Bullfinches

“Bullfinches“ is based on Nina Sadur's play, “Condemned to Death,” a dramatization of Viktor Astafyev's novel, „The Damned and the Dead.” It tells the compelling story of youths whose lives were changed forever by the advent of World War II. The production consists of a series of scenes that give life to the reminiscences of Lyoshka Shestakov, one of the few soldiers who survived the cruel battles that took place in the trenches of that war. His memory and imagination leap backward and forward, from the past to the present to the future. Harsh, unsentimental and, yet, entirely human in every way, this tale about a company of recruits, which perished in its entirety, is brought to life on stage with uncommon theatricality and emotional power. The young cast — all of them approximately the same age as the characters they play — tell about a merciless era of war and Stalinist repressions with veracity and utter professional commitment. This production leaves neither cast nor audience indifferent.