An award-winning adaptation of Dostoevsky’s little-known masterpiece by ‘Russian Nights’ Theatre of St.Petersburg (Best Performance Award, St.Petersburg Theatre Critics Award for Detailed Research into Spiritual Life of Man, Grand Prix of Third St.Petersburg Independent Theatre Festival)Netochka (played by Vera Filatova) tells the story of her childhood in which her extraordinary stepfather – a drinker, dreamer and gifted violinist – transformed yet exploited her and destroyed her mother in his descent into insanity.
The full version of the theatre performance, produced by Luminous Arts and filmed in Dovzhenko Film Studios is available for streaming on Amazon.com.
THEATRE REVIEWS
“Filatova has an obvious talent as an actress… she is totally absorbed in the role and convinces. There is something engrossing about her…she has the ability to draw the audience in and allow them to accompany her on her journey.” THE STAGE
“The luminous Ukrainian actress Vera Filatova is clearly a future star. Her performance in this demanding one-woman play wins the hearts of the crowd. One has come back to sketch Vera for a sculpture.” IAIN MACWHIRTER, SUNDAY HERALD
“Filatova gives a luminously radiant and desperate performance as the abandoned girl, against a background of light and music co-ordinated with great style by director Alexander Markov.” JOYCE MACMILLAN, SCOTSMAN
“If Vera Filatova does not win the Stage’s award for best acting at the Fringe, then there ain’t no justice! This is a beautiful performance, almost an acting masterclass. Her voice is strong enough to soar above some loud music and yet drop to a whisper when necessary and still be heard with extraordinary clarity. Not only that, it is a very flexible voice, and she makes the most of that flexibility. This is a simply stunning performance in every way and deserves five stars on that alone, but the piece itself is strong too – as one would expect from one of Russia’s (and the world’s) greatest novelists.” PETER LATHAN, BRITISH THEATRE GUIDE
“This truly captivating play portrays the subtle nuances of a woman’s character and displays Dostoevsky’s skillful exploration of the psychological. Music by Bach, Paganini and Schnitke imbued the performance with elements of poised exquisiteness and depth.
The protagonist, Netochka, is portrayed by the talented Miss Vera Filatova, whose intensely limpid performance captured the very essence of Netochka’s soul and utterly mesmerized the audience. This is certainly one captivating performance not to be missed.” CHICK TODAY
“The performer is captivating, beautiful, mysterious, telling every word of her story as is they were her last; reacting to everything with an explosion of emotion and passion. …admirable performance.” THREE WEEKS
“Engagingly succinct in the portrayal of the young girl, Filatova’s dialogue with her audience was interspersed with a stunningly moving musical score, making this one-woman show a real joy to watch from start to finish.
Alexander Markov’s direction, coupled with Vera Filatova’s mesmerising sharp performance delivered a wonderfully gentle portrait of one young girl’s desires. Not to be missed.” DALE MAITLAND CARTWRIGHT, ISLINGTON GAZETTE
“Vera Filatova plays the part excellently as an impassioned yet disconnected character, portraying the arrested development of a child orphaned in tragic and bizarre circumstances…The vigour of Filatova’s delivery makes her tale all the more distressing in a very dramatic & physical performance. In her manic behaviour we see both her father on the cusp of madness, and also the little orphan frozen in time by her abandonment.
Filatova’s intensity can be quite frightening at times, with arms outstretched and a manic grin as her character is caught up in the euphoria of a memory…
In a very wordy, hour-long monologue, Filatova’s emphasis and diction was particularly impressive, more so considering that English is not her first language. Although the stylised performance may not be to a naturalist’s tastes, it was unarguably powerful, and with no set and minimal props, Filatova held the space with confidence and pace.” TANITH LINDON, EXTRA!EXTRA!
“A stunning Vera Filatova plays Netochka, who recounts the story of her destitute childhood under the spell of her eccentric and unworldly stepfather. A one-woman show is always a stern examination but Vera’s masterful performance reveals a vulnerable nine-year-old and all her childhood foibles – almost imploring the audience to reach out and save her.” NEW CAMDEN JOURNAL
AMAZON CUSTOMER REVIEWS
5.0 out of 5 stars. A modern masterpice. Strongly recommend for all theatre lovers. ROBERT
5.0 out of 5 stars. Mesmerizing and Uncanny. ‘One-man shows’ are pretty unrelenting on the actors who perform in them. This is especially the case here, with the most minimalist staging imaginable (a costume, a couple of props…). But Vera Filatova performs brilliantly, gripping the audience’s attention from her first appearance on stage right through to the very end. The minimalist staging works extremely well in this respect: the audience is left to focus on a performance that in vocal intonation, facial expression, and body movement forms a perfect unity with Dostoevsky’s unsettling story. The denouement (though perhaps expected for those even vaguely familiar with Dostoevsky) captures brilliantly, thanks to the direction and staging, but primarily thanks to Filatova’s great performance, the truly uncanny nature of Dostoevsky’s work. Very, very highly recommended viewing. GHAYUR BANGASH
Vera Graziadei 