The Enchanted Tailor

The basis of this original production is the eponymous story by the famous Jewish-literature author Sholem Aleichem, written on the basis of an ancient Hasidic parable. The events unfold in the Jewish shtetl of Zlodeyevka, where a poor tailor, Shimen-Ele, lives. At his wife’s insistence, he travels to a neighboring shtetl to buy a goat and becomes caught up in a mystical whirlpool of absurd events. In the theatrical interpretation, this amusing story becomes a philosophical reflection on the tragic and absurd nature of an ordinary person’s life in a vast and insane world.

Playwright: Marina Belyavtseva
Director: Oleg Rodovilskiy
Set design: Alon Bar-Dov
Costume design: Lea Shats
Yiddish consultant: Gera Sandler

The musical score includes 20th-century klezmer music arranged by Yuri Akimov.

Cast: Oleg Rodovilskiy, Marina Belyavtseva, Marina Kalachinskaya, Beni Schiff, Sofya Abramovich, Anna Kordonskaya, Roman Dzhura.

Awards and festival participation

• Winner of the international festival “Encounters in Russia — 2013” in St. Petersburg — Audience Award.
• Winner of the international festival “Lipetsk Theatrical Encounters — 2012” — Audience Award.
• Participant in the international festival “Compatriots — 2012” in Saransk.
• Winner of the international festival “Young Theaters of Russia — 2011” in Omsk — Best Actor Award.
• Winner of the international festival “Slavic Theatrical Encounters — 2011” in Bryansk — awards for Best Production, as selected by the alternative jury, and Best Actor.

Press reviews

“The production is striking, revealing new facets in something well known to admirers of quality directing and acting.”
— Yakov Shaus

“ZERO Theatre has created a unique and successful production that can be classified as ‘magical realism’: popular yet refined, impeccable in every aspect—whether the music, stage design, or unusual costumes.”
— Lev Malinskiy

The premiere took place on September 14, 2010.