May 8: In memory of Sergei Obraztsov, the puppeteer who made puppet theater a great art form
Sergei Obraztsov, director, actor, and founder of the Central Puppet Theater in Moscow, died on May 8, 1992, at the age of 90. He led his theater for six decades and proved that puppets can speak to what great art sometimes remains silent about.
A doll from a Japanese market
Obraztsov's love of dolls began at the age of five. His mother bought him a toy at a Japanese store: a small head with a hole for a finger and a glove-like robe. As soon as he put it on his hand, the magic began. The doll was called Bi-ba-bo, but the boy called it Bibaboshka.
At 19, he performed with puppets for the first time while studying at the Higher Art and Technical Workshops. The glove puppet, "Negritenok," became the protagonist of his home productions, and later, of his performances at recitals. By then, Obraztsov was already an actor in the Moscow Art Theater's music studio.
In 1927, he crafted Tyapa, a papier-mâché doll with the face of a surprised toddler. "The oldest living child in the world," he called her, and he took her with him on all his tours.
The theatre he built
In 1931, Obraztsov became the head of the Central Puppet Theater and directed it for the rest of his life, staging over 70 performances for children and adults. By the mid-1930s, he had become famous for his "romances with dolls"—parodic numbers that mocked bourgeoisness and vulgarity.
In 1940, the play "Aladdin's Magic Lamp" was the first in the USSR to use rod puppets. The three-meter-tall genie was controlled by three actors; its head contained a mechanism that allowed it to move its whiskers and ears, and open and close its eyes and mouth.
When the theater building was bombed in 1941, the troupe was evacuated to Novosibirsk. Obraztsov created 16 concert groups that performed at the front and in the rear, including "Hitler's Dream" and "Over the Roof of Berlin." He himself, dressed as Pierrot, performed with a puppet called "Mussolini."
An extraordinary concert
In 1946, Obraztsov staged the revue play "An Unusual Concert," a parody of Soviet pop music. The play entered the Guinness Book of Records: it was performed over 10 times. Three years later, the Ministry of Culture accused the theater of "denigrating Soviet pop music" and cut some of the numbers; they were only restored in 1968.
At the height of the anti-cosmopolitanism campaign, the theater received orders to cut the orchestra. According to Zinovy Gerdt's memoirs, Obraztsov proposed firing several strong musicians with Russian surnames. When Gerdt objected and mentioned Jewish names—weaker ones—Obraztsov took him aside: "Are you an idiot? Where will Gomberg and Fainberg find work? Their families will die of hunger! But Ivanov and Petrov would be welcome in any orchestra!"
Cinema, books, collection
Obraztsov worked in film as a screenwriter and director, creating the genre of documentary monologue. In 1956, together with Georgy Natanson, he produced the full-length puppet film "Heavenly Creature," which won the Grand Prix at the Venice Children's Film Festival. He taught at GITIS, served as president of the International Union of Puppeteers, and wrote several books.
His collection of exotic dolls is the largest in Russia and one of the largest in the world. The theater was once home to two crocodiles—Totosha and Kokosha, a gift from Chaliapin's son. When they grew up, they were donated to the Palace of Pioneers.
