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GEO
Cast Info Plot
Season167
 
January 19,  2019
Tsuna and Tsrutsuna
Ballet in Two Acts
 
Tsuna -  Ekaterine Surmava (First performance)
Tsrutsuna -  Raphael Spyker (First performance)

Music by Meri Davitashvili
Music version by Zurab Nadareishvili
(The Performance includes musical pieces by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Brahms, Giuseppe Verdi, Gioachino Rossini and Jacques Offenbach)
 
 Idea belongs to Nina Ananiashvili
Staging Choreographers - Nina Ananiashvili, Gia Marghania
 
Staging Conductor - Kakhi Solomnishvili
Set Designer - Irakli Avaliani
Costume Designer - Anna Kalatozishvili
Lighting Designer - Virginio Levrio
Assistant to the Staging Choreographer - Ekaterine Shavliashvili
Video Animation - VASS (Italy)
 
Stage Manager - Tsisia Cholokashvili

Tbilisi Opera and Ballet Theatre Orchestra
Conductor Papuna Ghvaberidze

Director of the  Ballet Company
Nina Ananiashvili
 
*The late-comers will not be allowed in until the first interval.
The idea of the ballet belongs to Nina Ananiashvili. Her aim was to create a ballet according to one of the favorite Georgian cartoons, “Tsuna and Tsrutsuna”, which would serve as a cultural bridge between the younger and older generations.

In 2013, Nina Ananiashvili appealed to famous Georgian composer Meri Davitashvili, who had created music for “Tsuna and Tsrutsuna”. She is one of the children’s favourite composers, whose songs have been performed by many generations in Georgia. She gladly approved and gave permission the staging group to use the music that she had created specifically for the cartoon. Sadly, Meri Davitashvili passed away in 2014, and the music was unified into a ballet libretto with a huge contribution of composer Zurab Nadareishvili; the piece includes excerpts from many different classical masterpieces.

Cartoon under the name “Tsuna and Tsrutsuna” was created by the director Arkadi Khintibidze in 1961 based on the comedy by Avksenty Tsagareli - “Rac Ginakhavs veghar Nakhav” (translation: “You will not be able to see what you’ve seen before”). The comedy was such a far-famed that after several years, Mikheil Chiaureli directed a movie with the same name. Both of them – the cartoon and the movie – are still very popular. The libretto of the ballet is based on Tsagareli’s comedy; however, it is filled with many new details.
Synopsis
  
Act 1
 
Scene 1
Sunrise in old Tbilisi. Lamplighters are putting the lanterns off.
Merchants are opening their small eateries and shops (“Duckani” in Georgian), barbers are preparing everything for early clients, while Ustabashi (a head of a Guild), wishes successful trade day to his disciples. A group of “Karachogheli” (a group of young men in old Tbilisi– mostly craftsmen) head out to a square led by Pitskhela. Aristocratic residents of the Opera House basement together with foreigners, who live in the city underground, also join the gathering.
Tsrutsuna is a distinctive figure among the youngsters entering the stage, and everybody takes a special care to greet him. The celebration is joined by a group of girls from the local high school, with Tsuna noticeable among the others by her beauty. Tsrutsuna falls in love with her at the first sight, and gives her a scarf as a sign of his feelings.
A sound of cannon fire is followed by the Ustabashi hand signal commencing the game of Leloburti. The team capturing the walnut will be declared the winner. The mice split in two teams, compete fiercely, and Tsrutsuna's team emerges as the winner. He gives the walnut to Tsuna, and invites her to dance.
Romantic courtship between Tsrutsuna and Tsuna is followed by the couples’ kiss noticed by the noble Rat, who has been having an eye on Tsuna for some time. Angry Rat orders his servants to capture Tsuna. Near the end of the couple's dance, noble Rat's servants imitate a cat’s "Meow", causing Tsuna to faint, and allowing the Rat to abduct her, while the servants capture Tsrutsuna.
Desperate Tsrutsuna is liberated from captivity by his friends.
 
Scene 2
At noble Rat’s palace kidnapped Tsuna is being prepared against her wishesfor a wedding ceremony. Dressed in a wedding gown, she is taught the Minuet by maids ofthe noble Rat. His Excellency, dressed in a tailcoat, is also in preparation, and tries to entertain Tsuna, but without much success. As Tsuna is trying to resist his advances, Pitskhela enters the palace and demands the Rat to release Tsuna. The Rat refuses, and infuriated Pitskhela leaves the palace threatening revenge.
An assault begins on the palace. Tsrutsuna, his Karachogheli friends and Kintos (Kinto - a street fruit vendor in XIX century Tbilisi) are joined by foreign residents of the city. Tsrutsuna’s friends attack the Rat's palace, free Tsuna, and escort her for her wedding with Tsrutsuna.
 
 
Act 2
 
Scene 3
Tsuna, Tsrutsuna and the rest of the characters are celebrating the wedding of the happy couple onstage at the Opera house. The celebration is joined by numerous friends from Hungary, Germany, Italy and France. The climax of the wedding is the couple’s wedding pas de deux.
After their wedding dance everybody bids farewell to Tsuna and Tsrutsuna, as they embark on their honeymoon. 


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