Interview with director Mikhail Mironov about “Do not be afraid, I am with you” and working with Ivan Urgant Director Mikhail Mironov: Ivan Urgant and I have many plans 26.04.2024, 17:18

— Remember July 2022, when casting began for the musical “Do not be afraid, I am with you.” What was your mindset? Were you ready for this project to become such a huge success?

“I remember this summer very well, when the general mood and situation around me was very painful. And a call from my friend and teacher [актера и режиссера] Evgeny Pisarev’s question about whether I wanted to stage a musical was as unexpected as possible. The conditions in which we had to write a play in the shortest possible time, find all artistic solutions, cast casting and much more, became the most ambitious task that we could dive head first into.

— Was the musical immediately conceived for the “Broadway” schedule with daily rental?

— Yes, the Broadway Moscow company has been working according to this scheme for many years, the team has staged many performances under licenses and has now confidently moved on to original musicals.

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— Where did you look for the leading actors? Was there going to be three players initially?

— Since I am also a graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School, for me the word “theatre” is no less important than “musical” in the concept of “musical theatre”. During the casting, we formed the following idea of ​​the directors: (this is how the lead roles are called in musicals) You will have to look among the actors of drama theaters, provided that they have the opportunity to develop their vocal skills to the desired level during rehearsals. And since all our actors are deeply involved in their local repertory theatre, the minimum we need is three casts.

— How many artists participated in the online auditions? How difficult was it to cast these guys who became bona fide stars?

— Broadway Moscow company has a great team and experience in conducting such castings. And thankfully I was spared having to read and review thousands of online applications for them. I have already met the guys in person – first on vocals, then on dance and drama tours. It is always very difficult to find the main characters of the theater, especially men. Likewise, admissions committees of theater schools pray for a miracle every year. And I personally invited some guys, these are young artists from the Moscow Art Theater, the Theater named after him. Pushkin, I know them well because they are our former students.

— Have any of the musical actors become a special discovery for you?

— The biggest discovery for me was the so-called community. These are the guys and girls who go on stage every night (unlike principals) and sometimes twice a day. They play multiple roles simultaneously and do so at a consistently high level. There are also magicians of musicals: Swings are unique performers who know every line of the performance, choreographically and musically, and are ready to replace anyone as the show must go on. (The show must go on).

— The song “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you” is not the most popular song of the group “Secret”. Why was it chosen as the main theme of the musical?

— When I first met the producer of the musical, Dmitry Bogachev, this song was not in the list on which the play was based. It was necessary to find the route that would give our ship its name, using Captain Vrungel’s method. Of course, stories called “Hello” or “Home” are possible, but this, as they say, is a completely different story.

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I even immediately suggested to Dima “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you” as the title song, which, by the way, is one of my favorite songs from “The Secret”. This was just the story I wanted to tell. Dima was wary of this name for a long time, because ten years of production experience taught him that success accompanies performances with more concise names (take, for example, the legendary “Chess”). But I hope our result has dispelled this fear.

— How many times have you watched the musical?

– Too much. But sometimes it seems like it’s too little to me. After the premiere of our play “fairy godmother” Evgeny Pisarev said: “Now go and stay out of sight for a month, let the play live without you.” If it weren’t for him, I’d still be sitting at every show and making tons of comments.

— Is it known how long the musical will continue to be shown? Is public interest in him waning?

“In our age, everything is digital and you can understand how many people are watching our story depending on the person. People with access to this data claim that the performance broke every known record in this country. By number of consecutive sold-out shows, by people watching, etc. So it is not yet possible to make a prediction by comparing it with anything. However, this situation is still specific to our country. After all, there are shows on Broadway that have been around for decades. See.

— Is it unprofitable for a band to tour a musical over long distances?

– This is a very difficult question. Technically, its performance is so complex that it can only be dismantled and transported to a location in a month and can remain there for months. We have to try hard to find a place where we can fit in.

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— Why did you choose the genre of music for your work?

— It seems to me that now is a time when people (and me, first of all) need performances about the most important things. Heart anesthesia that fills you with hope. With the basic, childish truths that good is good and bad is bad. And it’s better to love than to hate. And the musical genre was born in the dark times of the last century to remind people of this.

— Can you imagine a musical without a happy ending? Does such a conspiracy have any chance of success?

– I am sure that this is possible, – moreover, there are many similar examples in the world theater. Another thing is, like on Broadway, when ten “Do not be afraid, I am with you” are hung in a row on one poster, people will want something sour.

— Does a director have a dream of bringing a particular story to life on stage?

– Definitely. But we are superstitious people in the theater, so I’m stupid as a fish.

— Tell us about your immediate creative plans.

— I have a few big musical performances in development right now. The problems lie in the sites that are ready to accept such ambitious projects.

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— You studied acting in 2007, but decided to switch to directing. From where?

— I was accepted as an actor at the Moscow Art Theater and worked as an actor for many years. However, as assistant director, I produced the musical play “Little Humpbacked Horse” from the first year. So I slowly moved in this direction.

— A few years after graduating from the Moscow Art Theater School, you worked there as a teacher. How long did this take, how many lessons did you publish? What do you remember about this period?

— I am a huge fan of the Studio School, both as a phenomenon and as an idea. First, I started going to the lessons of my masters Kozak and Brusnikin. And then there was full-time study on two courses of Evgeniy Pisarev.

I also performed the graduation performance “Profitable Place” at the first graduation of Oleg Tabakov’s school. In general, I love this job, it is something that does not allow you to break away from life and prolongs your youth. I’m sure I’ll get back to this job one day.

— Another milestone in your biography is working as the director of the “Evening Emergency” program. How many years have you been involved in this project? What did this job bring to you? Do you communicate with Urgant himself?

— I have been directing “Akşam Urgantı” for the last five years. Vanya herself and the whole team are the best thing that can happen in life. I have the audacity to call Ivan my friend and we have a lot of plans.

— You talked about your friendship with Polina Gagarina in social networks. Are you in touch now?

— Polina is my wife’s classmate, our daughter’s godmother. That’s why our roads pass so close, sometimes they merge.