Alexander Vertinsky. Lord's Ball...

   The stage performance about the life and destiny of the great singer, poet, and composer.

   Life is the God’s gift and a man may do with it whatever he wants. Visible and real world is only the mirror of the inside world.

   The true artist who can come close to the mystery of existence, fills his life with philosophical sense, some rainbow light, creates certain myth, a fairy-tale which, in its turn is given to others like a gift. From generation to generation.

   Emotional stress behind the scenes, the theater life of Alexander Vertinsky and of course, his songs accompanied by a live piano are those golden threads creating the poetic atmosphere of this play.

   “Don’t praise us, and don’t curse us. I imagine that our theater life is like a great time board. If you like something about us, just come here and put a tag. If not - don’t do anything. Don’t admire, compliment, or petty us! Don't you do that! That makes bad even the cleverest of us. We are both saint and sinful, we are scary in our cruel and uncomprehending understanding of something that others cannot comprehend. Do not touch us as you wouldn't touch a poisonous snake or a god!”

   “Life does not exist. There is a huge living environment where you can embroider like on the endless canvas - anything you want. Do like that turning machine? Fall in love with it! Talk about it with thrill, admiration, passion, convince yourself and others that it is wonderful! Do you like that woman? The same. You worship her! Don’t you think about her flaws! Want to be a sailor? Oceans, far-flung countries... You become a sailor! But you believe in that profession with all your heart! And the same about anything. And you will be happy for the whole time until you got tired of your turning machine, until you woman cheats, until you are sick of the sea and all that water around you. But still you will be happy for sometime.

   “Life does not exist. You only have the right to it. A paper, <the order to life>. You think up your life, you create it. You help it, poor and helpless, as one helps a woman in delivery. And in this case, it may give you something. Don’t take offense. Don’t tell your life is wrong. It was you who couldn't ask for a good life properly! It was just your poor imagination. You want, you do, not overthink. You go to your goals set. You help your life when you do. And its last word, as the last word of your mother, will always be with you. But she always helps to those who desire something. Because there are plenty of us, and the life is one. And she cannot help to everyone.”

   “We live hard, we struggle each hindrance, we put all our effort to throw bad thoughts away, we learn, we comprehend, we win - we put all our mind and thoughts there. And as soon as we get that, as soon as we finally have clear mind and thoughts, we learned and understood something, we are invited to the cemetery. We are taken away as dangerous spies who know too much.”

   “And again, new, young, green come and get bumps and bruises at something we already know well. That is life. And we, old and wise as snakes, can only smile and pretend that everything is good, everything is correct, everything is as it should be: Everything will come eventually. Everything will be. Not do disappoint those who just start their lives, who steps behind you.”

A. Vertinsky (1889-1957)