Performance trees die standing in St. Petersburg. Alejandro Casona - Trees Die Standing Play Trees Die Standing
The blood was real
– Don’t call me Isabella: my name is Martha.
“We must forget about our real names, otherwise we might get confused.”
- But no one sees us!
- It does not matter.
This dialogue took place at the beginning of the second act between Martha and the director of the office for performing miracles.
Likewise, the actors of the Baltic House, it seems, for the duration of the performance forgot about their real names, about their origin, about their habits (which, as we know, are altera natura) in order to reincarnate into Spaniards, passionately singing Bésame mucho, passionately loving and exorbitant in everyone feeling.
If I try to find a meaningful word for each of the characters in the play, I will undoubtedly describe the director with the word “charisma.” The very thing that fascinates in a person, at first glance inconspicuous and ordinary, and the thing that makes you believe every word when they tell an outright lie. Having achieved mastery in the field of creating illusions, he lost the habit of experiencing genuine emotions. His personality became the totality of all the roles he had ever played, and his main aspiration in life was to improve his skills.
Secretary Elena is an impeccable person. The small role is more than compensated by the brightness of her appearances on stage. It is she, and not her brilliant companion, who creates the mysterious elegance of their work to save people from the abyss of despair - after all, she performs it with prudence and admirable calm, knowing for sure that vanity and compassion have never saved anyone.
Martha is the embodiment of sincerity. She knows how to let through her heart both suffering and happiness, and every feeling comes out without pretense. She is an exceptional tact. Just remember: in response to
the director’s question about whether she is satisfied with the end of their fleeting performance - which she cannot possibly be satisfied with, because for her it was not a performance - Martha answers, albeit with bitterness in her voice: “I am very satisfied.” And in another episode, she extremely elegantly hints to the director about the lack of sincerity: “It’s not difficult to lie when there’s such a good example.”
Bilbao is a bizarre combination of clumsiness with nobility and fearlessness. With what confidence does this brave man tell us that he would commit his old act, desperate but fair, again and again! And with what rigor he rebuffs Mauricio, and at the threat of a knife, assuring that the house will not be sold...
Senora Eugenia - wisdom. You expect to see touching senile naivety and boundless delight from just one long-awaited meeting: dear grandson, well, he’s finally arrived - well, now grandma is happy! No matter how it is. The author of the play Kason and the performer of the role Piletskaya showed us
the deepest feminine insight (the winged “when spouses sleep in different beds - it’s immoral!”, “in the third year of marriage, ten Egyptian plagues would not have torn me from my husband”) and knowledge of the complex mechanisms of life, which is unknown to young people (“at my age, happiness is is to see the happiness of others"). The decision not to say anything to the “children” about the fact that their whole idea has been exposed is not only a wise, but also an eminently humane decision, justifying the comparison with a resilient tree.
Finally, the real Mauricio. In two words - brute force. Every time he appeared on stage, I wanted to move to the back rows - such a living, tangible threat emanated from him. Fearing right up to the last scene that the “native blood” will still be more valuable to the senora than a spiritual relationship with two dear, strangers, you exhale with relief in the finale, when she asserts with noble rage that there is not even a blood of hers in him.
~
A delightful, light-filled storyline - the rapprochement of Mauricio and Isabella.
Two rubicons are clearly visible, marking a turning point in their relationship to each other. And the first is the question of blood on the hand. How amazed Mauricio is when he learns that it was not lipstick, but real blood! What is not said, but follows in parentheses: it means that her feelings were real, and that means that her passionate kiss was not too much of a neophyte actress, but an impulse of the soul. After all, he himself, Mauricio, until that moment had been absorbed exclusively by the idea - this whole business of bringing Senora Eugenia to her senses was for him nothing more than a riddle for the mind, a useful stimulus, a short unforgettable adventure - which is so opposite to the feelings of Marta, After all, she is carried away by the destinies themselves.
The second point is Martha’s question about her eye color. What kind of eyes does Gioconda have? Anyone has seen this picture - and anyone is able to restore it in their imagination without much effort.
What kind of eyes does Siren have? A mythological character, beautiful in its mystery; remember it, and lines of forgotten poems and legends will immediately flash through your head, almost against your will. There is nothing to say, the questions were chosen impeccably. And he answers both immediately, even if it is difficult to convey the exact color in both cases... What kind of eyes do I have?
If we were in the place of the heroes, we would probably hear a clap of thunder. From her side there is a cry: well, notice me, I’m here, I’m close!
On his part, there is regret that, absorbed in the performance, he was inattentive to the one who deserved the most attention.
When this line moves towards the inevitable outcome and Mauricio and Isabella are left alone, the entire auditorium seems to stop breathing. Feeling - peeking through a keyhole. And what precise, true words were found in Mauricio to apologize for his imaginary indifference. I'm used to the sound of your breathing. And at that moment it was more valuable than all words about love.
~
In concluding this review, I would like to recall the valuable lesson given to Martha at the beginning of the second act. Art is created in the head, not in the heart. This, of course, is only part of the truth.
To become art, any idea, no matter how brilliant, must pass through the heart - and only then, examined with the sharp eye of common sense and cleaned to shine, win the hearts of millions - or at least two, initiated into the secret (after all, it is she who the incomprehensible and beautiful mystery, the ardor of the heart, and not the number of fans, distinguish craft from art). Therefore, before meeting Martha, all the noble activities of the director were rather a craft, albeit one that worked miracles, but only thanks to Martha, a sincere and deep soul, he learned art.
The idea that art is impossible without the work of a cold mind was proven by the directors themselves at the end of the performance.
Could Senora Eugenia recognize Mauricio as her son? No.
But could she ask the two people who created the fairy tale for her to stay and continue this fairy tale further? And most importantly, would she herself be happy, already knowing the truth?..
Alejandro Casona
Trees die standing
Comedy in three acts
Translation from Spanish by N. L. Trauberg
Edited by Z. I. Plavskin
Characters:
Martha Isabella
Henoveva
Elena, secretary
Felisa, maid
Amelia, typist
Mauricio
Señor Balboa
Pastor, he's Norwegian
Magician
ACT ONE
At first glance, it is an ordinary large office, untidy, like thousands of modern capitalist offices. Safes, file cabinets, telephones, voice recorders and similar devices.
To the right (from the actors) is the entrance from the reception area; on the left in the foreground is the door to the director's office; There is another door in the background. In the back, on the right, is a bookshelf; on the left there are heavy curtains (later, when the curtains part, we will see that behind them is a dressing room, littered with exotic costumes; there is a table with a mirror, lit from the side, like in an actor's dressing room).
The office environment is disturbed by fantastic objects scattered here and there: fishing nets, masks, mannequins without heads but with cloaks on their “shoulders,” colored geographical maps of non-existent countries - a bizarre mixture typical of auctions and antique shops.
In a prominent place is a portrait of a gray-bearded old man with long white hair and a kind smile. The face is either an artist or an apostle. This is Dr. Ariel.
When the curtain rises, the typist nervously looks for something in the file cabinet and cannot find it. He looks at the note and looks through the cards again, becoming more and more nervous. Enter Elena, the secretary, a woman of respectable age and equally respectable appearance; she brings in folders; during a conversation he lays them out on the table.
ELENA. Still haven't found it?
TYPIST. This is the first time this has happened to me. I remember exactly that I staged it myself. We have such an order in our card index that I can find any card with my eyes closed. I don't understand where she went.
ELENA. There may be a mistake in the note.
TYPIST. No impossible. The boss himself wrote it. ( Hands out a note.) 4-B-43. There can be no mistake here.
ELENA. So far I have noticed two errors.
TYPIST. Two?
ELENA. Two. First of all, never say “boss.” This causes unwanted associations. Just say “director.” Second: you are looking for a seventeen-year-old girl among the blue cards. Minors are on white cards.
TYPIST. Lord, what is wrong with me today!
ELENA. Be careful. When it comes to minors, the law is unforgiving.
TYPIST. I always forget about color.
ELENA. Remember, in this house any little thing can lead to disaster. The lives of many people depend on us. Our work is extremely responsible. Perhaps humanity will someday be grateful to us, perhaps today we will find ourselves in prison. Don't forget this.
TYPIST. Forgive me... I promise it won't happen again.
ELENA. Hope. Now let's see if you really find cards so accurately. Stand here in front of the box, close your eyes and give me No. 4-B-43.
TYPIST. This?
ELENA. Very good. Congratulations. ( Is reading.) “Ernestina Pineda. Father unknown. Mother is too famous. Escape from home. Dangerous. Urgently look at sample A-4" ( looks in folders, repeating to himself) A-4, A-4, A-4, A-4. ( Finds, frowns.) Here. Apparently the case is serious. ( Making notes in a notepad.)
TYPIST. Let me ask... I know it’s impossible, but I too... and I would like to know...
ELENA. Learn to obey without question. It will be better for everyone.
He tears out a piece of paper from the notebook and gives it, along with the folder and card, to the typist.
Make four copies and send promptly.
The typist goes to the door.
And one more thing: if a girl comes with sad eyes, wearing a beret in the French style, and shows a blue card, let her in immediately.
TYPIST. Is this the one with the red roses?
ELENA. How do you know?
TYPIST. I did not mean to. I accidentally heard when the boss...
ELENA. Director.
TYPIST. Sorry. ( It turns out.)
Elena sits down at the table and sorts out the papers. A Protestant pastor enters. Everything about it is too complete to be real. He is far from being in an evangelical mood.
PASTOR. Well, this is too much. I'm finally protesting! With all due respect, but I protest!
ELENA (without stopping from work). Again?
PASTOR. I was invited here as a language expert. Nine alive, four dead. Forty years of study! Five titles! And why? I'm given menial tasks!
ELENA. How's that? Questions of conscience, religious doubts of an elderly Scot - is this, in your opinion, menial work?
PASTOR. So it's an old maid again! The fourth - in less than a week! And what could be more disgusting for an old bachelor than an old maid?
ELENA. Very kind.
PASTOR. I'm not talking about you. You are not a woman.
ELENA. Thank you.
PASTOR. I wanted to say - you are a comrade, a colleague. That is why I speak to you so frankly. And I repeat to you: I protest, I protest, I protest.
He rips off one of his sideburns. Elena gets up.
ELENA. Calm down, Your Reverence.
PASTOR ( looks around nervously and lowers his voice). Why do you say "Your Reverend"? Aren't we alone?
ELENA. Alone, alone. Calm down.
PASTOR. Oh my God! ( Tears off the second sideburn.)
ELENA. And change your clothes immediately. ( Hands him a paper.) Today you have to complete another important task.
PASTOR ( hopelessly). Of course, I know. A Norwegian ship arrives. Need to go to the port?
ELENA. No one but you knows the language. Think how happy these guys will be when they hear the old song of their country so far from home!
PASTOR. No, you won’t convince me that this kind of work requires five academic titles!
ELENA ( changes the friendly tone to an official one). There is no choice here. Either obey blindly, or leave completely.
PASTOR. In the end... for the sake of business...
He obediently puts his glasses and Bible on the table. He pulls back the curtain, revealing the wardrobe room. He takes off his frock coat and, while talking, puts on a sailor's shirt and high boots.
ELENA. Did you manage to calm that lady's conscience?
We invite you to get acquainted with Alejandro Cason's play "Trees Die While Standing." A brief summary of the work is presented in this article. The play was written in 1949.
Act one
Isabella, a girl with sad eyes, comes to a strange organization. She is met by her secretary Elena. The secretary calls the director and talks about Isabella's arrival. The typist announces that some senior with a letter of recommendation from Dr. Ariel wants to see the director. An old man, Señor Balboa, enters. The typist writes down his details, and he sits down next to Isabella.
The pastor comes out dressed as a sailor. The secretary is amazed by his tactlessness and asks him to wait outside the door. She sees a cylinder on the table and wants to remove it. A white rabbit appears from under the top hat. All this greatly amazes Isabella and Balboa. They both can't figure out where they are. As the secretary and typist leave, Balboa and Isabella engage in conversation. It turns out that Isabella saw a sailor in the park, and he was not a sailor, but a pastor.
The pastor enters dressed as a sailor. He advises them to leave here before it’s too late and leaves. Isabella starts to leave, but Balboa stops her, saying that she will fall right into the teeth of the wolf. The interlocutors are trying to understand where they are. They don't know who invited them and why.
A beggar appears through a secret door. He goes to the table, takes out a pearl necklace, a wallet, and several watches with a chain from his pockets. Then he calls on the phone, calls himself R-R-2, and says that the order has been completed. Balboa thinks they are in a gangster's den. Isabella panics, Balboa asks her to remain calm.
A hunter appears with two dogs and a gun. He also reports that he completed the assignment. He asks to send 3 dozen rabbits by tomorrow morning and a lot of dogs.
Balboa and Isabella are about to leave, but at this time the director, a very nice young man, enters. He talks to Isabella and shows her a portrait of Dr. Ariel, who founded the office. Ariel is rich and engaged in charity work, which he treats as art. Isabella says that she did not ask for alms, to which the director replies that they are engaged in charity of the spirit. They help people make their dreams come true, give them hope, mystery, wonderful memories.
Isabella leaves, the director talks to Balboa. He tells him his story. Balboa is married, he had a large family, but after a sudden misfortune only his wife and grandson survived. The grandson began disappearing at night, got into gambling debts, made dubious acquaintances, and stole jewelry from his grandmother. One day Balboa caught him trying to break into his desk. Then he kicked him out of the house. His grandson went to Canada and he hasn’t seen him for 20 years. The grandson was engaged in robberies and forgeries. Balboa's wife doesn't know about this. One day she received a letter from her grandson who asked her to forgive him. This letter was written by Balboa. A correspondence ensued in which Balboa, on behalf of his grandson, talked about what a good life he had. And the other day his wife received a telegram informing her of the arrival of her grandson. But the ship on which he sailed sank. Balboa intercepted all the newspapers so that his wife would not find out about it. He invites the director to play his grandson Mauricio. They choose Isabella (whose name is actually Martha) to play his wife.
Act two
At the Balboa house, preparations are underway for the arrival of his grandson. The last minutes, the servants and grandmother are fussing. Finally they arrive, the performance of meeting with their grandson is played out. During it, a number of awkward scenes occur due to the fact that Mauricio and Isabella have to play husband and wife. They are forced to kiss deeply, and there is a double bed waiting for them in the room. The grandmother is very happy to meet her grandson. Everyone is having dinner, eating grandma’s signature pie. Everyone drinks liqueurs during the meeting. Over dinner, Mauricio talks about his travels, and of course he makes things up. But the grandmother, it turns out, is well versed in geography, which becomes the cause of an awkward episode. When it comes to architecture, it turns out that my grandmother studied that too. After dinner, Eugenia (that’s the grandmother’s name) asks Isabella to play for her. But she doesn’t know how, which is why a new embarrassment occurs. However, Isabella finds a way out - she breaks the glass and injures her hand. Mauricio plays. Finally, everyone goes to their bedrooms.
Mauricio talks to Isabella. The girl says that it was very difficult for her. Mauricio reassures her, saying that this is only for a few days. Isabella admits that she sometimes wants to tell her grandmother the whole truth and ask for forgiveness, because she considers this game too cruel. Mauricio says you can't put your heart in your art. The girl asks him why he calls her Isabella in private if her real name is Martha. He replies that you need to forget your own life in order to play well. A frank conversation takes place between them. The girl believes that Mauricio art is more important than life. The director replies that rosewood in the garden means something because it blooms and creates shade. And when he dies (and the trees die standing and silent), no one will remember him. However, it would live forever if it were painted by a famous artist.
Mauricio praises the girl for so cleverly coming up with the idea of acting out the wounding scene by smearing lipstick on her hand. But it turns out that the injury was real. Mauricio tells her that she has too much heart, so she will never become a real actress. Martha replies that if all the trees were to disappear except one, she would want it to be the rosewood.
Act three
Several days pass. Mauricio calls Elena and asks how things are going. He replies that on the first day there were Isabella’s mistakes, but now everything is going smoothly. The director tells Elena to compose a telegram in which the grandson is urgently called to work.
There is a serious conversation between the grandmother and Isabella. She suspects that Isabella is not doing well with Mauricio. The fact is that she noticed that the spouses did not sleep together. At first, the grandmother thinks that Isabella does not love Mauricio, but she describes her feelings in such colors that the grandmother is already afraid that she loves him too much, and he pays little attention to her. The director announces to Martha that tomorrow everything will end, as they will receive a telegram about their departure. However, Martha does not want to leave so quickly and asks him to stay here one more day. She says she is afraid of the breakup scene. But Mauricio replies that it is very simple and describes to her in detail what needs to be done. In a conversation with Balboa, the director admits that he considers himself a complete idiot.
Balboa's real grandson appears. He says people like him don't give out the name of the ship or travel under their own name for fear of being found by the police. The grandson reproaches him for not being tormented by his conscience all this time and asks for a lot of money. Balboa says he doesn't have that much money, so his grandson offers him to sell the house. Balboa wants to refuse, but he threatens him with a ruined reputation. The grandson tries to go to his grandmother, but Mauricio stops him and escorts him out the door, threatening to kill him if he gives himself away.
The young people are preparing to leave. Left alone with Marta, Mauricio tells her that nothing affects the real grandson, and he will soon come and reveal the truth. The girl says that she no longer wants to participate in his fake performances, working with him, and will return back to her poor house. She doesn't want to go back to sleep because she's afraid of waking up again. Mauricio and Isabella declare their love to each other.
A real grandson is knocking on the door. Isabella decides to talk to him, but she fails to persuade him. The grandson tells the grandmother who he really is. But this, it turns out, is not a surprise for her, since yesterday, when she first saw him, she understood everything. And the old woman refuses to give him money. The grandmother decides to pretend to Isabella and Mauricio that she doesn’t know anything. As a farewell, she dictates to Isabella the recipe for the liqueur.
This concludes Alejandro Cason's "Trees Die While Standing."
The play “Trees Die Standing,” a brief summary of which will be discussed in the article, was written by the Spanish poet Alejandro Casona in 1949. He remains a very popular author in many countries and his plays are a huge success. In the article we will look at a brief summary of one of them, which is a recognized masterpiece.
Start
The play begins with a mention of a beautiful but sad young lady, Isabella, who, for some unknown reason, visits a very strange place. The beauty is met at the door by the secretary, who notifies the director about the girl’s arrival. At this moment, the typist conveys information about a certain elderly gentleman Balboa, who wants a meeting with the director and has a letter of recommendation. He is invited into a room where the necessary information is written down, and he quickly sits down next to Isabella.
The appearance of the sailor
There comes a time of waiting, which is interrupted by a pastor in a sailor's attire. Elena (the secretary) froze in surprise, but was able to force herself to tell him to wait his turn outside the door. At this time, she turns her attention to the table where the cylinder stands. The woman sees a rabbit peeking out of the top hat. The faces of old man Balboa and Isabella freeze with an expression of complete misunderstanding of the situation. At this time, Elena and the typist leave the room, and a conversation begins between the girl and the old man. It turns out that they both don’t quite understand where they ended up. The young lady explains that she saw a man enter in a nearby park, but at that time he looked like a pastor.
At this time, the sailor-pastor appears in the room again. In a conspiratorial voice, he advises Isabella and Balboa to leave here so as not to get themselves into terrible trouble. The young lady begins to get nervous and tries to leave the place of “imprisonment.” Mr. Balboa convinces her to change her mind, because if she leaves, she will definitely run into something bad. Two people begin to have a quiet conversation, trying to understand who lured them here and for what purpose.
At the same time, a secret door opens and a man who looks like a beggar enters. He approaches the table, and along the way he takes jewelry, a purse and chains out of his pockets. He gives himself a strange code name and then dials someone's number and says the mission is complete. Old Balboa begins to suspect that he is in a den of bandits. He sees how worried Isabella is and tries to calm her down. While the beggar is looking at the guests, a hunter comes through the door with a gun on his shoulder. Two large dogs follow him. He doesn’t introduce himself to the guests, but he also calls someone to report the completed task. He also asks the subscriber to send more dogs and rabbits by tomorrow.
Director
Are you already intrigued by Alejandro Casona? “Trees Die While Standing” (we began to look at the summary of the play) still contains many secrets that the observant reader will have to reveal. Let's continue.
Observing such a strange picture, the old man and the girl still decide to leave the strange place, but then the director himself suddenly appears - a seemingly very attractive young man. He starts a conversation with the girl and tells her about Dr. Ariel, who owns this place. He also reports that Dr. Ariel is actively involved in charity work, to which the girl replies a little sharply that she did not ask for handouts. The director explains to her that this means spiritual charity. The employees of the office make dreams come true, give hope and faith. After an unclear dialogue, Isabella leaves, and the director of the office starts a conversation with Balboa.
Balboa's story
The work “Trees Die While Standing,” the content of which we are considering, clouds the reader’s gaze even more, forcing him to guess. It turns out that Balboa lives with his wife. He had a large family that died under tragic circumstances. After that, he remained with his wife and grandson. The guy came under negative influence, started drinking and disappearing at night. Later it became known that he plays cards. led him to huge debts, and one day Balboa caught his grandson attempting to break into his own desk. This was the last straw. The man kicked his grandson out of the house. The relatives had not seen each other for about 20 years.
By the way, Balboa’s wife was not aware of everything that was happening. Soon she receives a letter from her grandson, in which he talks about his beautiful life. In fact, this letter was written by her husband. Thus, a nice correspondence begins. After some time, a real grandson gets in touch and is about to arrive by ship. Unfortunately, the ship sinks and the man dies. Balboa hides magazines and newspapers from his wife so as not to separate her.
He came to Dr. Ariel's office to offer the director the role of Mauricio's grandson. By general agreement, it is decided that Isabella will act as his wife (in reality the girl’s name was Martha).
Second act
A summary of the play “Trees Die While Standing” cannot be presented without the second act. At the Balboa house, preparations begin for the arrival of the long-awaited grandson. Mauricio arrives with his wife Isabella. Before dinner there are many small embarrassments that expose Mauricio and Isabella as deceivers, but the happy grandmother does not notice anything. At the table everyone eats a delicious dinner and drinks some liquor. The young couple is encouraged to kiss, which they do. They don’t yet know that a separate bedroom awaits them. Over dinner, Mauricio talks about his travels and architecture, but it turns out that Eugenia (grandmother) is knowledgeable in these areas, which causes a number of further embarrassments.
Everyone goes to their bedrooms. Mauricio and Isabella start a frank conversation, in which the girl admits that the game is difficult for her. She strives to reveal the truth to her grandmother, but the young man convinces her that art is more important than the dictates of her heart. As a result, Mauricio tells the beauty that she is too warm-hearted to be a good actress. The second act of the play “Trees Die While Standing,” the summary of which we are considering, ends with a conversation in the bedroom.
Third act
Elena calls the director to find out how things are going. He admits that at first Isabella made a lot of mistakes, but now everything is fine. He instructs his secretary to write a telegram as if Mauricio was urgently called to work.
What will happen next in the play “Trees Die While Standing”? The summary of the book cannot accurately convey the entire palette of feelings, so you need to read it in its entirety. Eugenia starts a conversation with Isabella, thinking that she does not love her grandson. After the conversation, she fears that the girl is too much and unrequitedly in love. Isabella asks the director to extend the “performance”, fearing the parting scene, but he refuses.
Grandson
Alejandro Casona's play “Trees Die While Standing,” a summary of which we are studying, prepares an unexpected twist. It turns out that the real grandson is alive. He comes to Balboa and demands money. Alternatively, he offers to sell the house, otherwise he will tell Eugenia everything. The old man kicks him out, threatening to kill him. At this time, the couple is preparing to leave. The girl learns about her real grandson and understands that the truth will soon be revealed. She confesses her love to Mauricio, but does not want to continue the performance. He reciprocates her feelings.
The play “Trees Die While Standing” (a summary is in the article) is coming to an end. A real grandson appears on the doorstep of the house. Isabella tries to stop him, but to no avail. The grandson calls grandma for a personal conversation and tells everything. It turns out that the old woman understood everything herself. She denies her grandson money, and in front of the loving couple continues to pretend that she believes in what is happening.
End
How does the play “Trees Die While Standing” end? You should read the summary at least to find out the intriguing ending. And it all ends with Granny whispering the recipe for the liqueur in Isabella’s ear, and the couple leaves. This concludes the play “Trees Die While Standing,” a summary of which we learned from the article.
In 1949, in hot Spain, playwright Alejandro Casona wrote the play "Trees Die Standing". In 2016, in cold Moscow, the play was staged by director Yuri Ioffe on the stage of the famous Theater on Malaya Bronnaya.
The performance turned out to be beautiful, lyrical, sunny-hot, passionate, cheerful and sad at the same time. The fictional story is closely intertwined with the real one, deeply rooted in it, and it is no longer possible to separate them. The lie in this story is like a life preserver that was thrown to a drowning man, and the truth is like a lumberjack’s saw, which is mercilessly and alive, cutting down a still powerful tree.
The actors act very easily - as if they breathe. The emotional images they created fill the audience’s hearts with a sweet shiver of empathy, force them to respond internally, rejoice and be sad for the characters along with the actors.
I passionately want this story to end well. Throughout the entire performance, without a moment’s hesitation, you are waiting for a happy ending. But he won't be there. True, with a cynical grin and dirty boots, the uninvited guest hammers his fist into the door: “Weren’t you waiting? I’ve come, open it!”. The truth in this performance is like a criminal jumping out of a dark gateway with brass knuckles and delivering a fatal blow.
And yet, this performance is about faith, hope and love.
About the selfless power of love. About the need to hide tears, even when hope is taken away.
And believe in the best, no matter what.
A little about the plot.
I'm in and 
The action takes place in one small Spanish town, and begins within the walls of one small theater. Due to the fact that theater artists have much more free time than spectators, they gather into a kind of creative team that provides good deeds to the population of this town - the Ariel company. For example, if someone needs to be known as an accurate hunter - please! A well-aimed bullet from an ordered and disguised actor will hit a ferocious boar, and the glory will go to the customer. If a petty thief steals a plump wallet or a string of pearls from a gaping lady, he won’t have time to look back when an equally dexterous, but righteous hand will pull the loot out of his pocket. The stolen goods will be returned to the owner, but the thief will receive a very unpleasant letter, after which, you see, he will repent of his deed.
An advertisement for the services of a good deeds company is given in a local newspaper. Services are provided both for a fee and free of charge. The main thing is to do a good deed! Actors have a lot of work.
One fine day, two people come here at the same time - a young, charming girl and an elderly gentleman. Both are sad and worried. The girl Martha is quickly helped to find a job and shelter. But Senor Balboa’s request for help is of a very unusual and delicate nature. Once upon a time, he lost his son and daughter-in-law, and in his and his wife’s arms there was left a tiny grandson, who, despite all the generous love that his grandparents bestowed, with age turned into an uncontrollable young man, for which was expelled by his grandfather from his home. But with the departure of the unlucky Mauricio, the sun left their home. Senora Balboa, although she did not blame her husband for anything, fell into apathy. To save his wife, the lord decides to write letters on behalf of his grandson. Just as water revived a withered flower, so the first letter instantly brought the lord back to life. In the second letter, the grandson informed her that he repented of what he had done, in the third he said that he had moved to Canada, in the fourth that he was studying to become an architect, fell in love, got married, etc.
The fictional grandson delighted the elderly lady with fictional successes, but at the same time gave her fullness of life and real happiness. The real grandson, according to information received by the lord, became a criminal in Canada. 
As a matter of fact, now I am only retelling the prelude to the main action.
And it is like this - the real grandson decided to pay a visit to his long-forgotten family. From Canada to Spain he is sailing on a ship, which suddenly crashes. In order to save the sick heart of his beloved wife from the sad news, Ariel received an order for a fictitious grandson.
Grandson Mauricio should come to visit them from Canada with his wife Isabella - by all means!
The Agency for Good Deeds gets down to business with enthusiasm.
And this is where the fantastic plot begins to take on the features of reality. The action moves to the home of the Balboas, where the fun begins! Everything in the house is topsy-turvy, everything is filled with the joy of anticipation, everyone is waiting for the long-awaited arrival of the prodigal grandson. The linen is changed from canvas to linen, and the aromas of the nut cake he loved as a child are wafting from the kitchen.
How good she is as a grandmother Anna Antonenko-Lukonina(People's Artist of Russia)! She is that powerful tree on whose branches birds build nests, and the shadow gives coolness to a tired traveler. The elderly lady is so filled with love, her happiness is so immeasurable and limitless, that we viewers also get a generous portion of it. 
Grandson Mauricio and Isabella finally arrive. The first minutes of the meeting, with a keen heart, she notices that “the eyes are not the same!”, but the “grandson” actor has brilliant acting skills, and Isabella captivates with her spontaneity and sincerity. Memories begin, the grandson, to the delight of his grandmother, remembers everything down to the smallest detail, masterfully juggles details and plays on feelings, he remembers the rosewood branch outside the window, and how many sons the housekeeper Genoveva has, and the tastes of childhood, and other pleasant details. There is a festive atmosphere in the house, everyone is in high spirits, there are jokes and music. 
How selflessly the actors play - both literally and figuratively! How gracefully they act out all the mise-en-scenes, find a way out of an awkward situation, smooth out rough edges.
How beautiful everything is - the artists, the clothes, the scenery, the murmuring sounds of a Spanish guitar, a huge cake in the shape of a ship, a spectacular entrance with a colorful jug of raisin liqueur and the indescribably beautiful dance of Senora Balboa with a fan in her hands, full of passion and revived life!
Mauricio (Andrey Rogozhin) is convincing and damn charming.
Isabel (Svetlana Pervushina) - pure, honest and charming.
The tandem of the housekeeper turned out to be very funny and very Spanish Henovevs (Lyudmila Khmelnitskaya) and maid Felises (Tatyana Oshurkova).
Señor Balboa (Victor Lakirev) organically appears in the image of a devoted romantic husband. 
The actors feel so good in this hospitable house that they involuntarily feel like real relatives. Communicating and helping their grandmother is not a burden for them, but a joy. And Senora Balboa herself, with her wise advice, helps Mauricio and Isabella look at each other with new eyes. 
Seven days fly by unnoticed, and now the moment of departure comes, suitcases are packed, the right words are searched to console the grandmother. But the truth is in the face of a disgusting scumbag grandson (Dmitry Tsursky) stops all this delightful comedy. And Senora Balboa herself hides her burning, murderous understanding of the situation from the young people she loves and with magnificent proud dignity... continues the game. 
