YSoD Will Open 2001 With ‘Master And Margarita’

NEW HAVEN — Yale School of Drama will present The Master and Margarita, by the Russian novelist and playwright Mikhail Bulgakov, adapted by Yuri Lyubimov and translated by Michael Henry Heim. The New Haven production, to be directed by Will Frears, will run January 15-20. Performances will be at University Theatre, 222 York Street.

Set in the 1930s, The Master and Margarita tells the story of Woland and his entourage, which includes a six-foot talking cat, a disgraced choirmaster, and two demons. During their stay in Moscow they wreak havoc on the locals and satisfy their curiosity for a new political system referred to as “Communism.”

Unbeknownst to the locals, Woland is the actually Devil. Given that Stalin’s Soviet Union promotes atheism as the popular belief, and since the government has all but eliminated organized religion, he and his entourage find Russia to be the ideal place to carry out their unique brand of mayhem.

While in residence, they come to the aid of two Muscovites -– the Master and Margarita. The Master has been placed in a mental institution after writing a controversial novel about Pontius Pilate set during the crucifixion of Christ.

Margarita, the Master’s loyal lover, is willing to sell her soul to be reunited with him. Woland agrees to help her free the Master, but first she must serve as the hostess for his Grand Ball.

“The Master and Margarita is funny and epic and presents an incredible love story,” said Mr Frears, who is in his final year of Yale’s master of fine arts directing program.

Mikhail Bulgakov wrote The Master and Margarita in secrecy during the reign of Joseph Stalin in Soviet Russia. Part farce, part fantasy, the Russian classic was suppressed for 30 years. Based on Goethe’s Faust, its biting satirical take on Stalinism could have resulted in Mr Bugakov’s imprisonment or even execution.

Mr Bugakov died in 1939 while working on the novel and it was not published until 1967 — and even then only in a censored version. The novel has become popular theatrical fare the world over, most notably in Moscow, where it ran for 12 consecutive years.

Performance times are Monday, January 15, at 7 pm (Pay-What-You-Can Night; $1 minimum); Tuesday through Friday at 8 pm; and Saturday, January 20, at 8 pm. Tickets range from $12 to $15, and discounts are available for students and seniors.

For more information or to order tickets, call the Yale Repertory Theatre box office at 203/432-1234. Box office hours are 10 am to 5 pm, Monday through Saturday.