About the show
Play “Heart of a Dog”
Chisinau audiences will have the opportunity to see a contemporary stage adaptation of Mikhail Bulgakov’s Heart of a Dog, featuring acclaimed actors who were forced to leave Russia because of their anti-war stance.
Mikhail Bulgakov’s famous satirical novella Heart of a Dog is now 100 years old. It is all the more striking that the story of a century ago is repeating itself today: once again, intellectuals find themselves unwanted in their own country, where the likes of Sharikov and Shvonder are calling the shots.
13 November 2026 — CHISINAU, Teatrul Național de Operă și Balet “Maria Bieșu”
Heart of a Dog was banned in its time and could only be read in samizdat editions. However, following the release of the film starring Yevgeny Yevstigneyev, the novella found a new lease of life, reaching a much wider readership and attracting the attention of leading theatre directors.
Today, the work is more relevant than ever, making this the perfect time to bring it back to the stage and reinterpret it through a contemporary lens.
Heart of a Dog is a performance built around questions without easy answers. An attempt to understand why the events of the early 20th century are repeating themselves at another turning point in history is explored through video design, new media, and contemporary theatrical technologies.
The story of Soviet Moscow leaves Russia, the country where it was written, and travels to the places where Bulgakov’s contemporary audience has gone.
Cast:
- Alexander Feklistov
- Artur Smolyaninov
- Grigory Sluzhitel
- Sasha Alexis
- Irina Soboleva
Director: Konstantin Kamensky
Set Designer: Irina Vus
Performance website: www.sobachyeserdtse.com
