out of happiness...

Menahem . To talk to such a woman, you must first gird yourself well... I won’t be from afar. I'll start from the middle. Yes. I was an insurance agent, I was at the Odessa Stock Exchange, I was in the Kiev prison... But now - that’s it! The past is over! Now I have a real deal in my hands... And it will be interesting for you. I'm a matchmaker.

Golda (shuddering). Who?

The girls stared at Menachem with curiosity.

Menahem . I told you, you'll be interested. I'm a matchmaker! That's why I came.

Golda (to daughters). Come on, children, march into the yard!

The daughters come out timidly.

And don't eavesdrop! (Touches Stepan.) Stepan! Has your head gone? (Stepan snores.)

Menahem . God be with him, he doesn’t bother us... So, Golda, I’ll tell you how I became a matchmaker. I'll start from afar...

Golda . I beg you, Menachem, start from the nearest edge.

Menahem . Fine. Actually, such a conversation should start with a good snack and a glass of vodka...

Golda . Quiet. Stepan will wake up... I beg you, Menachem, speak...

Menahem . Fine. So, Golda, after I left the prison, where, as you know, I ended up due to a misunderstanding and left for the same reason, I settled in an apartment in Kyiv... And the landlady had an uncle who was a matchmaker. Someone Lebelsky - maybe you heard?.. Matchmaker to all matchmakers! King! Half of all happy marriages are his work... If there is at least one bride in Vinnitsa, and one groom in Taganrog, he will find them - and without a miss... with a doublet in the corner...

Golda . Lebelsky is Lebelsky. How does it concern you?

Menahem . Despite the fact that he died! (Golda shuddered.) ...What to do, Madame Golda! That is life. A man is like a carpenter... A carpenter lives, lives and dies, and so does a man... So! Lebelsky goes to a better world, and his belongings go to my mistress... And the mistress, I must tell you, had sympathy for me! What can be understood... I am always wearing a bow tie and smell of good tobacco... So she suddenly says to me: “Menachem, wouldn’t this suit you?” (Takes out a stack of papers resembling a deck of cards.)

Golda . What is this?

Menahem . Treasure! Klondike... There is such a place in America, there is gold - like chicken droppings... It is called - in our “matchmaking” language - “cribs”... That’s all. Grooms, brides, widows, widowers, take from above - you can’t go wrong... (Shuffles the deck.) For example: (reads) “Chisinau. Pharmacist Efim Balyasny. Not the first handsome man, but nothing yet. He prays daily. Has a house with a view. Wants a brunette”... Or: (opens the second card) “Proskurov. Aron Svidersky. A convinced bachelor, but ready to try... He wants an educated woman who plays instruments..." Or... "Vilna. Semyon Mildonis. He wears glasses, but sees well... Half German. Looking for the same thing...” (Hands out the deck.) Remove the card, Golda!

Golda . Wait, Menachem. What does this have to do with us? Where is Vilna - where is Anatovka?

Menahem . Golda, do I look like an idiot? No! Even my enemies don't think so... I know you would like local material... Remove the map! (Golda hesitantly takes the piece of paper.) Read!

Golda . I can't.

Menahem . Then listen to a literate person... “Anatovka. Butcher Leiser-Wolf. A widower with strong money. Looking for a girl from a good family.” That's why I came to this godforsaken village. I found him an option in Berdichev, from a good family... She is, however, a little lame, but this also has charm - she will not run away to the side... And so I come to him, make an offer, and he says to me: “Menachem! Why go far when there is something close?.. If you want to arrange my happiness, marry me Tevye Tseytl’s daughter. I don’t sleep at night because of her... She comes to my shop and takes away my heart...” Please note: a simple butcher, but he expresses himself poetically...

Golda . Do you know how old he is?

Menahem . What does “how old” mean for a man? Our ancestors lived for five hundred...

Golda . She can't stand being with him for five hundred years. And then, Tevye doesn’t love him...

Menahem . What does “Tevye doesn’t love” mean... Who cares about his feelings? Golda, do you want a rich husband for your daughter or not?

Golda . What mother doesn't want her daughter to be happy? And then, she is my eldest... I have to start with her.

Menahem . Well?

Golda . Tevye won't want a butcher. Tevye wants an educated...

Menahem . I'm the only educated person in the area, but I'm already married. Therefore, let's not look for gold in a pocket with a hole... Let Tevye go to the butcher. He is waiting for him to talk... For men it’s simple... They sit at the table, look into each other’s eyes, pour a glass of vodka...

Stepan (waking up). What do you say – “they will sit down at the table”?

Golda (Menachem). I asked: be quiet! How did it go, Stepan?

Stepan (touched his head). Let go. Your hands, Golda, are golden... So what do you say - “to the table”?

Golda . We don't say anything! All! The conversation is over... My dough in the oven is screaming... (Rushed to the oven.)

The door opened and Motl . He's excited.

Motl . Good afternoon

Golda (fussing around the stove). Good afternoon, Motl.

Motl . Has Reb Tevye arrived yet?

Golda . As you see.

Motl . I have a conversation with him.

Golda . Thank God, not to me. Motl, I beg you, wait in the yard, otherwise we will be left without dinner.

Motl quickly disappears.

Menahem . Who is this young man?

Golda . Local tailor...

Menahem . Married?

Golda . Who will go for him? No stake, no yard...

Menahem . What about in the future?

Golda . And in the future - a sick mother...

Menahem . It’s a pity... I have a widow in Zhitomir... She wants a young man...

Golda . You saw him, Menachem. Does he have the strength to deal with the widow?

Stepan . Okay... I'll go, okay?

Menahem . Stepan, are you married?

Stepan . Why not!

Menahem . Do you have daughters?

Stepan . Why not!

Menahem . Then I also have a conversation with you...

Menachem-Mendl and Stepan leave. The daughters and Motl appear and silently begin to set up the table. Tseytl takes Golda aside.

Tseytl . Mom, why did he come?

Golda . I asked you not to eavesdrop.

Tseytl . You can’t do that, mom... I’m an adult.

Golda . A girl shouldn’t brag about it, daughter...

He rushes to the oven and takes out a baking tray with pies. Tseytl takes Motl aside.

Tseytl . Everything is accurate... It was a matchmaker... You must talk to your father today.

Motl . I was just about to...

Tseytl . You're going for a year...

Motl . But understand: this is not accepted... The groom does not propose himself!

Tseytl . A couple more days and it will be too late... If the father gives his word to someone, that’s it!

Motl . I’m saying: today... I have a reason... (Whispers.) I sewed a jacket for him!

Tseytl (scared). Motel, this is a big risk. What if it doesn't fit...

Motl . Will do! I have a true eye...

Tseytl . Why do you think so?

Motl . Since I chose you...

Voices and the snorting of a horse are heard in the yard.

Golda . Finally appeared...

Hawa . Not alone yet. There's a guy with him...

Golda . Oh my God! Not a house - a passage yard!

He takes out a baking sheet with pies from the oven. Tevye enters Perchik with him .

Tevye . Happy Saturday everyone! Golda, we have a guest! Meet me: this is my wife, these are my daughters, and this is... (Looks hesitantly at Motla.

Motl . I'm so... for a minute...

Tevye . This is Motl. He “so... just a minute...”. And this is Perchik! You probably remember him... Once upon a time in childhood we played together. And now, children, he will teach you. And not just anything, but French... Perchik, say something to people in a language you know...

Pepper . Bonsoir, medame et monsieur... Same sui tre ore vou voir...

Tevye (enthusiastically). A?! Purer than a nightingale... The whole village will burst with envy...

Golda (puts a basin on a stool, takes a jug of water). Cool down, Tevye, cool down... Wash your face and your hair at the same time...

Tevye . Everyone is changing clothes... Let's celebrate Saturday!

Everyone leaves. Tevye, snorting, washes himself over the basin.

Golda (quietly). Crazy? Bring a man into the house.

Tevye . He's local, he knows the law...

Golda . A man is a man. He doesn't vouch for himself...

Tevye . Golda, be quiet! I told him “yes”, my word is everything!

He wipes himself off and puts on a clean white shirt.

Golda . Today a man came from the butcher Leiser and asked you to come in to talk...

Tevye . I know his conversation. Wants to buy my brown cow. I'm not giving it!

Golda . He didn't say anything about the cow. He said: come in for an important matter.

Tevye . I know his affairs! Buy it cheap, kill it easily, sell it at a high price... I won’t let you!

Golda . Tevye...

Tevye (sternly). Golda! I said!

Motl approaches with a package under his arm.

Motl . Reb Tevye, I also have a conversation with you...

Tevye . Not now, Motl. We won't get to the table with talking. The sun has set and I'm not dressed yet.

Motl . That's what I'm saying... (Unwraps the package.) Here. This is for you.

Tevye . What is this?

Motl . Blazer.

Tevye . Motel, I didn’t order...

Motl . It's a surprise. First surprise. I’ll tell you the second one when you try it on...

Golda . He's made from different pieces, Motl.

Motl . Golda, I'm a poor tailor. I don’t have money for expensive cloth... But I used the best scraps. Put it on, Reb Tevye.

Summary

The action takes place in the poor Ukrainian village of Anatovka at the beginning of the 20th century, during a period of increased anti-Semitic sentiment and mass pogroms against Jews.

Poor milkman Tevye quotes the Holy Scriptures and tries to arrange the fate of his five daughters through a successful marriage. The services of a traditional matchmaker do not work - the daughters make their own decisions regarding their future - the eldest, having refused a “profitable” match with a rich butcher, marries a poor tailor named Motl; the middle one is for the Kyiv revolutionary student Perchik; and the youngest, following her love for the Russian clerk Fyodor, betraying the faith of her father, became Orthodox.

The culmination of the play is the royal decree according to which all Jews must leave the province. Tevye's family, along with other Anatov Jews, pack up their belongings to start their lives anew in a new place.

Creators of the play

• Staged by Mark Zakharov
• Scenography by Oleg Sheintsis
• Director Yuri Makhaev
• Costumes by Valentina Komolova, Elena Piotrovskaya
• Music by Mikhail Gluz
• Choreography by Svetlana Voskresenskaya
• Lighting designer Mikhail Babenko
• Technical Director Alexander Ivanov

Creators of the TV version

• Director: Victor Bezega
• Directors of photography: Mikhail Ignatov, Eduard Kotovsky
• Cameramen: Alexey Smirnov, Alexander Isachenkov, Evgeny Vinogradov, German Perevedentsev

Characters and performers

• Tevye, the milkman
  - Evgeny Leonov / Vladimir Steklov
• Golda, his wife
  - Lyubov Matyushina
• Their daughters
  :
  Tseytl
  - Elena Shanina
• Godl
  - Lyudmila Artemyeva
• Chava
  - Alexandra Zakharova / Elena Stepanova
• Beilke
  - Anastasia Semashko / Vera Kvlividze
• Shprintse
  - Vlada Murashova

History of the performance

“Funeral Prayer” is the fourth of six plays created by Grigory Gorin based on classical prose. Created specifically for production at the Moscow Theater. Lenin Komsomol and was completed in 1989.

Evgeny Leonov began rehearsing the play, which became his last, four months after, in July 1988, while on tour in Hamburg (Germany), he suffered a severe heart attack and subsequent heart surgery. [1] While working on the role, Evgeny Pavlovich deliberately moved away from “Jewish templates” and intonations, offering to the viewer “a man who was gouged by life, crucified, destroyed.” [2]

Several actors were approved for a number of roles. So, the role of the milkman Tevye, in addition to Evgeny Leonov, was played by Vladimir Steklov, who came to the theater in 1989. [3] Viktor Rakov played the role of Menachem-Mendl alternately with Alexander Abdulov. The small role of Bertha, the old mother of Menachem, specially written almost wordlessly for 85-year-old Tatyana Peltzer, was also played by other theater legends - Vera Orlova, Elena Fadeeva (in the television version). However, the appearance of the edit in Gorin’s text is associated precisely with Tatyana Ivanovna, who, instead of the remark “Rare name,” said “Rare surname!” The effect of the replacement was so strong that the phrase became firmly established in the performance. [4]

The performance was very well received by both spectators and critics. The role of Tevye the milkman was called one of the best theatrical roles of Yevgeny Leonov. Criticism also noted Alexandra Abdulov (Menahem-Mendl), an expressive and imaginative character. Among other participants in the performance, viewers and critics noted: Elena Shanina (Tseytl); Alexander Zakharov (Khava); Alexandra Sirina (Motl) and Tatyana Peltzer (Berta).

The stunning success of the performance attracted attention to it far beyond Moscow. Television viewers had the opportunity to experience the production thanks to the filmed television version in 1993 (the creative association “Artel” commissioned by the RTR TV channel, the director of the television version was Viktor Bezega). [5]

“Funeral Prayer,” scheduled for screening on January 29, 1994, did not take place - Yevgeny Leonov passed away. There were no refunds on tickets - the audience stood silently with candles in front of the theater doors. The performance was removed from the repertoire. [6]