Theatrical expressions

appear before the footlights - to appear on the stage, to begin one's career on the stage

be born in a dressing room (or in a dressing trunk, or in a property basket) - to be born into an acting family

box-office appeal - drawing power with the public, the power of an actor, author to attract audiences

chew the scenery - to overact, especially in emotional scenes. Hence, scene chewer

farewell - said of an event supposed to mark an actor's retirement from the stage, as, a farewell appearance, a farewell tour

gag - an interpolation consisting of lines or business not in the script, introduced by an actor extemporaneously

I hope it keeps fine for you - a greeting to wish an actor success

stage fever - a passionate desire to become an actor

stage-struck - seized by a desire to become an actor; fascinated by the stage

try it (out) on the dog - to try out a theatrical piece, usually outside the city where it will eventually be given its principal production. Hence, dog-house, dog show, dog town

Translating the names of russian theatres / opera houses

The Maly Theatre

The Bolshoi (Opera House)

The Moscow Art Theatre

The Satire Theatre

The Musical Comedy Theatre

The Central Children's Theatre

The Young People's Theatre

The Puppet Theatre

The Variety Theatre

The Vakhtangov Theatre

The Taganka Theatre

Discussing a play

well-staged	flop
too good for words	flaw
lovely	to be a failure
beyond any description	lifeless
praiseworthy	superficial
gripping	poor
enjoyable	dull
delightful	boring (deathly)
amusing	artificial
exciting	stilted acting
excellent	dragged out
true to life (life-like acting)	amateurish
low(high)-spirited	mediocre
realistic (original) treatment	banal
superb	to lack depth (sincerity, originality)
admirable	cheap stuff
remarkable	empty
worth seeing	lacking in
versatile	restless
unsurpassable
incomparable
inimitable
fascinating
marvellous
impressive
(un)convincing magnificent moving

to be a success (popular) with the public

to be immortal (timeless)

up-to-date (contemporary)

of educational value, vital social importance

enormous vigour

to offer food for thought

to stir up (arouse) conflicting emotions

to impress / depress the audience

to surpass smb's expectations / fall short of ...

to have a long and successful run

the new play proved a great draw

Illustration and training

I. Read the list of plays, operas and ballets and give their titles in Russian. Identify their authors.

1. “Macbeth”

2. “Swan Lake”

3. “Pygmalion”

4. “Masquerade”

5. “Quiet Flows the Don”

6. “Merry Wives of Windsor”

7. “Inspector-General”

8. “Talents and Admirers”

9. “The Taming of the Shrew”

10. “The Sleeping Beauty”

11. “Romeo and Juliet”

12. “Mrs. Warren's Profession”

13. “The Low Depths”

14. “The Cherry Orchard”

15. “The Queen of Spades”

16. “Madame Butterfly”

17. “The Three Sisters”

18. “Spartacus”

19. “Eugene Onegin”

20. “Cinderella”

21. “Woe From Wit”

22. “Much Ado About Nothing”

23. “Don Quixote”

24. “The Seagull”

25. “Kremlin Chimes”

26. “The School for Scandal”

27. “Othello”

28. “Enemies”

29. “King Lear”

30. “The Nut-cracker”

ll. Make up short conversations.

1

– What can you say of the Bolshoi Theatre?

the Maly Theatre?

the Moscow Art Theatre?

the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre?

the Old Vic?

...

– Oh, it's one of the best

shadow children's musical comedy puppet variety

theatres

I have ever attended. I have been to. I have heard of. I know.

2

– What will you advise me to see in the first place?

– I'd recommend you to see

“Swan Lake” “King Lear” “Pygmalion” “Don Quixote” “Othello” “The Forest”

at the Bolshoi Theatre. the Moscow Art Theatre. the Maly Theatre. Covent Garden. the Old Vic.

3

– Is it a good production?		play? ballet? show?
– Oh, yes: it	is magnificent beyond any words! always gets an excellent reception by the audience! makes a great impression! is quite popular with the public. is simply splendid! ranks as an outstanding ballet of our times. is too funny (splendid) for words.

4

– Who is		performing acting playing dancing singing			the leading role? the main character? the title role? the main parts?
– The part of	King Lear Higgins Romeo		is performed by	a very young actress N. a talented singer N. a promising actor P. an excellent dancer L. the well known actor X. the new theatre star K. the world-famous singer T. the favourite of the local public, Mr. Y.

5

– What is this play (comedy, opera, etc.) about?

– The play

tells of is devoted to deals with

the historical events in ... love and friendship among young people. the episodes of World War II. the struggle of man for ... the life and activities of the famous novelist, N.

6

– Has it been long in the repertoire of this theatre?

– Yes, the play has had an exceptionally long run.

a run of two years.

a successful run for about eight months.

a run since 1965.

a successful run for five seasons.

7

– Is it easy to get tickets for this performance?

– By no means. In spite of the fact that the production has had a long run

it's next to impossible to get tickets for it. you can get tickets only beforehand. it's advisable to book the seats long in advance. you won't manage to get a ticket for it. picking up a ticket at the entrance is the only chance.

8

– In what part of the house do you like to sit?

– I generally book (the) seats in the orchestra stalls.

in the dress-circle.

in the pit.

in the balcony.

in the gallery.

in a second tier box.

in the 8th row of the stalls.

in the centre of the 5th or 9th row.

III. Make up statements choosing the suitable words.

1

I saw heard

'Eugene Onegin” “Othello” “Cinderella” “Traviata” “Boris Godunov” “Aida” “Swan Lake”

with

Ognivtsev Lemeshev Vishnevskaya Plisetskaya Lisitsian

performing the part of

Aida Radames. Godunov Odette. Alfred Lensky.

2

The play The new TV programme The stage version of the novel Her new book Their production The symphony This variety show

was

coldly warmly

received by

the readers. the music lovers. the press. the audience. the critics. the cinema-goers. the theatre-goers. the public.

3

I always book I can't afford

the seats in the

stalls pit gallery orchestra dress-circle

as

I'm short-sighted. I don't like to see the make-up on the actors' faces. I don't like to see the details of the scenery. I like to sit very close to the stage. I can't hear well. I don't earn much. I'm a regular theatre-goer. the seats there are very expensive.

4

The production (the play, the comedy) was so

brilliant thrilling splendid lovely funny bad dull boring disappointing ...

that

the public began leaving the hall after the 1st act. it ran to a full house. everyone got a big laugh from it. it moved the audience to tears. curtain call followed curtain call when it ended. I felt like walking out. it ran to an empty house. there was a storm of applause when the curtain fell. the public kept on laughing throughout the play.