A Loud Henry VIII Trapped in a Tired Formula

Mark Zakharov made his fame by creating what some have called Moscow's answer to Broadway. His shows at the Lenkom Theater, which he has headed since 1973, are nothing if not brash, flashy and loud. He often works in the realm of the musical but even when he doesn't, showmanship and ostentation are the keynotes.


His first big splash came in 1974 with a romantic musical treatment of the German folk legend of peasant prankster Till Eulenspiegel. In the mid-1980s he struck again with the rock opera "Yunona and Avos," based on an Andrei Voznesensky poem. These shows, like most at the Lenkom, also bore the light fragrance of unobtrusive political satire.


That now-standard fare of music, fun and politics was repeated in the 1993 production of "The Marriage of Figaro," and is featured again in the new "Kings' Games," which opened last week. However, where the lively "Figaro" was buoyed by some impressive acting and a clever play, "Kings' Games" bears the heavy stamp of a tired formula.


The story is based on Maxwell Anderson's "Anne of the Thousand Days," a play about the ill-fated marriage between the feisty Anne Boleyn and the obstinate Henry VIII. While running through numerous wives and lovers in hopes of siring an heir, Henry's heart is snared by the woman who dares defy him. But for all its bluster, Zakharov's version of that clash of passions is remarkably tepid.


The blame can be spread evenly among all involved. The adaptation by Grigory Gorin, known for his "Russianizations" of foreign works, is plodding and unimaginative, while the instantly forgettable music by Shandor Kallosh is neither melodious enough to be attractive nor adventurous enough to be interesting. It is, however, very loud.


The same can be said for the acting. With little action to speak of, the performance essentially consists of a series of confrontations in which the principles engage in booming conversations. The monotony is broken by a few energetic dance routines (staged by Alexei Molostov), although they rarely seem an organic part of the whole. The biggest hole in this production is its utter lack of sexual fireworks. Whether strutting with a royal verve, buckling weakly like a child or singing in his expressionless voice, Alexander Lazarev Jr. is cold, mechanical and inaccessible as Henry. His fashion-magazine good looks work against him, since they only highlight his lack of contact with Amaliya Mordvinova's Anne Boleyn. Mordvinova plays a kind of moderately contemporary queen consort who is more schoolgirl-hip than tempestuous.


Zakharov lunges for a semblance of sensuality by having Boleyn naked at the end of Act 1 and surrounding her with topless ladies-in-waiting. As the follow-up to Boleyn convincing Henry to reject the Vatican and set himself up as the head of the Anglican Church, it's meant to synthesize the urge for sex and power. Instead it offers tasteless titillation.


The political satire comes in Leonid Bronevoi's dry-as-a-martini performance of Boleyn's uncle. A schemer and a sneak, he is equally reprehensible, comic and endearing, providing the show's best moments. It is a minor miracle, since only one with Bronevoi's instincts could succeed with the cliches and queer jokes handed him in the text.


The set by Yury Kharikov (he also designed the imaginative, billowing costumes) is dominated by a monstrous spiked balloon that floats over the action like a tottering ship of state. Zakharov eventually sends it sailing over the spectators' heads .


"Kings' Games" has plenty of bravado, but it's still a case of all show and no substance.





"Kings' Games" plays Oct. 26 and 27 at 7 p.m. at the Lenkom Theater, 6 Malaya Dmitrovka. Tel. 299-0708. Running time: 2 hours, 45 mins.