Zelyankouskaya stars as Bahdanovich

A new musical play about Belarus' renowned poet Maksim Bahdanovich received a mixed reception. Performed at the Belarusian Philharmonic Society's Conference Hall on Wednesday, the show left some viewers perplexed, unable to explain why a female actress was selected to star as the male poet.  

The show featured the rock band NRM and Svyatlana Zelyankouskaya as Bahdanovich.

"I had a terrible impression," a female spectator said on leaving the conference hall. "I liked NRM. Maybe

I sat in a wrong place. I could not make out the lyrics. I liked Zelyankouskaya acting, but I could not understand why Bahdanovich is a woman. It's a pity that noise prevented me from hearing the poet's beautiful lyrics."

"I expected it to be better," another spectator said. "The show was diverse and eclectic, but left a vague impression."

Pit Paulau, NRM's guitarist, said he could not enjoy the play properly because he was onstage.

"It was just another concert for us. We selected the songs, hoping they fit in the plot. The song Three Turtles fit very well after Pinihin's quote 'There are many good actors here, but life is not thriving' because it is a common knowledge that the Earth is round, while here it rests on three whales. The same whales are present in Belarusian perception of arts."

Apart from NRM and Zelyankouskaya, the show featured Yanka Kupala Theater actors Mikhail Zui as Mozart and Pinihin, and Zmitser Yesinevich, Pesnyary singer Yan Zhanchak, Masha Pyatrovich, Volha Buhta, play director Larysa Simakovich, and the bands Klassik Avangard and In Search For.