Published on: 2026-10-20
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Four theaters subordinate to the capital To the Department of Culture, presented new performances based on the novel “Anna Karenina.” Mayakovsky Theater presented “Anna Karenina. Volume Two” — a story seen through the eyes of Karenin, Vronsky, and Dolly. Moscow Academic Musical Theater named after K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko (MAMT) presented a ballet production directed by Maxim Sevagin. “Pokrovka. Theater” connected the text of Leo Tolstoy with the work of neural networks. Moscow Operetta Theatre returned the musical that has been running since 2016 to the stage. Elizaveta Alekseeva, a research associate at the scientific and exhibition department of the State Museum-Reserve of L.N. Tolstoy, spoke about why the story remains timeless after one and a half centuries and what makes the novel unique.
Tickets for all performances can be purchased at the “Mosbilet” service.
“Calmness is a spiritual baseness”: what lies behind Tolstoy’s method
There are writers who are read. There are those who are reread. And there is Leo Tolstoy, who is also repeatedly staged in theaters — in the most diverse genres. What is the reason? The answer to the question lies not in the plot (the story told in “Anna Karenina” is known to many) and not only in the language, though that is important too. The answer is in the method. “Leo Nikolaevich stands out because he appears not only as a writer but also as a psychologist,” notes Elizaveta Alekseeva. “His main subject of study is the human being. In each work, he explores psychology, the soul, behavior in difficult circumstances: before a moral choice, at war, on the threshold of key events. I think this approach is what distinguishes the writer from all the others.”
The person, as he was two centuries ago, remains inwardly the same: he has the same qualities of the soul, interests, problems in relationships. Lev Tolstoy studies people and their moral choices—a theme significant for any era. It is precisely for this reason that his characters go beyond the pages and appear on the stage. The study of the soul and passions of a person was close not only to Lev Tolstoy but also to Fyodor Dostoevsky—these writers are often compared. But why does Lev Nikolaevich seem understandable to a greater number of people?
“Dostoevsky was financially constrained: his well-being depended on writing. Therefore, he did not have as much time to work on his works as Lev Nikolaevich [Tolstoy] did. Moreover, philologists note that Tolstoy has a very good narrative language, carefully crafted formulations. He worked meticulously, revisited the text, rewrote it. Dostoevsky did not have that opportunity, so meaning was more important to him than the beauty of the language,” explains Elizaveta Alekseeva.
Much can be understood through Tolstoy’s diaries and letters. They show constant dissatisfaction with himself, deep self-analysis, and at times—a harsh demand on himself. Even in his youth in Kazan, after leaving university, Lev Nikolayevich began writing “rules for life,” analyzing his actions, noting many things in others. The writer kept diaries intermittently until 1910. “There is a well-known quote that characterizes Lev Nikolayevich well. In 1857, he wrote to his aunt, the maid of honor Alexandra Tolstaya: “To live honestly, one must strain, falter, fight, err, start and quit, again start and quit, and forever struggle and lose. And calmness is a soul’s baseness.” This quote illustrates Leo Tolstoy very well. In his youth, he lived a wild life, lost at cards, went into debt, but did not commit openly base acts towards others. He was a complex person, like all geniuses, but he did not do baseness,” explains Elizaveta Alekseeva.
This ability to see the universal in the particular, and eternity in the moment, is what makes Leo Tolstoy someone to whom people return. Not because he provides answers, but because he honestly asks questions both to the characters of his works and, above all, to himself. It is according to this principle — seeing deeper, noticing details, endlessly rewriting and working on the plot — that one of Tolstoy’s main works came into being.
“Guests were gathering at the dacha”: how the novel “Anna Karenina” was born
“War and Peace” was completed by Lev Nikolaevich in 1869, and he contemplates what to do next. There are several options: write about Peter the Great, about the Decembrists, or work on an “ABC” book for children. But then a novel appears that, after publication, will not go a day without attention — “Anna Karenina.” The idea comes unexpectedly.
“Tolstoy intended to write a novel about a high-society lady. It so happened that during this period, his wife Sofya Andreyevna was reading ‘The Belkin Tales’ to their elder son Sergey and left the book accessible. Lev Nikolayevich picked it up and, as he recalled, ‘suddenly and unexpectedly read all of Pushkin and was very impressed by his genius.’ His attention was drawn to the unfinished fragment ‘Guests Arriving at the Dacha,’ which concerns a socialite who disregards conventions. Lev Nikolayevich liked how Pushkin immediately immerses the reader in the midst of events: ‘Guests were arriving at the dacha. The hall filled with ladies and gentlemen’—and everything unfolds from there. In the first draft of ‘Anna Karenina,’ he even begins with the description ‘At the Ball’—a tribute to Pushkin. More than 10 different beginnings are known,” explains Elizaveta Alekseeva.
There is a memory of Pushkin’s daughter at a social evening: Tolstoy was struck by the wonderful curls of her black hair. It is believed that her appearance, full of tenderness, served as one of the sources of inspiration for the portrait of Anna Karenina. Another real event reflected in the novel was the story of Anna Bibikova: saddened that her beloved had proposed to another, she threw herself under a train at the Yasenki station near Yasnaya Polyana. Lev Nikolayevich traveled to the scene and took part in examining the body.
Sofya Andreevna recalled that the spectacle made a heavy impression on the writer, which manifested in his work. It was this episode that was included in the novel in a revised form. The work captivated him, but there was a risk that the piece would never be published: Tolstoy was often critical of himself and sometimes did not finish what he started. However, everything fell into place organically: the writer signed a contract with “Russky Vestnik.” The first parts were already being published — which is why he continued writing, seeing the interest in the novel.
But what is the phenomenon of “Anna Karenina”? Why did the novel become a subject of discussion after its publication and remain relevant centuries later? “Lev Nikolaevich depicts several models of relationships — happy and unhappy marriage. The theme of family and personal happiness is always close and interesting to people,” says Elizaveta Alekseeva.
“From a cow novel to a banner”: how the book was received
“Anna Karenina” was received ambiguously. Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote a critical review of the novel in 1875, but by 1877 he noted: “Anna Karenina is perfection as a highly artistic work.” Nikolay Nekrasov produced an epigram:
“Tolstoy, you have proven with patience and talent,
What a woman should not “flirt around”
Neither with the camera junker nor with the wing adjutant,
“When she is a wife and mother.”
Professor Sergey Rachinsky, who corresponded with Lev Nikolaevich on pedagogical matters, remarked about the novel: “…there is no architecture in it. Two themes develop side by side, and they develop brilliantly, but are unrelated to each other.” By the two themes, Rachinsky means Levin and Anna. Tolstoy himself, responding to criticism, asserted: “On the contrary, I am proud of the architecture — the vaults are so connected that you cannot even notice where the keystone is.” He emphasizes that the unity of the novel is not in the external events, but in the hidden common idea. Anna and Levin are not externally connected, but internally joined, like two arches that rest on an invisible center to the eye.
Dissatisfaction was also expressed by democratically-minded contemporaries: they were disturbed that Tolstoy described secular society and passions exclusively of the high society. Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin wrote to the literary critic Pavel Annenkov on March 9, 1875: “It is horrifying to think that it is still possible to build novels solely on sexual urges. It is horrifying to see before me the figure of the silent stud Vronsky. It seems to me that this is mean and immoral. And on top of all that, the conservative party clings to it, celebrating. Can one imagine that some political banner is being made out of Tolstoy’s cow novel?”
Thanks to conflicting assessments, criticism, and widespread discussion, the novel enjoyed enormous popularity. People talked about it, debated it, and wrote about it. The work was instantly discussed and published abroad — the success was undeniable.
Since then, the institution of marriage has undergone a transformation. Can we say that Lev Nikolaevich anticipated these changes?
“I think so. These are universal human principles that have not changed in 150 years. Leo Tolstoy wrote not only about the superficial passions of his characters but about their feelings, about what they go through. It’s not always visible in film adaptations, but in ‘Anna Karenina’ it is stated that she struggled for a long time with Vronsky’s pursuit, avoided him, but eventually gave in. These moments, the nuances of Levin’s experiences related to his love for Kitty, marriage, and internal crises, are similar to those that Tolstoy himself experienced. At the end of the book, the happy family man Levin does not go hunting to avoid shooting himself and hides the rope to prevent hanging himself: he is in a crisis and emerges from it through faith in God. Leo Tolstoy goes into the deep feelings, thoughts of the characters, and their interactions. Even Karenin, who can be imagined as an unpleasant character, behaves touchingly: he tries to help his former wife find a way out, takes Anna and Vronsky’s daughter under his care. Lev Nikolaevich describes his humane traits as well — it is no coincidence that he works on each character many times. He studies them, and that is precisely why the work is interesting to read,” reflects Elizaveta Alekseeva.
Speaking about the study of characters, it is hard not to wonder why the heroes have exactly those names and surnames. Is there some additional meaning in this? “Karenin — according to one version, the root of the surname indicates intellect, reason — unlike Anna, who is guided by cold logic. In the drafts, Anna was not immediately Anna — she was Nana Stavrovich. Leo Nikolaevich searched long for successful combinations of names. He is an artist, but strives to be as close to life as possible. Therefore, he slightly alters real surnames artistically so that they look real, do not offend the ear, and give the impression that the character could have actually existed. For Tolstoy, the truth of life is fundamentally important,” clarifies Elizaveta Alekseeva.
“Imitation of life, stage props”: Lev Tolstoy and the theater
We found out why the novel is read and reread. But why is it staged? After all, Lev Nikolaevich’s relationship with professional theater was complicated: he disliked it, called it an imitation of life and props, and had difficult memories of rehearsals he attended several times. But the paradox is that Tolstoy loved home theater—and for it he wrote “The Fruits of Enlightenment” and “The Power of Darkness.” Ironically, Tolstoy turned out to be among those authors whose works are massively staged. And this was started by Konstantin Stanislavsky—the future reformer of the stage. His first directorial work in drama was the staging of Tolstoy’s play “The Fruits of Enlightenment.” Stanislavsky sought not external theatricality, but life truth, and this experience proved important for the future of the Moscow Art Theatre.
The relay was taken up by Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko: in 1937 he staged “Anna Karenina” at the Moscow Art Theatre — a play that became legendary. Karenin was played by Nikolai Khmelev, Anna by Alla Tarasova. One of the main revelations was Khmelev’s Karenin: critics unanimously admired how the actor managed to reveal the character. The play was performed more than a thousand times — the last performance took place on March 2, 1969. Nemirovich-Danchenko conceived it as a tragedy of passion and sincerity, ruined by high society morals and hypocrisy. The Levin storyline was completely cut — everything focused on Anna, her awakening, and her struggles between duty and feeling. It was from this production that the theatre’s mass interest in Tolstoy began.
Why do directors return to this work again and again? Because Lev Nikolaevich has a refined, truly theatrical language. His texts are clear and pleasant to stage: they offer room for the artist, precise dialogues, vivid and three-dimensional characters, and themes that never become outdated. Today, “Anna Karenina” is being performed in several Moscow theaters — and each director finds their own interpretation in it.
“Anna Karenina”: embodiment on the stages of Moscow
The Mayakovsky Theatre presents the story through the eyes of different characters. “Karenina. Volume Two” In Yegor Peregudov’s production, it is a monumental play involving a quarter of the troupe. The director consciously skips the beginning of the novel: “Let the title not mislead — there was no ‘Volume One.'” Instead, he focused on the denouement and the finale. Part of the performance is seen through Karenin’s eyes, part through Vronsky’s, part through Dolly’s, and only the third act — directly through Anna’s perception. According to Yegor Peregudov, this is not the story of one person, but of an entire family and its tragedy. He expresses the central idea just as the writer once did: a family thought.
Grand spectacle: a new take on “Anna Karenina” at the Mayakovsky Theatre
“Pokrovka. Theater” presented the first in Russia dramatic play, created entirely without analog decorations, that is, traditional ones made by hand. Tolstoy’s text enters into a dialogue with neural networks, kinetic constructions, and jewelry art. The main thematic core of the production is chess. “It is a game of life: you can make a move rashly, driven by passion, and lose. Or you can weigh the consequences,” emphasizes Dmitry Bikbaev. Unlike many adaptations, the Anna and Kitty storylines here are almost equal — both heroines go through destruction but choose different paths.
A challenge performance at ‘Pokrovka. Theatre’: why everyone should see “Anna Karenina”
At MAMT, a ballet by Maxim Sevagin was shown “Anna Karenina” to the music of Ilya Demutsky. The choreographer proposed his own interpretation of Leo Tolstoy’s novel, paying special attention to the story of Kitty and Levin: “In previous productions, I was bothered by the fact that the second storyline was often forgotten. Yet these are completely unique characters who reflect the time and, generally, the Russian spirit, the Russian code.”
The play contrasts two love stories: Anna and Vronsky’s — a story of all-consuming passion, and Kitty and Levin’s — a story of the search for harmony and family happiness.
Deadly passion or creative love: the premiere of the ballet “Anna Karenina” at MAMT
The operetta theater offers musical — a genre in which a novel takes on a musical form. Starring are recognized stars of the genre: Ekaterina Guseva, Valeria Lanskaya, Dmitry Ermak. The most complex computer system controlling the movement of video screens constructs a multimedia puzzle: the viewer finds themselves together with the characters, sometimes in an opera hall, sometimes on an ice rink, then transported from a palace to a village field. Music and dynamics make the production bright and modern.
Not only Anna: what to watch before the performance
To better understand the world of Leo Tolstoy and prepare for a theater visit, you can visit the State Museum of L.N. Tolstoy on Prechistenka (building 11/8, structure 1). Currently, there is an exhibition titled “Not Only Anna: Voices of Leo Tolstoy’s Novel.” The exhibition clearly reveals the multilayered nature of the manuscripts: what the original was like, how Tolstoy crossed out, made notes, what corrections he made, and what the result was. Here, you can not only trace the work on the text but also see that “Anna Karenina” was illustrated by many artists — their works are also presented at the exhibition.
To appreciate how Leo Tolstoy worked on the text means to understand why directors return to the novel again and again. The manuscripts show how the concept was born, how the writer searched for the precise words, how he rewrote entire chapters. But it is the theater that gives the novel new life, turning it into action.
“Anna Karenina” today is not just another interpretation or a jubilee production, although in 2026 it marked 150 years since the novel’s initial publication. It is a conversation about what concerns everyone: about love and duty, the right to choose and the price of freedom, family and loneliness. Theatres offer different perspectives — from multimedia experiments to classical ballet, but they are united by one thing: Leo Tolstoy’s novel can resonate with everyone because it speaks about the most important things.
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