Fedor Pavlov-Andreevich's production of Elizaveta Bam reclaims a treasure of Russian avant-garde literature from historical obscurity. Daniil Kharms was one of Russia's most important writers of the 1920-30s and a source of inspiration for absurdist playwrights Eugène Ionesco and Samuel Beckett. In 1942, Kharms fell victim to Stalin's repressions and died of hunger in a gulag camp at the age of 37. His pseudonym 'Kharms' which derives from a play on the English words 'harms' and 'charms', foresaw this tragic destiny. Stalin's regime never allowed the publication of Kharms' work, and the playwright's contribution to avant-garde literature was largely lost, until now. Elizaveta Bam prefigures the atmosphere of Kafka's short stories and Ionesco's theatre of the absurd. It tells the story of a woman arrested for a murder not yet committed, mixing slapstick with pantomime and horror with humour. Written in 1929, the play was a harbinger to Stalin's repressions that took the lives of 40 million people. The current production of Elizaveta Bam premiered in Moscow in July 2006. A riveting piece of theatre with innovative costume, set, and light design, Elizaveta Bam exposes the avant-garde roots of contemporary Russian culture. The play is an unprecedented result of a collaboration between talented artists whose average age is only twenty-five.| 7 Feb 08 to 9 Feb 08 | Theatro Technis Inner London, Greater London Performance Details => Venue archive |
