Description of the attraction
By the decree of Peter the Great, in 1723, it was commanded to "make a comedian's house." The spectacular building, the first in the city, was located next to Nevsky Prospekt, on the banks of the Moika River. The theater is located far from the coast in order to avoid flooding from floods, where the Variety Theater, named after Arkady Raikin, is now located.
The theater building was built in the 18th century, in the 70s. For quite a long time in this house there was one of the most comfortable hotels in the city on the Neva, named after the owner - "Demutov tavern". In the 10s - 20s of the 19th century, A. S. Pushkin. In 1828, Pushkin created the poem "Poltava" in the hotel rooms in just three weeks. Here the poet "settled" and one of the characters of the "Station superintendent" - the hussar Minsky. Visited the "tavern" and A. S. Griboyedov, here he read for friends his comedy in verse "Woe from Wit", just written. Knew the hotel and other famous guests: P. I. Pestel, K. N. Batyushkova, I. S. Turgenev, P. Ya. Chaadaeva.
At the beginning of the last century, the building on B. Konyushennaya was occupied by the Medved restaurant. In the thirties, the restaurant was closed, and the building was re-equipped for the needs of the theater. After the revolution, the former restaurant was requisitioned, and its premises were transferred to the authorities, after which many different organizations were located in it at different times.
The first theater, which was directed by Boris Zon, opened here in 1934 - it was the New Theater for Young Spectators. The Variety Theater, which opened in the building in 1939, became the first professional state variety theater in Russia.
Famous and honored masters from many cities considered it an honor for themselves to step on the stage of the theater. Famous entertainers honed their skills here, Klavdia Shulzhenko began her work, and the jazz bands of Lundstrem and Utesov constantly gave concerts. The walls of the theater are well remembered by such masters of the spoken genre as Menaker and Mironova, Pavel Rudakov and V. Nechaev, Pyotr Muravsky. In the theater halls the voices of Lydia Ruslanova, Leonid Kostritsa, Alexander Vertinsky sounded. It was on the stage of the Variety Theater in 1944 that the Theater of Miniatures, led by Arkady Raikin, began its triumphal march on the national stage.
The Variety Theater in St. Petersburg has become a home for many of our stage actors. Every day in the repertoire of the theater - a new performance or concert program. On the stage of the theater, such famous artists as Eduard Khil, Ilya Oleinikov, Vyacheslav Polunin, Maria Pakhomenko, Ben Bentsianov, Yuri Stoyanov, Evgeny Dyatlov, Edita Piekha and many, many others began their journey along the stage. Roman Kartsev, Elena Kamburova, Marina Tskhai, Alexander Dolsky, Mikhail Zhvanetsky literally became related to the theater stage.
And today the theater gives a start for talented young actors who, perhaps, will repeat and surpass the success of the honored masters of the Russian stage. Among today's artists, conquering the theatrical stage of the theater. Raikin, one can name the parodist Alexei Fedotov, the studio of pantomime and plastics "Atelier", Natalia Sorokina, Pavel Kashin, Olga Favorskaya and many others.
Raikin's name was given to the Variety Theater at the beginning of the century, in March 2002.
The theater acquired a new artistic director at the end of 2008; the most popular artist Yuri Galtsev became it.
After the reconstruction, which lasted quite a long time, in 2011, on November 1, the opening of the Variety Theater building was held. The opening took place in a solemn atmosphere, which was introduced to the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the brilliant artist, adored and revered by all fans of pop art - Arkady Raikin.
