Parsley in the theater. Parsley Theater: history, performances
Bryansk region, Palace of Culture village. White Shores, choirmaster.
Game scenario – entertainment program for children of primary school age. "Fair Theater Petrushka" April 3, 2015
With the participation of the Zhuraveyka folk singing group
Target:
Study and promotion of folk (folklore) creativity.
Tasks:
-Introduce the history and features of the fair puppet show;
-Introduce characters (dolls) and the features of their manufacture and management;
-Show options for playing songs and teach the basics of folk everyday “playing” songs and dances;
-Teach children to simply play game-dances, game-songs, round dance games, and not compete for prizes.
Game material:
“Cabinet” of dolls: Parsley, Bride, Doctor, Gypsy, Mukhtarka the Dog, Horse.
Screen;
Tambourine;
Bag.
Musical material:
Organ organ records;
"Like at the gate" ( folk song);
“The Moon Is Shining” (folk song);
“Chizhik fawn” (folk refrains).
Application:
Methodological material"The History of the Puppet" folk theater Parsley".
Ved: Good day everyone. We are glad to see you here with us again. I hope you all remember how we usually behave. Sit quietly, listen carefully, and they will offer you tea not to refuse.
Across wide Rus' to our mother
The bells ring out.
In cities both big and small
People gather in booths.
Like people gathering at our gates.
All this with spoons and rattles.
How our neighbor had a fun conversation.
Geese on harp, ducks on pipes,
Tap dancers in rattles, seagulls in balalaikas.
They sing and play and amuse everyone!
What you won’t hear enough of here, what you won’t see enough of here!
Here are the toys, here are the Parsleys,
Tea from a samovar, kvass from a mug!
Hurry people, gather people,
Come on people, it's a holiday here!
“Like ours at the gate” (folk song performed by the folk association “Zhuraveyka”)
Ved: Guys, today we invite you to the Fair Booth. Yes, not just to stand there with my mouth open, but to find my friend. Well, look to the right, and now to the left. Well, how can you not see it? No? But let me tell you what it is, then you will find it right away. Listen.
He has a red cap, a bright shirt, a long and cunning nose, and a stick in his hand. Everyone loves him. In the old days, he performed both in the village and in the city in courtyards and squares. He moved from place to place, from city to city. He is cunning and cocky, and he also loves all kinds of pranks.
In a bright red jacket,
He is with a club in his hand.
Funny toy
And her name is... (Petrushka)
(Children answer – “Parsley”)
Ved: Parsley is a cheerful guy who loves to have the barrel organ play, and then he dances. A barrel organ is such a musical instrument. That's how beautiful she is. (Points to the organ) And its sound is very melodic. Hey, musician, play us something funny, and I’ll go and call my friend Petrushka. Let him show himself to the boys and dance. (calls, moving away behind the screen) Parsley. Peter Ivanovich. Petrusha where are you?
(the musician begins to turn the handle of the organ. An old hurdy-gurdy tune sounds)
"Parsley"
A play in five scenes.
Characters
Parsley
Gypsy 
Horse 
Musician 
Praskovya Stepanovna – Parsley's Bride 
Doctor 
Dog Mukhtarka 
Scene one
Musician: (calling) Parsley. Petrusha, come out. Show yourself to the people.
Parsley: (from behind the screen) Ass. Nope.
Musician. Petrusha, come out. You see, people are waiting. Come out.
Parsley. I'm afraid.
Musician. Do not be afraid. We'll clap for you. Come on, people, don’t spare your hands, clap louder so that the fluff flies.
Parsley. Ahhh here I am. We wish you good health, gentlemen. Be healthy, happy day and holiday that is today. (bows quickly and a lot) Well, stop clapping, otherwise my face is red from embarrassment.
Musician. And what happened?
Parsley. (Addresses the Musician.) Musician! You know, brother, I want to get married.
Musician. Not a bad thing, but on whom exactly?
Parsley. Oooh! On Praskovya Stepanovna, the merchant's daughter.
Musician. Do you take a lot of dowry?
Parsley. Forty-four thousand pancakes, a barrel of water, a wardrobe from half a dress and one boot.
Musician. The dowry is not bad, but the bride is good?
Parsley. E-ee, very good!
Musician. Come on, show me.
Parsley. I'll call you now. (Calls.) Paraskovia Stepanovna! My darling, my angel, my little flower, come here! (Paraskovia is walking. At this time, Petrushka meets and presses and kisses tightly to her heart and asks.)
Parsley. (Addresses the Musician.) Musician! So, is my bride good?
Musician. She's pretty good, but a little blind.
Parsley. Not true! What an eye, what an eyebrow, a mouth, a nose, and what beads.
Musician. So she has a mustache? Why do you need a mustachioed bride?
Parsley. Yes, not mustaches, but beads. (and kisses at this time) Hey, you’re deaf. And also a musician. Better play us a dance!
Parsley and the Bride dance and sing:
Penya Folklore group “Zhuraveyka” – “The month is shining”
Then Petrushka hugs her and takes her home.
Picture two.
Parsley. Hey musician!
Musician. What's happened?
Parsley. Thank God I got married.
Musician. This is good, the young wife needs to buy a horse.
Parsley. Who?
Musician. At the gypsy's.
Parsley. And what is his name?
Musician. Gavrilo.
Parsley. Go call him.
Musician (refuses). Not a great master, you’ll call him yourself.
Parsley. Where does he live?
Musician. On the corner, in the right tavern.
Parsley (calls Gypsy). Hey, Gavrylo, smeared snout, come here!
Gypsy (walks and sings). Ay, my trickle, my trickle
Ay, I took water for tea, Romals
Ay nane chavalele.
Parsley. I heard that you have a selling horse. Do you want it expensive? And is she good?
Gypsy. It's good, it's good. Not a sopata, not a hunchback, he runs - the earth trembles, but if he falls, he lies there for three days.
Parsley. As much as you want?
Gypsy. One hundred thousand
Parsley. It is expensive.
Gypsy. How much will Pan give?
Parsley. Thousand.
Gypsy. Not enough, sir, give it.
Parsley. Musician!
Musician. What?
Parsley. How much should I give him for the horse?
Musician. Yes, five thousand.
Parsley. I'll give you ten thousand.
Gypsy. Come on, sir, make a deposit.
Parsley. Bring your horse.
Gypsy. I won’t give up the horse without a deposit. Farewell, sir.
Parsley. Wait, I'll bring the deposit now. I'll borrow from my sister.
Gypsy. And who is she?
Parsley. The girl is young. Skalochka Drakulovna Kolotushkina. Here she will kiss you...
Parsley takes out a good stick in return for the deposit and begins to give the deposit.
Parsley. Here's a ruble for you, here's two for you!
Gypsy. Ah ah ah! Where are the doors! Ah ah ah!
Parsley. A little expensive... Get a curly stick and a hump-shaped baton for your neck and back.
Gypsy. Add more, Petrushka, for the kids’ fat...
Parsley. So is this not enough for you?
Parsley (begins to beat Gypsy). Here's a thousand for you, here's two for you! (The gypsy runs away.) Wow! Such a deposit will not do any good!
Musician! Bring the horse here. Whoa, whoa! Stop, don't kick! Ooh, not a horse, but fire! Stop! You need to count her teeth, how old she is. (Looks into her mouth.) The horse is very young: there isn’t a single tooth in its mouth yet!
(Tries to get on the horse) Whoa, whoa, whoa! Turn around, little horse, like this. Musician! What a nimble horse! .
Parsley. Whoa-whoa-whoa, stop, Persian, don't kick! Here's a toy for you, here's the devil's boot for your money. (Falls from the horse.) Oh, little head, oh, my Praskovya Stepanovna is missing! Oh, oh, musician! Call the doctor!
Scene three
While riding, the horse throws and hits Petrushka and then runs away. At this time, Parsley screams.
Musician. And here comes the doctor.
Doctor. I am a physician doctor, a German pharmacist. They bring me to me on their feet, but I send them away on crutches. Why are you screaming and screaming here? Come on, get up.
Parsley. I can’t sit up on my feet. And he lost his head.
Doctor. We'll put in a new one. Get up.
Parsley. Oh oh oh, my death has come.
Doctor. Where was she before?
Parsley. In field.
Doctor. What was she doing there?
Parsley. I was digging potatoes. Oh, oh, oh, save me, oh it hurts, oh it stings.
Doctor. Where do you get your fill? Here.
Parsley. Higher!
Doctor. Here "- where exactly?
Parsley. Lower!
Doctor. Here "- where exactly?
Parsley. Higher!
Doctor. The devil will tell you: now higher, now lower, now higher, now lower! Get up and show me!
Parsley. Stand up and show?
Doctor. Yes, show me.
Parsley. But now I’ll show you and explain. (Parsley leaves and carries a stick and hits the Doctor, showing him.) First higher, then lower.
Doctor. Ah ah ah! (runs away
Parsley. A musician, a musician!
Musician. What's happened?
Parsley. So I showed him and explained it to him. And now I’ll sit down and sing a song.
At this time, Barbos runs in, Vanya stops and begins to tease him.
Parsley. Qiu-qiu! , Shavochka-kudlavochka, what a mess you are
Mukhtarka. Bow-wow! (Grabs Vanya.)
Parsley (teases again). Qiu-qiu-qiu!
Mukhtarka. Bow-wow! (Grabs him.)
Parsley. Mukhtarka grabs Petrushka by the shirt.) Stop, wait, Mukhtarka, you'll tear your shirt! Stop, Mukhtarka, it hurts! (The dog rushes at him and grabs him by the nose.) Ay, fathers, intercede! My little head will be lost, complete with cap and brush! Oh! Oh oh!
Ved: Well, guys, did you like my friend Petrushka?
(yes) Guys, did you look carefully?
Do you remember what animals Parsley met today?
You stroke it, it caresses you,
You tease and it bites.
Answer to the riddle: dog
(The student who plays the dog comes out)
I have a big mane
Ears and hooves.
I'll give him a playful ride,
Who won't be afraid?
My fur is smooth
Who am I?...
Answer to the riddle: horse
(the student who plays the horse comes out)
Ved: Come on, guys, let's play with the horse and the dog.
Tell me, how does a horse talk? No way. Right. The horse does not speak, but only neighs and snorts. Now let's imagine that each of you is an artist of such a fair theater and he needs to portray a horse. Let's laugh and now snort. Fine.
Jumping Crackers GAME
Now to make our horse gallop, let’s pat ourselves on the knees with our palms. Yes, louder, louder, and now quieter, quieter. And now if I raise my hand up, it means the horse has galloped close and I need to click louder. When I give up, the horse has galloped away. You need to click more quietly. All clear. And as soon as I clap my hands, the horse stops. Whoever remains clucking after my clap is inattentive and loses.
Ved: Guys, every character in the theater has his own voice. For example, a cat purrs, a frog croaks. What a voice the dog has. Guys, tell me whether our dog is good or evil. And how he barks angry dog. Guys, how the good little dog barks. Well, that's enough, otherwise now all the dogs will come running. Let's greet our animals with applause.
Ved: Guys, look carefully at Petrushka. What animal does he look like? But the riddle will help you.
The gentleman walks around the yard, finding fault with everything,
Double beard, side cap.
Who screams the most?
Yes, he does the least.
What kind of bird is not afraid of people?
Doesn't fly high, but sings: "Ko-ko-ko-ko"
It’s not for nothing that His name is Parsley and His voice is as clear as that of a cockerel.
Ved: Guys, do you know that Petrushka has a surname. (no) So here it is full name Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov, and sometimes he is called Petrushka Samovarov, and when he plays pranks they call him Vanka Rototuy or Vanka Rutyutyu.
Ved: Guys, let’s remember what kind of people Petrushka met today. (Bride, Doctor, Gypsy). Let's call them here with applause. These artists love to dance and play different games. Let's play with them. I ask everyone to join the round dance.
Game-dance “Like Grandfather Makar”
Children stand in a circle and hold hands. The leader is in the center. The players walk in a circle and chant the words:
Like Uncle Makar
There were ten sons
They drank, they ate
They did this at once.
This way and that way and that way and that way!!!
So and so and so!
At last words everyone begins to repeat his gestures. The one who repeated the movements best becomes the leader.
Game-dance “A grandmother lived near a river”
The presenter invites the children to remember the words of the songs.
Once upon a time there lived an old woman near the river. Grandma wanted it
swim in the river. I bought soap. I bought a washcloth. Wow, and the song
ok, start over!
Then you are asked to remember the movements that
further replace the words in the song:
“grandmother” - depicted with hands,
like a grandmother tying a scarf under her chin,
"river" - waves,
“swim” - we depict a swimmer,
“bought” - clap your hands,
“soap” - right hand up,
"bast" - left hand up,)
“start over” - twirl with hands in front of chest
With each repetition of the song the tempo becomes faster.
Game-dance. "I have one aunt"
Aunt - let's go forward, arms to the sides
We repeat the movements after the leader. After the verse in the bridge, we mix 2 squares to two, the movements of the verse with a turn to the right and then to the left.
Pens
Legs
Shoulders
Sides
Jumping
Russian folklore
Particularly popular at fairs and folk festivals Parsley performances were used and were a form of urban spectacular folklore.
Parsley is one of the Russian folk characters puppet shows. Depicted in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel; Traditionally, Parsley is a glove doll. PETRUSHKA, “the nickname of a farce doll, a Russian jester, a jokester, a wit in a red caftan and a red cap; the entire jester, puppet den is also called Petrushka” (V. Dahl).
The origin of this doll, which appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, has not been reliably clarified. Although in Russia (Encyclopedia Around the World) Parsley has been known since the 17th century. Russian puppeteers used marionettes (string puppet theater) and parsleys ( glove puppets). Until the 19th century, preference was given to Parsley, by the end of the century - to marionettes, as parsley makers united with organ grinders. The parsley screen consisted of three frames, fastened with staples and covered with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground and hid the puppeteer. The barrel organ gathered spectators, and behind the screen the actor began to communicate with the audience through a peep (whistle). Later, with laughter and reprise, he ran out himself, in a red cap and with long nose. The organ grinder sometimes became Petrushka's partner: because of the squeak, speech was not always intelligible, and he repeated Petrushka's phrases and conducted a dialogue. The comedy with Petrushka was played out at fairs and booths. From some memoirs and diaries of the 1840s it follows that Petrushka had a full name - he was called Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov. The famous Russian puppeteer Sergei Obraztsov called Petrushka Pyotr Petrovich Uksusov (the story “The Four Brothers”) or Vanka Ratatouille. There were main plots: Parsley's treatment, soldier training, the scene with the bride, buying a horse and testing it. The stories were passed from actor to actor, by word of mouth. Not a single character in the Russian theater had the popularity equal to Petrushka.
The first puppet shows with the main actor- Parsley appeared in the first half XIX century. On the pages of everyday life essays and popular print books, his name has been mentioned since the 1840s.
In Russia of the last century, the comedy about Petrushka had no equal among other types of puppet theater in terms of its popularity among the common population, its breadth of distribution (from St. Petersburg to Sakhalin and from Arkhangelsk to the North Caucasus), its topicality, sharpness and deadly power of laughter. Petrushka was considered the main and perhaps the only hero of the Russian puppet theater.
Petrushka's comedy was constantly in the process of development, replenished with new characters, and became more and more relevant and socially rich.
The Petrushki Theater was created not only under the influence of Russian, Slavic, and Western European puppet traditions. He was a kind of folk theatrical culture, part of the extremely developed (spectacular folklore) in Russia. Therefore, it has a lot in common with folk drama, with the performances of farcical barkers, with the verdicts of groomsmen at a wedding, with funny popular prints, with jokes from raeshniks, etc.
A special urban atmosphere festive square explains, for example, Petrushka's familiarity, his unbridled gaiety and indiscriminateness in the object of ridicule and shame. After all, Petrushka beats not only class enemies, but everyone in a row - from his own fiancée to the policeman, often beats him for nothing (a blackamoor, an old beggar woman, a German clown, etc.), and in the end he gets hit too: the dog mercilessly tugs at his nose. The puppeteer, like other participants in the fair, square fun, is attracted by the very opportunity to ridicule, parody, beat, and the more, louder, more unexpected, sharper, the better. Elements of social protest and satire were very successfully and naturally superimposed on this ancient basis of laughter.
Like all folklore entertainments, “Petrushka” is filled with obscenities and curses. The original meaning of these elements has been studied quite fully, and how deeply they penetrated into the folk culture of laughter and what place swearing, verbal obscenity and demeaning, cynical gestures occupied in it, is fully shown by M.M. Bakhtin.
Performances were shown several times a day in different conditions (at fairs, in front of booths, on city streets, in the suburbs). "Walking" Parsley was the most common use of the doll.
For mobile folklore theater A light screen, dolls, miniature wings and a curtain were specially made. Petrushka ran around the stage, his gestures and movements creating the appearance of a living person.
Comic effect episodes were achieved using techniques characteristic of folk laughter culture: fights, beatings, obscenities, the imaginary deafness of a partner, funny movements and gestures, mimicking, funny funerals, etc.
There are conflicting opinions about the reasons for the extraordinary popularity of the theater: topicality, satirical and social orientation, comic character, simple acting that is understandable to all segments of the population, the charm of the main character, acting improvisation, freedom of choice of material, the sharp tongue of the puppet.
The Petrushki Theater is a type of folk theater that was not only watched, but also listened to, so most of the scenes included different proportions both movement and conversation. In the episodes of bargaining (the scene of buying a horse), treatment, ridicule of soldier drill, word and gesture are, as a rule, equivalent; they complement each other, combining visual and auditory perception.
Songs and dances were an integral part of most of the performances of the Petrushki Theater. The heroes of the comedy performed lyrical songs, dance songs, ditty couplets, cruel romances, and songs of literary origin. They danced Russian, Komarinskaya, trepaka, “lady”, polka, waltz, etc. Musical exhibitions played a large role in comedy. Dances and songs, hurdy-gurdy melodies were not just musical arrangement performance, they are designed to set the audience in a cheerful, festive mood, create an additional comic effect through the contrasting relationship between melody and action, serve as a characteristic of the characters, diversify them, in other words, together with other poetic and stage techniques, make the performance a lively and vibrant spectacle.
The structure of a theatrical performance is also determined by the relationship between spectators and actors. Orientation towards the public has existed and exists in all types of theatrical art, to varying degrees, of course, and in different qualities.
For the Russian "Petrushka", as well as for the folk theater in general, communication with the audience was an indispensable condition and extremely important point performance.
Parsley is a folk holiday joy.
Parsley is a manifestation of popular optimism, a mockery of the poor against the powerful and rich.
The Parsley Theater remained a part of holiday entertainment for a long time. As a mass phenomenon of folk fair culture, it ceased to exist at the beginning of the 20th century.
The ProDetki editors love to visit cultural places and discover new heroes and characters. For example, we became interested in the hero Petrushka in the puppet world.
The Petrushka Theater is a unique performance whose history goes back to the 17th century. At first it was a popular entertainment for ordinary people, and then it gained popularity among high society.
Doll Parsley
Parsley is a printed doll dressed in pants and a red shirt; the distinctive features of this character were: a pointed cap and a huge red nose.
History of the Petrushka Theater
The Petrushka Theater is one of the oldest entertainments in Rus', which has survived to this day and has not lost its relevance. . Many perceive him as folk creation, but in reality their prototypes Russian folk theater Petrushka has in many countries such as France, Germany, Italy and Türkiye.
The first appearance of the Petrushka Theater in Rus' was recorded back in the 17th century, but it gained its main popularity only in the 19th century. Despite the fact that there were several types of puppet theater in Rus', Petrushka's performances were the most popular.
Character Parsley
It is not surprising that Petrushka is the main character of the puppet theater, which is named after him. Let's take a closer look at what it is. As you can see from the history of the creation of the theater, it came to Russian lands from other countries, therefore Russian Petrushka has collected many in his appearance distinctive features different nationalities . For example, his head and arms were incredibly large, and his eyes were almond-shaped, his skin color was dark, and his nose had a large hump. Thanks to all this, he was very similar to his Italian prototype - Pulcinella.
Parsley Although he put his main character at the head of the presentation, he did not limit himself to this. For example, Petrushka’s constant partner in the plot was a bear, with whom he acted out the main scenes .
Russian theater Petrushka and its plots
The plots of theatrical performances were always based on banal and philistine themes of that time: soldier's service, treatment, acquisition of a horse and its testing, as well as Petrushka's dating and wedding.
All scenes had their own order and were shown strictly one after another:
— The first scene was always based on Petrushka’s purchase of a horse. He bargained with a gypsy salesman who did not want to give in, then Petrushka got tired of it, for which he hit the merchant. This was the end of the first performance.
— The second scene was a demonstration of how Petrushka climbs onto a horse, but it does not want to obey him and throws off the main character, and then leaves after the gypsy.
— In the third scene, as at the beginning of the performance, Petrushka is not distinguished by a calm disposition, and, having visited the doctor, beats him because the doctor finds many ailments in the main character.
— The last scene is also not complete without fights. When the policeman appears to find out why Petrushka killed the doctor, the main character, without thinking twice, does the same with the policeman. But justice is personified by the dog, which barks and growls at the main character, and then, not succumbing to any cajoling and begging of Petrushka, who grabbed him by the nose, drags him away from the impromptu stage.
This is where the show ends. It is interesting that the duration of the performance depends on how interesting the scenes are played out, because it lasts as long as there are spectators on the street who deign to pay attention to it.
Russian folk theater Petrushka is not limited to just four main scenes in its performance . When there are a lot of onlookers on the streets and the audience is ready to watch as much as they want - to watch a puppet theater, the story continues with others interesting stories. One of them is “Parsley’s Wedding”. The script for this performance was so rude and frivolous that parents did not allow their children to watch such a scene.
In all performances, Petrushka acted as a rogue, a swindler and a rude man. Nand his facewas depicteddeven not a sweet smile, as many may think, but a rude grin.
Street theater Petrushka
Traditional Petrushka - puppet theater one actor, the scene of which was always street fairs and shopping areas . The very first performances were shown without a screen, since the only actor-puppeteer simply wore a special skirt with a hoop on his belt. By lifting this ring, the puppeteer disappeared from the view of the audience, giving them the opportunity to enjoy the performance. At the same time, he could calmly move and work with both hands to control two characters at once.
Already at the beginning of the 19th century, such a costume for an actor was replaced by a screen , a prototype of the one in use today. It was installed directly on the ground, hiding the puppeteer and all his props.
Only men were puppeteers, but in order to give their voices additional squeakiness, a specialized squeak was used. It was inserted directly into the larynx. This gave the puppeteer the opportunity to speak louder.
Contemporary Petrushka Theater
Thanks to many artists who make every effort to preserve the traditions of puppet theater, we have the opportunity to enjoy interesting performances today. Nowadays, of course, these are not only nomadic fair performances, but also street puppeteers.
Most often, Petrushka’s performances can be seen in children’s puppet theaters, for example, “Firebird”, “Albatross”, “Fairytale” and many others.
The Petrushka People's Theater at the moment is an opportunity to introduce children and adults to history, as well as to instill in the younger generation a love and interest in literature.
Folk theater is multifaceted and many-sided, but among its various types, the most striking and original is the Petrushka puppet theater. As a folklore performance, the Petrushka Theater has existed in Russia since approximately the 18th century. Its finished, classic look He didn’t buy it right away. Let us recall the history of the development of Russian folk puppet comedy. A. Belitsky sees the first, naive forms of puppet theater in ritual, “playing with a doll, dressing up, “Moscow culture.” The abstract form of mummery in the puppet theater is also noted by A.V. Gruntovsky.
It is known that the Parsley Theater was first described by the German scientist, diplomat and traveler Adam Olearius, who visited Russia twice in the forties of the 17th century. In his travel diary published later, Olearius describes the performances of buffoon-musicians who sang songs, danced, and showed various puppet show scenes. In addition to the puppet show, Olearius also describes “bear fun.” The leaders of the bears “had with them such comedians who, by the way, could immediately present some kind of trick or klutch (prank), as the Dutch call it, with the help of dolls. To do this, they tie a sheet around their body, lift its free side up and hold it above their head, thus forming something like a stage... with which they walk through the streets and show various performances with dolls.” Olearius' testimony is confirmed by an illustration that probably depicts a scene of a horse being sold. The puppet show described by the traveler was probably a prototype of the 19th century puppet comedy about Petrushka, although the hero of this show could have had a different name, and story line could have been different. In the 30s of the 17th century, puppet shows were based on elementary plot, which served as the starting point for numerous improvisations by puppeteers. Presumably at this time there were already folk puppet theater performances that were popular with common people and aroused the hostility of the authorities. Judging by the fact that these performances were shown in the programs of buffoon games, they were short-lived and consisted of one or several short scenes. The comedy of Parsley is often seen as a borrowed, puppet game brought from the cultures of countries Western Europe or East. Moreover, the time of borrowing dates back to the end of the 16th – beginning of the 17th centuries. (as V.N. Peretz believed), then by the beginning of the 19th century. (according to the assumption of A.F. Nekrylova). “No exact data has been preserved about the performances of Petrushka in the 18th century,” wrote V.D. Kuzmina, “but it is absolutely indisputable that such performances were and were a natural link between the comedy of Petrushka, which Olearius saw performed by buffoons XVII century, and folk puppet comedy of the 19th-20th centuries.”
The comedy and its hero have gone through an interesting, complex path, absorbing foreign and Russian features, reworking and specially mastering spectacular folklore, satirical genres of Russian folk art, achievements of democratic theater XVII– XVIII centuries and folk drama. V.N. Vsevolodsky-Gerngross in his work “Russian Folk Drama” noted that the ancient Russian puppet hero resembled, on the one hand, the passive young man from “The Tale of Misfortune,” and on the other, the enterprising Frol Skobeev and was different from Petrushka, which was well known from 19th century plays. The core of the plot of the puppet comedy has also formed: a young guy decides to get married, start a household, and therefore the first thing he does is buy a horse from a gypsy. Having fallen from his horse, he turns to a charlatan doctor, unable to tolerate deception, kills him with a club and buries him. This story clearly shows a connection with folk games, which are based on parody: matchmaking, wedding, bargaining, treatment, funeral. TO 19th century Petrushka's comedy has passed its formation. Using the principles of improvised play, puppeteers began to present the simplest plots, which were based on certain proto-plots that were formed, as we have already mentioned, probably under the influence of folk pagan cults, rituals, and games: “walking with a filly,” “matchmaking,” “buffoonery.” treatment", "parody funeral", etc. Hence, the characters of the Petrushka Theater are in many ways similar to the characters of pagan mummers, such as an old man, an old woman, a gypsy, a priest, singers, and a dead man. The plot was also determined, which began to consist of a chain of scenes based on the motive of Petrushka’s meeting with different characters. The sequence of the main scenes was subsequently fixed by tradition. Usually the comedy began with a greeting, a conversation on a topical topic, an address to a musician, followed by scenes with the bride, buying a horse, and meeting with the doctor. Then, in varying order and quantity, came Petrushka’s encounters with various characters: a German, an officer, a soldier, a policeman, a gentleman, a blackamoor, a friend and others. The appearance of the characters “was given typical features by which one could easily recognize the hero - his social status, profession, nationality.” .
But let's talk about central hero puppet comedy. Of all the versions about its origin, we will focus on the most famous. Perhaps our hero received the name “Petrushka” after the famous Russian jester of Queen Anna Ioannovna, Pietro Mirro (aka Pedrillo, aka Petrukha-Farnos, or simply Petrukha). There are other hypotheses about the origin of the main character of the comedy. Petrushka could have adopted his name from the name of one of his predecessors - the ancient Hindu jester Vidushak, whose appearance and behavior strongly resembled Petrushka. Other versions are possible. So in traveling actors-puppeteers early XVIII V. The name of Petrushka Ivanov is mentioned, and in the first half of the same century, puppeteer Pyotr Yakubovskoy gave performances in Moscow, so it is likely that the puppet hero could have borrowed his name from one of the puppeteers, whose performances were the most popular. There is another assumption that also has a right to exist. Beloved by the people comic characters often received nicknames from the names of various dishes and seasonings. So the European Gunstwurst, Jean Farina, Pickelgering, Jack Snack had funny nicknames– Ivan Sausage, Ivan Muchnik, Pickled herring, light snack. Vanka Ratatouille ("ratatouille" is the name of a French vegetable dish) probably appears in a similar way, which indicates the connection between the Russian puppet character and his European relatives. In addition, the name “ratatouille” is also known in Northern Russian dialects as “empty poor soup.”
In the first third of the 18th century, Petrushka was respectfully called nothing less than Pyotr Ivanovich (Petrovich) Samovarov, and in the 19th century he was also known as Pyotr Ivanovich (Petrovich) Uksusov. And finally, our hero may have gotten his name from his Italian brother, Pulcinella, whose name in Italian translates as “cockerel.”
So who is Parsley? social type, national character or primitive man? In folk theater, the character of a character was perceived as a given, as a collection of certain, unchangeable traits. This theater was not interested in a specific person; it was concerned with man in the most general manifestation, as “man in general.” “Petrushka alone stood apart: he had no prototype in real life, since he belonged to the family of European folklore jesters with general features in appearance- a huge nose, a hump or two humps (front and back), a protruding chin, a stupid cap on the head.” Another one characteristic Parsley is a special “musical” voice created using a special device - a peep. This inhuman voice, as well as four fingers, indicate Parsley’s ancestral connection with the “otherworldly” world. And although in the comedy Petrushka tries on various social roles: he gets married, buys a horse, gets sick, joins the army, etc., he is in no way a social type. Seeing a national character in a character who belongs to a family of folklore jesters, possessing not only a similar appearance, but also character traits, is a futile task, although Petrushka, like all of them, has become a favorite folk puppet hero in Russia.
As we can see, Petrushka is classified not only as a character that reveals national character, but is also correlated with a social type, and finally, with Homo Primitivus. Let us remember that Petrushka, like his brothers Pulcinella, Polichinelle, Punch, was born in the theater of mask convention, in art where naive metaphorical thinking dominated, in the realm of farce grotesque, rough folk reprise. The comic effect of the episodes in which the character participated was achieved using techniques characteristic of folk laughter culture: fights, beatings, obscenities, the imaginary deafness of a partner, funny movements and gestures, mockery, funny funerals, etc. According to M.M. Bakhtin, laughter “stupefies”, “exposes”, returns the world to its original chaos and cleanses it spiritually, absorbing everything negative.
Modern researcher A. Gref argues that Petrushka himself is not a social type, not a satirical character, and in no case a national character, but a “primitive”, that is, Primary Man, Homo Primitivus, proto-man. Only from this point of view can we understand the antisocial behavior of our hero, which, first of all, is associated with numerous fights. It is known that the meaning of a fight in the primary theater is interpreted as a ritual battle with “evil forces.” However, over time, this value decreases to a fight with a variety of characters: a policeman, a policeman, a soldier, a doctor. All these characters do not pose a threat to our hero, and only a representative of the infernal world (a dog or death itself) takes his life. The end of the comedy is the end of Petrushka, which also means the end of the performance. But Petrushka is immortal! Death is ridiculed; with the resurrection of Petrushka, the comedy begins anew. As we can see, Petrushka was considered the main character of the Russian puppet theater. His image is “broader than the concepts of “negative and positive”: the people invented it for their own amusement and for the fear of the powers that be. He is negative, cruel, satirical and at the same time arouses some kind of poignant tenderness.” This is exactly how he is remembered by many famous artists, composers, writers and poets, who in their memoirs describe their childhood and youth impressions of the Parsley Theater and the parsley workers. This is evidenced by the memoirs of F. Chaliapin, M. Gorky, A. Benois. N. Nekrasov (Poem “Who Lives Well in Rus'”) and I. Stravinsky in the ballet “Petrushka” conveyed impressions of meetings with Petrushka in their works. IN late XIX and the beginning of the 20th century, the comedy about Petrushka had no equal in popularity among other types of public art.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the popularity of this farcical hero fell. A new miracle appears in Russia - cinema and the merry and mischievous Petrushka was no longer able to satisfy the needs of the public. With the advent of new life realities, the image of the classic Parsley goes away. Against the backdrop of political changes in the country and the world, while continuing to remain part of the holiday entertainment, Parsley also changes, new characters and plots appear. After the revolution of 1917 he was transformed into a victorious proletarian. The new government quickly realized the propaganda potential of the people's theater and put forward the slogan: “Return the theater to the people!” Special meaning attached to the puppet theater. A. Lunacharsky wrote in his “Memorandum” to the People’s Commissariat for Education in 1918: “Easily feasible technically, closely connected by all its elements with folk art, it will serve as a touchstone for establishing the true folk repertoire and to develop those theatrical techniques that will lead to an inextricable merging of the stage with the public audience." The first enthusiasts of the new puppet theater were artists, it was from their light hand appear first State theaters puppets in Leningrad and Moscow. In addition to plays with Petrushka, there were dramatizations of I. Krylov’s fables. The performances of the puppet theater by N. Simonovich-Efimova became widely known in northern capital. She later recalled: “There was a reception on the occasion of my daughter’s name day in a family I knew, where poets and artists gathered. The owner of the house asked me to show her a puppet theater. By that time, “Sick Parsley” (which I invented for village children) had developed. I played it and two new fables. This is where my fantastic, arrogant thoughts about the Petrushka Theater began to be justified, because when I finished, Alexey Nikolaevich Tolstoy, who turned out to be among the audience, came up to me and asked: “Who wrote the text of Petrushka for you? You know that it is very, very well written”... He continued: “Stanislavsky has long dreamed of a puppet theater and ordered me a play. I know how difficult it is to write for Parsley, which is why I appreciated yours. You need to show your theater to Stanislavsky, I’ll arrange it”... And he arranged it. Two days later I played these plays to Stanislavsky at his home, and a few days later - in Art Theater: for theater and studio artists." One of the first performances was a dramatization of A. Tolstoy’s fairy tale “Gelding”. Official support led to the fact that major masters of art began to work in the puppet theater; among them were composer Yu. Shaporin, artists V. Favorsky and young Kukryniksy. At first, all these talented people relied on the experience of the old folk game. Petrushka, resurrected from oblivion as a hero of Soviet reality, did not at all seem like an anachronism or an insert number. The “Red Army Petrushka” doll, created by the Kukryniksys, created a sensation at the First All-European Exhibition theatrical puppets in Brussels in 1930 and became the emblem of the All-Union Union of Puppeteers. On the days of celebrations (May 1, November 7), platforms appeared in the squares of large cities, from the barriers of which Petrushka, well known to the public, in a red shirt, sprinkled salty political lines, causing general delight among those gathered. Next to him were “class enemies”: a priest in a cassock, a thick-bellied fist, a spick-and-span NEP man. The Petrushka Theater becomes, first of all, a theater of revolutionary satire, a political theater. This is how “Cooperative Petrushka”, “Petrushka-rabfakovets”, “Red Army Petrushka” appear. Puppet shows were timed to coincide with each of the many new holidays of the “red calendar”: International Youth Day, Red Army Day, Day of Education, etc. Recent opponents were also brought onto the stage - Kolchak, Denikin, Wrangel, and the leaders of bourgeois Europe - Lloyd George , Poincare, Curzon. The task of promoting the introduction of the “Soviet way of life” becomes a priority for the Petrushka Theater. Now it is considered as a theater of a workers' club, responding to any significant events in the life of a factory or factory. He was supposed to make fun of truants, hooligans, and bureaucrats from the enterprise administration. Petrushka often began to be assigned the role of a reasoner, introducing the viewer to the essence of the matter at the beginning of the performance and summing up the conclusion at the end. The new theater also needed its own authors. The Petrushka Theater became a literary theater. “The writers placed Petrushka in modern Soviet life, where he acted as a dues ex machine, but also as an ordinary stage hero. And Petrushka not only did not look like an anachronism, did not destroy the integrity of the stage narrative, but also remained a kind of literary standard that determines the development of this art.” And here is an example of the title of one of the plays imitating folklore: “An amateur performance about the consumer business, about Nyurka, the merchant and clerk, the cheerful Parsley the storyteller,” author - M.D. Volpin, famous Soviet playwright, poet and screenwriter. Parsley begins to be perceived as one of the “world images” classical culture. M. Gorky spoke about this in his speech at the First Congress Soviet writers in 1934 He built a unique series of these images: “Hercules, Prometheus, Mikula Selyaninovich, Svyatogor, - then - Doctor Faust, Vasilisa the Wise, the ironic successor Ivan the Fool, and finally Petrushka, defeating the doctor, the priest, the policeman, the devil and even death.” Tolstoy’s new work “The Golden Key, or the Adventures of Buratino” brings to the stage a new, cheerful puppet hero Buratino, in whom the main features of Petrushka are so clearly manifested. New look fit entirely into the context of modern times. In all its manifestations, it strikingly resembles the usual fairground Parsley. So, Petrushka merged with Pinocchio, and for a long time remained exclusively a character children's theater. This Petrushka transformed, stopped being aggressive, “cultivated himself” and became just a cheerful little man. Over time, parsley began to appear at children's parties and New Year trees. Petrushka turned out to be at work and was a true hero Soviet theater dolls until traditional art remained the only one. But when was born new theater", built on the principles of conventional psychologism, Petrushka became a complete absurdity, he could not withstand the psychological load, and any attempts to build his image with the help of a psychologically based characterization ended in failure." Petrushka did not take root in S. Obraztsov’s theater. Since the late 40s, Parsley disappeared altogether and was not remembered for almost 50 years.
But time does not stand still. As proof, in the 2000s, a play for children “Parsley at War” appeared in the genre of a farcical parsley show about how Pyotr Petrovich Uksusov became a Red Army soldier and defeated all fascist enemies. A performance in one act, based on Russian folklore, for children from 6 years old. The performance is based on mischievous folk humor and satire.
Unfortunately, living tradition folklore puppet theater has been lost in our country. Currently, one can count on one hand those who are engaged in the reconstruction of the Petrushka Theater in the form in which it existed in the century before last. A huge amount of work in this direction is being carried out by A. Gref’s “Wandering Den” theater in Moscow, V. Mizenin’s “Papmashenniki” theater and the “Balagan” theater in St. Petersburg. The theater of Tatyana Chunakova, who continues the traditions of the theater of N. Simonovich-Efimova, is also well known. Puppeteers give their performances in the open air: in Moscow on Arbat and in St. Petersburg on Nevsky Prospekt, in clubs and orphanages and, if invited, in apartments, reviving the tradition of the St. Petersburg theater by N. Simonovich-Efimova. “The Wandering Den” becomes a theater accessible not only to children, but also to adult audiences. Every year the theater gains not only many fans, but also people seeking to revive this type of puppet show locally, creating additional education, clubs have their own Petrushka Theater.
M.: Type. T-va I.D. Sytina, 1918. 20 p., ill. 20.4x15 cm. In the publisher's illustrated chromolithographed cover. The famous "Sytinskaya" popular print book for children.
Parsley- one of the characters in Russian folk puppet shows. Depicted in a red shirt, canvas pants and a pointed cap with a tassel; Traditionally, Parsley is a glove puppet (glove doll). Parsley is “the nickname of a farcical doll, a Russian jester, a jokester, a wit in a red caftan and a red cap; The whole clownish, puppet den is also called Petrushka.” The origin of this doll, which appeared in Russia in the second half of the 19th century, has not been reliably clarified. Although in Russia Parsley has been known since the 17th century. Russian puppeteers used marionettes (string puppet theater) and parsleys (glove puppets). Until the 19th century, preference was given to Parsley, by the end of the century - to marionettes, as parsley makers united with organ grinders. Petrushka’s appearance is by no means Russian: he has exaggeratedly large hands and head, exaggerated facial features, and the face itself (carved from wood) is treated with a special plant liquid, which makes it look darker; large almond-shaped eyes and a huge hooked nose, completely white eyeballs and a dark iris, due to which Parsley’s eyes appear black. He inherited Parsley's appearance from the Italian Pulcinella. Many people mistakenly believe that Parsley’s wide-open mouth is a smile, but this is not so; being negative character, Petrushka constantly stretches her lips in a grin. He has four fingers on his hands (a possible symbol that Petrushka is not a person, but some character from another world). A typical misconception is to revere Petrushka as an extremely ancient and primordially Russian hero, based on his archetypal character traits, which originated in the depths of human ideas about themselves. Parsley is the younger relative of the older ones: the Neapolitan Pulcinella, the French Polichinelle, the English Punch, the Turkish Karagöz, the German Hanswurst and Kasperle, the Spanish Don Cristobal and others - despite the fact that all of them are theatrical puppets and are controlled using threads. The only analogue of Petrushka in terms of driving technique is the Guignol glove doll, which appeared in Lyon in early XIX century. The famous Russian writer Maxim Gorky, characterizing the image of Parsley, wrote the following:
“...a figure was created... known to all nations...
This is the invincible hero of the folk puppet comedy, he defeats everyone and everything: the police, the priests, even the devil and death, but he himself remains immortal. In a rude and naive manner working people embodied himself and his belief that in the end it is he who will overcome everything and everyone.” The parsley screen consisted of three frames, fastened with staples and covered with chintz. It was placed directly on the ground and hid the puppeteer. The barrel organ gathered the audience, and behind the screen the actor began to communicate with the audience through a peep (whistle). Later, with laughter and reprise, he ran out himself, in a red cap and with a long nose. The organ grinder sometimes became Petrushka's partner: because of the squeak, speech was not always intelligible, and he repeated Petrushka's phrases and conducted a dialogue. The comedy with Petrushka was played out at fairs and booths. In Russia, only men “drove” Petrushka. To make the voice louder and squeakier (this was necessary both for audibility at fair performances and for the special character of the character), they used a special squeak inserted into the larynx. Petrushka’s speech had to be “piercing” and very fast. Before mid-19th centuries in Russia, Parsley did not yet have its current name. Most often he was then called “Ivan Ratyutyu” or “Ivan Ratatouille” (which gives away the French roots of the doll). There is a version about the origin of the nickname Parsley from Ukrainian word“command” (save). The current name came to Petrushka after the appearance of the miniature “Petrushka and the Policeman” among his many everyday scenes, in which, during numerous attacks, the policeman says to Petrushka:
“You don’t even have a passport!”
to which Petrushka proudly replies:
"Eat! According to my passport, I am Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov!”
From some memoirs and diaries of the 1840s it follows that Petrushka was called Pyotr Ivanovich Uksusov. The famous Russian puppeteer Sergei Obraztsov called Petrushka Pyotr Petrovich Uksusov (the story “The Four Brothers”) or Vanka Ratatouille. There were main plots: Parsley's treatment, soldier training, the scene with the bride, buying a horse and testing it. The stories were passed from actor to actor, by word of mouth. Not a single character in the Russian theater had the popularity equal to Petrushka. According to a common but unproven version, plays with the participation of Petrushka were still part of the repertoire of buffoons and consisted of humorous skits and dialogues. Each scene depicted a fight between Petrushka and one character or another (fights were carried out using fists, sticks, etc.). Usually the performance began with the following plot: Petrushka decides to buy a horse, the musician calls the gypsy horse dealer. Parsley examines the horse for a long time and bargains with the gypsy for a long time. Then Petrushka gets tired of the bargaining, and instead of money, he beats the gypsy on the back for a long time, after which he runs away. Petrushka tries to mount the horse, but it throws him off to the laughter of the audience. This could continue until people laughed it off. Finally the horse runs away, leaving Petrushka lying dead. The doctor comes and asks Petrushka about his illnesses. It turns out that everything hurts. A fight ensues between the Doctor and Petrushka, at the end of which Petrushka hits the enemy hard on the head with a baton.
“What kind of doctor are you?” Petrushka shouted,- when you ask, where does it hurt? Why did you study? You yourself should know where it hurts!”
The quarterly appears.
- “Why did you kill the doctor?”
He answers:
“Because he doesn’t know his science well.”
After the interrogation, Petrushka hits the policeman on the head with a club and kills him. A growling dog comes running. Parsley unsuccessfully asks for help from the audience and the musician, after which he flirts with the dog, promising to feed it cat meat. The dog grabs him by the nose and drags him away, and Petrushka shouts:
- “Oh, my little head with a cap and a brush has disappeared!”
The music stops, signaling the end of the performance. If the audience liked it, then they did not let the actors go, applauded, threw money, demanding a continuation. Then they played a small scene “Petrushka’s Wedding”. A bride is brought to Parsley, he examined her the way a horse is examined. He likes the bride, he doesn’t want to wait for the wedding and begins to beg her to “sacrifice herself.” From the scene where the bride “sacrifices herself,” the women left and took their children with them. According to some reports, another skit in which a clergyman was present was a great success. It was not included in any of the recorded texts; most likely, it was removed by censorship. There were scenes in which Petrushka did not participate. It was dancing and juggling with balls and sticks. Parsley defeated all opponents except one - Death. In the last, final scene, Death took Petrushka with him. However, since Petrushka was used in a farce theater, it is natural that the performance was shown repeatedly and in different places. Thus, Petrushka, who “died” for one circle of viewers, “resurrected” for another. This gives researchers reason to draw parallels between the image of Parsley and many different pagan gods who endlessly died and were resurrected.
Here is what Alexander Benois remembers about Petrushka:
“In fact, the first performances that I enjoyed were the performances of Petrushka. In any case, I remember Petrushka at the dacha, when we still lived in the Cavalier Houses. Already from afar you can hear a piercing squeal, laughter and some words - all this pronounced by the Petrushechnik through a special machine, which he placed behind his cheek (the same sound can be reproduced if you close both nostrils with your finger). The colorful chintz screens are quickly set up, the “musician” places his organ-organ on the folding trestle, the nasal, plaintive sounds it makes are tuned to a special mood... And then a tiny and very ugly man appears above the screens. He has a huge nose, and on his head is a pointed hat with a red top. He is unusually agile and nimble, his hands are tiny, but he gestures very expressively with them, and he deftly threw his thin legs over the side of the screen. Immediately, Petrushka teases the organ grinder with stupid and impudent questions... Petrushka takes care of the terribly ugly Akulina Petrovna, he proposes to her, she agrees, and both take a kind of wedding walk, holding each other tightly by the hand. But a rival appears - he is a brave, mustachioed policeman, and Akulina apparently gives him preference. Parsley, in a rage, beats the peace officer, for which he ends up as a soldier. But soldier’s teaching and discipline are not given to him, he continues to commit outrages and, horror of horrors, kills his non-commissioned officer. Here comes an unexpected interlude. For no apparent reason, two black araps, dressed in bright costumes, emerge. Each of them has a stick in their hands, which they deftly throw up, throw to each other and, finally, loudly beat each other on the wooden heads with it. The interlude is over. Parsley is on the screen again. He has become even more fidgety, even more active, he enters into daring altercations with the organ grinder, squeals, giggles, but the fatal outcome immediately follows. Suddenly, a figurine gathered into a furry ball appears next to Petrushka. Petrushka is extremely interested in her. He nasally asks the musician what it is, the musician replies: “It’s a lamb.” Parsley is delighted, strokes the “learned, soaked” lamb and sits astride it. The “lamb” obediently makes two or three rounds with its rider along the side of the screen, but then suddenly throws it off, straightens up and, horror of horrors, it is not a lamb at all, but the devil himself. Horned, all overgrown with black hair, with a hooked nose and a long red tongue sticking out of his toothy mouth. The devil butts Petrushka and mercilessly tosses him, so that his arms and legs dangle in all directions, and then drags him to the underworld. Three more times, Petrushka’s pitiful body flies up from some depths, high, high, and then only his dying cry is heard and an “eerie” silence sets in...” Life of an Artist. Memories. Volume 2. Alexander Benois.
It happens in almost all cities, suburbs and villages of Russia.
ACT ONE
Characters:
Parsley, Musician, Gypsy and Horse.
In the distance appears the Musician with a barrel organ, his comrade, the main comedian; he has screens, a box with dolls. Parsley, still sitting in the box, sings in a shrill voice:
Along Piterskaya
Along the path
Petenka is riding
Yes with a bell!
Screens are placed; all this time Petrushka sings and shouts whatever comes into his head. Finally he appears and with a loud laugh sits down on the edge of the screen.
Parsley. Ha ha ha! Dear gentlemen! So I came here, not in a tarantass, but right on an airplane - in an oak box! My respect to you, gentlemen! I am your old friend - Petrushka. I came to amuse you, amuse you and congratulate you on the holiday! ( Addresses the Musician.) The gypsy didn't come?
Musician. It's been waiting for you for a long time.
Parsley. Call here!
Appears Gypsy with a horse.
Gypsy. Hello, Monsieur Shishel-Myshel! I'm the horse breeder who came to you! How are you living? Do you often get sick? I am Gypsy Mora from the Gypsy choir, I sing in a bass voice, eat pineapple, and wash it down with kvass!
Parsley. That's it, grimy face, Humpty Dumpty! Don’t waste your time wagging your tongue, but speak to the point!
Gypsy. My friend, the Englishman Rock, stuck a pitchfork in his side, roams all over Europe, spends the night on Khitrovka every night... Shishel-Myshel, I heard from someone that you need a good horse.
Parsley. Yes, brother, I have been working for a long time - I want to get a race runner. But is your horse good?
Gypsy. Such a horse, master, that without a collar you can drive with four whips... and then only in the wind! Not a horse, but a fire: when it runs, it trembles, stumbles, but if it falls, it doesn’t get up!
Parsley. Oh oh oh! Matchmaker fathers! That's a horse! And what color?
Gypsy. Brown, bay, thin on the sides, with spots, without a tail or mane - shaggy, crooked in one eye, just like you - hunchbacked. Arabian breed, with a certificate.
Parsley. This is the one I need... How much does it cost?
Gypsy. For someone it’s four thousand, but based on an acquaintance I’ll give it to you for two hundred rubles!
Parsley. What did you, grimy, pay dearly for? Or didn't you wake up?
Gypsy. My request is not on your nose! Speak to your heart: how much do you give?
Parsley. A ruble and a quarter.
Gypsy. What a wolf you are, you can even howl like a wolf! Give the kids some extra milk.
Parsley. Well, here's a hundred rubles for you.
Gypsy. Not enough, the master is good! Add more.
Parsley. Do you want one and a half hundred and two kopecks?
Gypsy. There is nothing to do for a dear friend and an earring from his ear! Give me money.
Parsley. Wait, I'll go get my wallet now. (He leaves and quickly returns with a ratchet club and begins to beat Gypsy on the head.) Here you are a hundred, here you are one and a half hundred! (The gypsy runs away.) Hey, hey! Grimy! Wait - there are still two kopecks left! (He laughs and turns to the Musician.) Musician, did I buy a horse cheap?
Musician. What better way! He just acted dishonestly - he didn’t give two kopecks!
Parsley (laughs). And the horse is good - very young! There is not a single tooth in the mouth! (Sits on horseback.) Farewell, Musician, goodbye, gentlemen, guys!
Musician. Where are you going, Pyotr Ivanovich?
Parsley. From here, through Vologda and Arkhangelsk, I’ll head straight to the Caucasus to drink Kakheti kvass. (The horse kicks.) Whoa! Whoa! Sivka-burka! Hush, you damned one! Otherwise I’ll fall and become hunchbacked for a whole century! (The horse throws Petrushka behind the screen.) Oh, fathers! My daring little head has disappeared! My death is coming!.. Musician. Where is your death, Petra Ivanovich?
Parsley. Oh oh oh! Behind the zemstvo outpost, he's digging potatoes in the garden!
Musician. Don't worry: it won't come soon.
Parsley. Yes, in twenty years, I’ll probably die by the Intercession... Call hurry up the doctor!
Musician. I'll bring it up in a moment.
ACT TWO
Parsley, Musician and Doctor.
Parsley (lays down and groans).
Let the grave punish me
I am not afraid of my own death!
Included Doctor.
Doctor. Who's sick here? What kind of noise is that? Don't moan, don't scream, but lie still until death! I am a famous doctor-healer, a pharmacist from under the Stone Bridge. The obstetrician and farrier, the whole Zatsepsky Val knows me! All sciences originated in Italy and much further; performed operations in Paris and here closer to us! I have talent, I know how to heal: whoever comes to me on his feet will leave me on crutches or be carried on a log. Where is the patient?
Parsley. Father the horse-doctor, the pharmacist from under the bridge! Have pity on me, an orphan, don’t ruin me: don’t carry me on a log, but it’s better in a carriage.
Doctor. Well, tell me about your pain: inside or outside? Here or here? (He feels Petrushka.)
Parsley. Here, between the shoulder blades, near the pit of the stomach, and the right bridge of the ankle is aching.
Doctor. Here?
Parsley. Lower and to the left!
Doctor. Here?
Parsley. Higher to the right!
Doctor. What a fool you are! With you you will lose all peace. Now lower, now higher! Stand up and point it out!
Parsley. Father Doctor, I don’t have the strength to get up! Apparently, my illness dragged on for forty years. Oh oh! Now I’ll get up and show you. (He gets up with difficulty, leaves and returns with a stick, which he uses to hit the Doctor on the head, neck and back.) This is where it hurts! It's moaning here! It hurts in this place, but it’s brainy here!
The doctor runs away.
ACT THREE
Parsley, Musician and German.
German (sings and dances). Tra-la-la! Tra-la-la!
Appears Parsley.
Parsley. Musician, what kind of scarecrow is this?
Musician. And this is a foreign person, he doesn’t speak Russian, ask him in French.
Parsley. How is this in French?
Musician. Parlay-vous-France, Alphonse Rallet.
Parsley. Hey Mister Monsieur! Parlais-vous-france? (The German bows silently.) What the hell! Yes, he doesn’t know a damn thing in French! He must be a German from the Green Isles. Let me ask him in German... Sprechen-si-deutsch, Ivan Andreich?
German. Oh me! Their spreche gut.
Parsley. Who is being burned here? Speak Moscow.
German. Main liberger, you?
Parsley. What kind of kvass did you find here? It’s better if I bring you a glass! (He hits the German with a stick, he runs away.) Musician, where has the German gone? He must have run to drink kvass... I’ll go grab a glass too!
Musician. Wait, he’ll be back now, he probably wants to treat you.
Parsley. That is good! In the meantime, I’ll sing a song. (Sings, shaking his head sadly.)"In the evening of a stormy autumn..." (The German appears, hits Petrushka on the head with a stick and quickly disappears.) What a wonder this is, brother Musician: it was as if a mosquito was flying and touched me on the back of the head with its wing! (The German appears again and bows.) Yeah! Sprechen-see-deutsch is back! Musician, why can’t you see his bottle, but some kind of stick?
Musician. It's his corkscrew.
Parsley. Nice corkscrew! Now I’ll give him a corkscrew! (He snatches the stick from the German and hits him on the head several times; the German falls on the barrier.)
Musician. What have you done, villain! After all, you killed him.
Parsley. Bought? Why do I need it? If you want, I'll give it to you for free - completely with tripe and bones.
Musician. What do I need it for? You'll end up in court with him!
Parsley. Well, I'll sell it at the market. (Puts the German on his back, spins with him in all directions and screams.) Piglets! Piglets! I'll sell it cheap to anyone who needs it!.. (Hides.)
ACT FOUR
Parsley, Musician and then Corporal.
Parsley(dancing and singing).
Everyone knows I'm for grabs,
At least I’m ready to swear to you, -
From Varvarka to Arbat
And to Presnensky Ponds!..
Appears Corporal, Parsley instantly disappears.
Cpl. Musician, where did Petrushka disappear?
Musician. I can’t know, Mr. Corporal! He went left, or maybe turned right.
Only Parsley's head is visible from behind the screen.
Parsley. Musician, tell him that I went to Paris...
Corporal (turns quickly and grabs Petrushka). So I’ll show you, you swindler, Paris - you’ll get a kick out of it! You're all rowdy here and with noble people You're being rude! You scream, you yell, you don’t give peace to all of Moscow! So, my dear, I’ll take you as a soldier without a deadline!.. You’ll start kicking frogs out from under my guns.
Parsley. Your frying pan, Mr. Corporal! What kind of soldier am I - a cripple with a hump? The nose is crooked, the head is a knot, and he himself is a box! And then I don’t have a backbone!
Cpl. You're lying! Where is your hump?
Parsley. I lost my hump Trubnaya Square!
Cpl. This won't get you off me! Here's your gun, stand in front!
Parsley. This is not a gun, but a stick!
Cpl. Fools are taught first with a stick, and then with a gun. Attention! Be equal! K no-o-o-gi!
Parsley. Oops, fleas bite!
Cpl. Listen to the command: on the shoulder!
Parsley. Oooh, it's painfully hot!
Cpl. Right shoulder forward!
Parsley(hits him with a stick). Here you go, here you go!
Cpl. What are you doing, fool? You won't get the next rank.
Parsley. I stumbled just a little, Mr. Corporal!..
Cpl. Listen to the command: all around, march! (Parsley walks behind the Corporal.) Left, right! One, two!
Parsley. Damn curly! (Hits the Corporal on the back of the head.) Three, four, five, six! Go comb your fur?
The corporal runs away.
ACT FIVE
Parsley, Musician and Mongrel.
Parsley. Ha ha ha! How well did I, the Musician, serve? Received the rank of reserve ensign!
Musician. What's better? Now you, Pyotr Ivanovich, should think about the wedding... Prepare the dowry.
Parsley. I have a rich dowry: all the things are good - five caftans with new patches, three wrinkled hats, one and a half arshins of linen, a horse on three legs, without a tail, in the barn there is an onion and a soldier’s button... There is a teapot without a lid with one handle, and It's been sent in for repair!
Musician. Dowry is important! Full house you will live!
A big shaggy one jumps out dog and with an angry bark rushes at Petrushka.
Parsley (smacks). Shavochka! Little mongrel!.. (The dog grabs him by the caftan.) Where are you going, catechumen? Stop, stop! You will tear the government uniform. Oh, fathers, it hurts! Shavochka, darling! Let's come live with me - I'll feed you cat meat! (The dog rushes and grabs him by the nose.) Ay-ay! Darlings, matchmaking brothers! Intercede, dear ones! Don't let a dog die! Get lost, my daring little head, with a cap and a brush!
The dog fiddles with Parsley and drags him away by the nose.
