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Count Orlov the MusicalOpening Date: Oct, 2012
Closing Date: July 3, 2016 Air date: Oct 2019 Medium: cinema Where to watch: Kanopy, Vimeo, Broadway on Demand |
Stage Production Notes
Set in the second half of the 18th century during the reign of Catherine the Great, Count Alexey Orlov, who had once contributed to Catherine's rise to power, falls out of favor and is sent away in disgrace to Italy. While there, he meets a beautiful young woman, Elizabeth, supposedly the granddaughter of Peter the Great and who has aspirations for the Russian crown. In an attempt to win back Catherine's affection, Orlov reveals Elizabeth's plans, setting in motion a series of events that lead to an unimaginable end.
Following the relatively recent establishment of American and British musical theatre in Russia, Count Orlov was the second original Russian musical to be staged at the Moscow Operetta Theatre.
With a libretto by Yuli Kim, a popular Russian poet and playwright, and music by Roman Ignatyev, Count Orlov was directed by Alina Chevik, choreographed by Irina Korneeva, with musical direction by Konstantin Khvatynets. The same team also created The Count of Monte Cristo (2008), and Anna Karenina Musical (2016).
According to Russia Beyond the Headlines reporter Julia Shevelkina, the adaptation of classic novels is part of a trend in Russia is not only for audiences “who love costume dramas,” but also to accommodate “a minister of culture who didn’t want state-run theatres to stage radical modern plays.”
Count Orlov opened at the Moscow Operetta Theatre in late October 2012.
Three actors were cast in each of the lead roles, playing alternate performances.
The musical received positive to mixed reviews. Writing for The Moscow Times, Lena Smirnova stated the musical “oozes extravagance” but noted that “the grandeur” overwhelmed the story. English-language critic Felix White-Thomson also praised the “impressive” visuals, however noted that it was difficult to follow the plot without committing the synopsis to memory.
Designed by Vyacheslav Okunev, the sumptuous costumes received much praise. The production featured nearly 300 costumes — one of which, worn by Catherine, was reportedly studded 15,000 semi-precious stones and weighed nearly 10kg (approx 22 pounds).
The musical received multiple awards, including Best Musical at the Crystal Turandot Awards, the Nail of the Season Awards, the Theater Star Awards, and the Moscow Prize in Literature and Art. It also won Musical Heart of the Theater awards for Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Acrtress, Best Producer, and Best Costumes.
Count Orlov the Musical was an immensely popular production. It ran for four years, and reportedly sold over 800,000 tickets.
Set in the second half of the 18th century during the reign of Catherine the Great, Count Alexey Orlov, who had once contributed to Catherine's rise to power, falls out of favor and is sent away in disgrace to Italy. While there, he meets a beautiful young woman, Elizabeth, supposedly the granddaughter of Peter the Great and who has aspirations for the Russian crown. In an attempt to win back Catherine's affection, Orlov reveals Elizabeth's plans, setting in motion a series of events that lead to an unimaginable end.
Following the relatively recent establishment of American and British musical theatre in Russia, Count Orlov was the second original Russian musical to be staged at the Moscow Operetta Theatre.
With a libretto by Yuli Kim, a popular Russian poet and playwright, and music by Roman Ignatyev, Count Orlov was directed by Alina Chevik, choreographed by Irina Korneeva, with musical direction by Konstantin Khvatynets. The same team also created The Count of Monte Cristo (2008), and Anna Karenina Musical (2016).
According to Russia Beyond the Headlines reporter Julia Shevelkina, the adaptation of classic novels is part of a trend in Russia is not only for audiences “who love costume dramas,” but also to accommodate “a minister of culture who didn’t want state-run theatres to stage radical modern plays.”
Count Orlov opened at the Moscow Operetta Theatre in late October 2012.
Three actors were cast in each of the lead roles, playing alternate performances.
The musical received positive to mixed reviews. Writing for The Moscow Times, Lena Smirnova stated the musical “oozes extravagance” but noted that “the grandeur” overwhelmed the story. English-language critic Felix White-Thomson also praised the “impressive” visuals, however noted that it was difficult to follow the plot without committing the synopsis to memory.
Designed by Vyacheslav Okunev, the sumptuous costumes received much praise. The production featured nearly 300 costumes — one of which, worn by Catherine, was reportedly studded 15,000 semi-precious stones and weighed nearly 10kg (approx 22 pounds).
The musical received multiple awards, including Best Musical at the Crystal Turandot Awards, the Nail of the Season Awards, the Theater Star Awards, and the Moscow Prize in Literature and Art. It also won Musical Heart of the Theater awards for Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Acrtress, Best Producer, and Best Costumes.
Count Orlov the Musical was an immensely popular production. It ran for four years, and reportedly sold over 800,000 tickets.
Filmed Production Notes
Count Orlov Musical was filmed live at the Moscow Operetta Theatre in 2013 by Korean company Vault International Productions.
Stage Russia oversaw the distribution of Count Orlov in cinemas in select cinemas across the US and UK in October 2019.
Writing for Artistry Magazine, student reviewer Xandie Keunning stated that the film of Count Orlov Musical “is a solid account of a little-known part of history, and if you are a fan of historical musicals, this one is certainly worth a watch.”
Count Orlov: The Musical is currently available to view on Kanopy, Vimeo, and Broadway on Demand.
Count Orlov Musical was filmed live at the Moscow Operetta Theatre in 2013 by Korean company Vault International Productions.
Stage Russia oversaw the distribution of Count Orlov in cinemas in select cinemas across the US and UK in October 2019.
Writing for Artistry Magazine, student reviewer Xandie Keunning stated that the film of Count Orlov Musical “is a solid account of a little-known part of history, and if you are a fan of historical musicals, this one is certainly worth a watch.”
Count Orlov: The Musical is currently available to view on Kanopy, Vimeo, and Broadway on Demand.
Count Orlov the Musical PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Moscow Operetta Theatre
Producer: Alexey Bolonin, Vladimir Tartakovskiy
Libretto: Yuliy Kim
Music: Roman Ignatyev
Director: Alina Chevik
Musical Director: Ivan Staroverov
Choreography: Irina Korneeva
Scenic and Costume Design: Vyacheslav Okunev
Make-Up: Andrey Drykin
Lighting Design: Gleb Filshtinsky
Sound Design: Mikhail Alekseev
Cast:
Igor Balalaev (Count Orlov), Teona Dolnikova (Elizabeth), Ekaterina Guseva (Catherine the Great), Alexander Marakulin (Prince Radziwill), Alexander Markelov (Prince Golitsyn), Sergey Lee (Domansky), Karine Asiryan (Gypsy), Vladislav Kiryukhin (Ivan)
Ballet: Dmitry Akimov, Ulyana Bachernikova, Lyubov Vakhtina, Vitaly Vishnyakov, Irina Garashkina, Alexey Degtyarev, Maria Kovalskaya, Irina Morozova, Vladislav Nunez Romero, Elena Romanova, Roman Andreikin, Evgeny Bezgin, Aleandrea Vvendeskaya, Sofia Gaidukova, Ekaterina Goncharova, Daniil Isupov, Alexander Mogliev, Denis Moshonkin, Polina Pshindina, Illya Tokarev
Ensemble: Karina Adegamova, Anna Vershkova, Alexander Dobromilov, Alexey Petrukhin, Vasily Remchukov, David Vanesyan, Olga Godunova, Oksana Kostetskaya, Anna Podsvirova, Anastasia Sivaeva, Yuri Snezhin
Stunts: Maxim Abramov, Oleg Lymorev, Dmitry Barannikov, Ilya Pozdnyakov, Maxim Surovtsev
Theatre: Moscow Operetta Theatre
Producer: Alexey Bolonin, Vladimir Tartakovskiy
Libretto: Yuliy Kim
Music: Roman Ignatyev
Director: Alina Chevik
Musical Director: Ivan Staroverov
Choreography: Irina Korneeva
Scenic and Costume Design: Vyacheslav Okunev
Make-Up: Andrey Drykin
Lighting Design: Gleb Filshtinsky
Sound Design: Mikhail Alekseev
Cast:
Igor Balalaev (Count Orlov), Teona Dolnikova (Elizabeth), Ekaterina Guseva (Catherine the Great), Alexander Marakulin (Prince Radziwill), Alexander Markelov (Prince Golitsyn), Sergey Lee (Domansky), Karine Asiryan (Gypsy), Vladislav Kiryukhin (Ivan)
Ballet: Dmitry Akimov, Ulyana Bachernikova, Lyubov Vakhtina, Vitaly Vishnyakov, Irina Garashkina, Alexey Degtyarev, Maria Kovalskaya, Irina Morozova, Vladislav Nunez Romero, Elena Romanova, Roman Andreikin, Evgeny Bezgin, Aleandrea Vvendeskaya, Sofia Gaidukova, Ekaterina Goncharova, Daniil Isupov, Alexander Mogliev, Denis Moshonkin, Polina Pshindina, Illya Tokarev
Ensemble: Karina Adegamova, Anna Vershkova, Alexander Dobromilov, Alexey Petrukhin, Vasily Remchukov, David Vanesyan, Olga Godunova, Oksana Kostetskaya, Anna Podsvirova, Anastasia Sivaeva, Yuri Snezhin
Stunts: Maxim Abramov, Oleg Lymorev, Dmitry Barannikov, Ilya Pozdnyakov, Maxim Surovtsev
Sources
Articles
Websites
- BWW News Desk, “Moscow Operetta's COUNT ORLOV Comes To Cinemas Across The US,” Broadway World (Sept 9, 2019)
- Xandie Keunning, “Count Orlov Musical Brings Glitz and Glamour to Russian History,” Artistry Magazine (Dec 10, 2019)
- Lena Smirnova, “'Graf Orlov' Musical Goes for Glitz, Extravagance,” The Moscow Times (Oct 8, 2012)
- Felix White-Thomson, “History Hits a High Note in 'Count Orlov’, The Moscow Times (June 22, 2015)
Websites
- Moscow Operetta Theatre, “Graf Orlov,” Accessed via: https://mosoperetta.ru/repertuar/graf-orlov/
- Orlov Musical Official Website, Accessed via: https://www.orlov-musical.ru/eng/
- Stage Russia, “Count Orlov,” Accessed via: https://www.stagerussia.com/count-orlov
- Symphony Space, “Stage Russia: Count Orlov Musical,” Accessed via: https://www.symphonyspace.org/events/stage-russia-count-orlov-musical
Written by Luisa Lyons (Nov, 2020)