Residents of Kirillov witnessed the events that had happened in Yekaterinburg in the basement of the Ipatiev House in July 1918. The one-man performance based on Edvard Radzinsky’s play “The Last Night of the Last Tsar” was presented on the museum scene. Actor Albert Makarov played four parts in it. He was also a director of the performance at the same time.
The action took place in 1938 gradually bringing the audience to the events that had happened 20 years before. The subject was based on the talk of the former employees of the Cheka (the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution, Speculation, and Sabotage) – Fyodor Lukoyanov-Maratov and Yakov Yurovsky known as the regicide. The dialogue of the characters returned them to the events of that night when Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, his family and members of his household had been executed. The scenes with participation of the Cheka members and the talk of Nicholas II with his spouse Alexandra Fyodorovna struck with their contrast. The spectators were particularly amazed that just one person played the roles of such opposite to each other characters. They saw a real drama for which they gave Albert Makarov a standing ovation. The actor himself spoke with the audience telling about his attitude to the October Revolution and the tragedy of 1918.
The history of staging this one-man performance is rather unusual. Albert Makarov told about it, “The Fyodorovsky Cathedral constructed on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the Romanov dynasty is located in St. Petersburg. Emperor Nicholas II attended the ceremony of its consecration in 1913. As the fate has willed, I became a sacristan of this church combining this activity with my work at the theatre. The performance was staged at that moment when the Russian Orthodox Church commemorated the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia – those who suffered during the Soviet period for their faith. Once I saw the play of Edvard Radzinsky. First I wanted to present it in the form of reading, but then got upon an idea to play four parts simultaneously. The performance has been transformed many times and is still being changed. By the way, I call it not a play, but an action. It is my personal position on the events of 1918. It seems to me that they are directly connected with the present”.
