Ru
EnA. Selitsky
At the right time in the right place (Materials for the creative biography of Boris Radov)
Boris Radov (1885–1964) was a prominent figure of the Russian operetta scene, the oldest actor (simpleton comedian) and one of the founders of the Rostov Musical Comedy Theatre, director, editor of the libretto. His creative path of half a century breaks up into three unequal stages, each of which is very typical for Russian/Soviet artists of this genre. The first stage (1906–1923) was traveling through cities as part of various enterprises, gaining professional experience. The second stage (1923–1930) – Moscow – was the time of transition from the old form of existence of the operetta theatre to a new one, that is, to “nationalization”. By the will of fate, Radov found himself at the forefront of events, at the head of one of the capital’s traveling collectives, when the largest operetta theaters successively became state. When the turn came to Rostov in 1931, Radov was sent by the governing bodies to this theater and played an important role in its formation and development. The Rostov period is the longest and relatively stable in his artistic life. In Rostov, Radov actively directed and played on stage. He also edited or revised a number of librettos. Among such works, the operetta “The Three Musketeers” by L. Varney took a special place.
During his long, eventful life, he traveled a good half of the country, played over 400 roles and directed more than 50 performances. The surviving documents allow us to reconstruct the outline of Radov’s creative biography in the context of theatrical life in the first half of the 20th century, which is the purpose of this work.
Key words
musical comedy theatre, operetta, state operetta companies, Rostov-on-Don, «The Three Musketeers» by L. Varney.
For citation
Selitsky A. At the right time in the right place (Materials for the creative biography of Boris Radov) // South-Russian Musical Anthology. 2024. No. 1. Pp. 13-22.
