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Mystery-Bouffe

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Wikipedia article




'Mystery-Bouffe' (; Misteriya-Buff) is a socialist dramatic play written by Vladimir Mayakovsky in 1918/1921. Mayakovsky stated in a preface to the 1921 edition that "in the future, all persons performing, presenting, reading or publishing 'Mystery-Bouffe' should change the content, making it contemporary, immediate, up-to-the-minute."[https://books.google.com/books?id=eqSQ9YG3f24C&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=%22mystery-bouffe%22&source=web&ots=6Ue6weZtp7&sig=NTAgMx-IUuhWPBMLOLb2nexZJy4&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA48,M1 English translation of the 1921 version]. Accessed on: January 24, 2009.

Plot



Si tratta di una parodia del racconto biblico che identifica il diluvio con la Rivoluzione, in cui il Mistero ci che la rivoluzione ha di grande e il Buffo ci che ha di ridicolo. Il luogo scenico consisteva nel globo terrestre raffigurato da un enorme emisfero blu che occupava tutto il palco sul quale si arrampicavano con fatica gli uomini scappati alle onde: 7 coppie di puri (borghesi) e 7 coppie di impuri (proletari).

Google Translate's English Version



It is a parody of the biblical story that identifies the flood with the Revolution, in which the Mystery is what is great about the revolution and the Funny is what is ridiculous about it. The scenic location consisted of the terrestrial globe depicted by an enormous blue hemisphere that occupied the whole stage on which the men escaped from the waves climbed with difficulty: 7 pairs of pure (middle-class) and 7 pairs of impure (proletarians).

First version



The play was written for the anniversary of the 1917 revolution, and was accepted by the Central Bureau to be part of the festivities. The title is likely a reference to the opera buffa/opra bouffe, comic opera genres popular at the time. This original version was directed and produced by Vsevolod Meyerhold, and the art was done by Kazimir Malevich. The premiere was in the Theatre of Musical Drama on November 7, 1918.

Mayakovsky himself played the role of the "simple man", as well as some bit roles including Methuselah and one of the demons. This version of the play lasted three seasons.

Second version



After two years, Mayakovsky reworked the text of his play. This second version premiered in the First Theatre of the RSFSR on May 1, 1921. A printed edition of the second version was released in June of that year. This version of the play lasted about 100 shows.

Later versions



A 60-minute animated film adaptation of the play was made in 1969, directed by David Cherkasskiy. It was the first animated feature to be made in Ukraine. The Soviet government banned screenings outside of the Ukrainian SSR.[http://niffiwan.livejournal.com/17559.html Collection of Russian articles about the 1969 film, translated to English]. Accessed on: Jan. 30, 2009. In 2015, the director of the film [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99G9INga4J4 uploaded it to Youtube].

In 2007, after several decades of the play not being seen anywhere, the Moscow A.R.T.O. theatre put on an updated version of the play which was dubbed "Mystery-Bouffe. The Clean Variant", based on the texts of the first and second versions. It premiered in France on May 1, 2007.[http://wordpaso.com/doich/Moskovskii-teatr-A-R-T-O-predstavit-spektakl-Misterija-Buff/?date=2008-03-14 "...." "-"]. 'Wordpaso'. 14-03-2008

Characters



# Seven Pairs of the Clean:

#:1) The Negus of Abyssinia

#:2) An Indian Raja

#:3) A Turkish Pasha

#:4) A Russian Merchant (Speculator)

#:5) A Chinese

#:6) A Well-fed Persian

#:7) Clemenceau

#:8) A German

#:9) A Russian Priest

#:10) An Australian

#:11) His Wife

#:12) Lloyd George

#:13) An American

#:14) A Diplomat

# Seven Pairs of the Unclean:

#:1) A Soldier of the Red Army

#:2) A Lamplighter

#:3) A Truckdriver

#:4) A Miner

#:5) A Carpenter

#:6) A Farmhand

#:7) A Servant (Female)

#:8) A Blacksmith

#:9) A Baker

#:10) A Laundress

#:11) A Seamstress

#:12) A Locomotive Engineer

#:13) An Eskimo Fisherman

#:14) An Eskimo Hunter

# A Compromiser

# An Intellectual

# The Lady with the Hatboxes

# Devils:

#:1) Beelzebub

#:2) Master-of-ceremonies Devil

#:3) First Messenger

#:4) Second Messenger

#:5) Guard

#:6) 20 of the Clean with Horns and Tails

# Saints:

#:1) Methuselah

#:2) Jean-Jacques Rousseau

#:3) Leo Tolstoy

#:4) Gabriel

#:5) First Angel

#:6) Second Angel

#:7) Angels.

# Jehovah

# Actors of the Promised Land:

#:1) A Hammer

#:2) A Sickle

#:3) Machines

#:4) Trains

#:5) Automobiles

#:6) A Carpenter's Plane

#:7) Tongs

#:8) A Needle

#:9) A Saw

#:10) Bread

#:11) Salt

#:12) Sugar

#:13) Fabrics

#:14) A Boot

#:15) A Board and Lever

# The Man of the Future

Settings of the Acts



# - The entire universe.

# - The Ark.

# - Hell.

# - Paradise.

# - Lord of chaos.

# - The promised land.

See also



* 'Mistero Buffo' by Dario Fo

References




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