"Commedia della sventura" : Riletture contemporanee del Boris Godunov di Puškin

The author investigates the history of theatrical productions of Aleksandr Pushkin’s Boris Godunov, starting from some of the major productions of two past centuries, and then focusing on three performances staged in recent years: Boris Godunov (directed by K. Bogomolov, Teatr Lenkom, Moscow, 2014); Boris Godunov. Sny (directed by P. Shereshevsky, Teatr Natsii, Moscow, 2023); and Boris (directed by D. Krymov, Muzei Moskvy, 2019). The author conducts a reflection on the relationship between classical and contemporary within the Russian context, exploring which aspects of Pushkin’s tragedy are lost in postdramatic productions and which, on the contrary, re-emerge, albeit in heterogeneous forms. Notably, the reinterpretation of the original text does not compromise the fundamental tenets of Pushkin’s conception: the comic element, linguistic variety, the absence of rigid spatial and temporal boundaries, meta-theatricality, the role of the audience, and, of course, the deeper reflection on the nature of power.