The Last Party: How Nizhny Novgorod's "Z-top" Became a Chekhov Garden

      NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" - Inna Koroleva A general rehearsal of the production "Cherry Orchard. The Last Disco" (18+), created specifically for the fourth season of the theater festival "Specific" (16+), took place at the former club "Z-top" on the Nizhnevolzhskaya embankment. A correspondent from NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" attended the closed showing.

      Classic in the decor of the 2000s

      It is worth noting right away: fans of traditional classical productions may find this work somewhat arthouse and, to be honest, quite specific.

      The production offers a bold adaptation of A. P. Chekhov's play "Cherry Orchard" to the realities of the modern world. The story of the orchard transforms into the story of a club: here, they do not sell the cherry orchard, but close the dance floor. Instead of Yermolai Lopakhin, who bought the estate, there appears "Specific," which gives the club hope for a new life - if only for one night.

      Actor Filip Ershov, playing the role of Peter, described this project as an experiment and an adventure in a comment to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod." According to him, the main character here is the club itself. The creators wanted to pay tribute to this place and to the memories that many cherish from their youth.

      "Chekhov's text unexpectedly fits perfectly into the story of the club that we wanted to convey," notes Filip.

      The actress playing the role of Anya, Vasilisa Nevinnaya, tells NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" that the main task of the production is simply to "enjoy" and remember what a party and rave are: slow dancing, fleeting love, adrenaline. To recall a time when everything seemed simpler.

      "In the end, we need to say goodbye to all this with gratitude. Chekhov's 'Cherry Orchard' helped us a lot with this. The closing of the club and the cutting down of the cherry orchard have become synonymous," concludes Vasilisa.

      In the club space, the actors cease to be distant characters from the late 19th century. They speak the language of the 21st century and behave accordingly: they joke, insert memes, use slang, and "get" the trends. The authors organically weave puns into the narrative, translating seemingly philosophical dialogues into a lighter form: "there's nothing.../Chekhov's answer." The audience is made to smile even when a hit by Eldzhey unexpectedly plays on the guitar.

      Not a romance, but a sentence of time

      However, behind all this lightness lies a deep transformation of images.

      Lopakhin does not perform classic romances here. He takes a guitar and sings "Sayonara Boy" to Ranevskaya. At first glance, this seems like a curiosity - a noble lady listens to a teenage song about parting.

      But in this, one can see a simple and bitter meaning: sayonara (a Japanese word) is a final "goodbye," with no hope of return. Lopakhin sings to her not about love, but about the end of their shared world. He says goodbye to a past that can no longer be returned. There is no gloating of a winner in his voice - only the weariness of a person who is closing the door.

      If in the original the relationship between Petya and Anya was elevated and idealistic, here the director intentionally brings them closer to reality. The theme of lust and carnal passion comes to the forefront, making the characters less infantile but more understandable to the modern viewer.

      A special dramatic device is the constant reference of the characters to the phrase "Firs, what time is it?" At first, this line may seem banal, but gradually it acquires a metaphysical meaning. It is no longer a question of the time of day, but of a person's internal state: "What time is it in your life?"

      The climax comes when the old Firs answers that time is up. It seems like a tragic ending, but it is here that the brightest part of the performance begins - the very "last disco."

      Breaking the template and the fourth wall

      As noted by the creator and ideological inspirer of the festival, Evgeny Pyhtin, "Specific" is about the experience that not only the actors live through but also the audience along with us."

      The performance actively breaks the fourth wall: the actors engage the audience in dialogue, making them not just observers but co-participants in the story. This allows the viewer to experience not only the Chekhovian plot but also a personal story connected with the legendary club "Z-top."

      In the finale, the organizers urge the guests: "Disco as if for the last time. Let's forget the past and move forward into the future."

      And the club, closed forever, comes to life. Loud music, bright lights, and dancing people turn the stage into a place of power, where voices merge in unison to the familiar hits of the 2010s. At this moment, the main idea of the production becomes clear: time has passed, so one must live here and now.

      A special resonance in the performance is given to the conversation about generations. But it is viewed not as a conflict of fathers and children, but as a conflict of one personality with different periods of their own life.

      Only new times can provide answers to old questions:

      "A young man is young because he has not yet had to endure the questions. He looks boldly ahead because he does not expect anything terrible. Life is hidden from view. You are more honest, bolder, and deeper than us," says Lyubov Ranevskaya (played by movie star Aglaia Tarasova), realizing the fleetingness of time.

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