The creative team of the Lebap State Musical and Drama Theatre named after Seyitnazar Seydi prepared a series of performances featuring fairy tales and cheerful songs for the New Year holidays. A truly special New Year’s gift for young audiences was the stage production “New Year in the Forest,” created based on motifs from Berdi Kerbabayev’s work “Jonnuk-Batyr.”
The stage adaptation was prepared by the young and talented director Suray Rakhmanova. Although this is only Rakhmanova’s second directorial work, it can confidently be described as a creative success. The events of the play unfold in a forest and involve various animals. The horse of one of the main characters, Jonnuk-Batyr, encounters a bear regarded as the king of the forest. Because the bear constantly rides him, the horse becomes completely exhausted, but out of fear is unable to admit the reason for its emaciated state. Here, the acting skills of Chary Eyeberenov, Kakajan Taylyev, and Bagtyyar Dolyev deserve special mention for their portrayals of Jonnuk-Batyr, his horse Tulpar, and the Bear.
Gradually, the forest events draw in the Hare, the Fox, the Wolf, and the Piglet, and tensions among them begin to rise. In the finale, Jonnuk-Batyr intervenes in the animals’ relationships. Thanks to his cunning and wisdom, all the forest inhabitants come to an agreement. Jonnuk-Batyr gives each of them guidance on unity, friendship, and diligence, after which he lets them go in peace.
Art professionals who attended the premiere noted the high level of performance by Gulyalek Shaymerdanova (the Piglet), Bagsera Rovshenova (the Wolf), as well as Akmaya Halymova and Gulbahar Gurbangulyeva, who transformed into the characters of the Hare and the Fox. The combination of dynamic music, the appearance of Ayaz-baba (Akmyrat Jumageldiyev) and Garpamyk (Sherapat Kerimova), as well as the symbolic passing of the New Year key between the symbol of the outgoing year, the Snake (Bossan Yazjumayeva), and the Steed, became the most impressive moments for the children.
The convincing nature of the production was the result of the efforts of the theatre’s set designer, Honored Artist of Turkmenistan Myrat Haityev, and music director Ruslan Hemrayev. Overall, the creative team succeeded in producing an engaging work, and the actors skillfully immersed themselves in the images of animals that would be long remembered by young audiences.
The new performance became a worthy gift from the theatre’s troupe to its young viewers.
