Theater actors in female roles. In Shakespeare's time, the stage actor was an outcast from society

Answer:

Exists large number plays that fit your criteria. Here is a small list of publications from the RGBI collections. The plays were selected on a formal basis (number of roles); we did not evaluate their content in any way.

Plays on female cast:
1. Dobreva Y. Sandmen: a play without intermission / Yana Dobreva; lane from Bulgarian Eleonora Makarova. - [M. : Club-96], 1998. - 46 p.
   Roles: 4 female.
   Topic: Women; Psychological conflict; Conflict of generations; Vices; Loneliness.


2. Cunningham L. Bachelorette party: a play in 2 acts / Laura Cunningham; lane from English S. Task // Modern dramaturgy. - 2003. - No. 4. - P. 121-145.
   Roles: 6 female. Place and time of action: New York, today.
   Topic: Women; Moral and ethical problems; New York, city (USA), 2000s.


3. Levanov V.N. One hundred pounds of love [letters to idols]: oratorio for choir: [play] / Vadim Levanov // Documentary theater. Plays: [theater.doc] / [ed.-composed by: Elena Gremina]. - Moscow: Three squares, 2004. - P. 102-111.
   Roles: 5 female.
   Topic: Fanaticism.


4. Mishima Y. Marquise de Sade: drama in 3 parts / trans. G. Chkhartishvili // Mishima Yu. Philosophical diary a killer maniac who lived in the Middle Ages: dramas, stories / Yukio Mishima; [transl. from Japanese G. Chkhartishvili, Y. Kovalenina]. - St. Petersburg: ABC-classics, 2007. - P. 5-84.
   Roles: 6 female. Place and time of action: Paris, 1772-1790.
   Subject: Garden, Donatien Alphonse Francois de; Vices; Sex; Women; Paris, city (France), 18th century.


5. Seppälä A. My dear man: a play in 2 parts / Arto Seppälä; lane from Finnish Aili Kukkonen // Baltic Seasons: [characters of the St. Petersburg scene: almanac / editorial board: E. Alekseeva and others]. - [St. Petersburg: b. i.], 2006. - No. 14. - P. 38-52.
   Roles: 5 female. Place and time of action: small Finnish town, 1970s.
   Ed. also under the title: Five women in the chapel.
   Topic: Women; Psychological conflict; Love; Death; Finland, 1970s


6. Tom R. Eight loving women: satirical comedy in 2 parts / Robert Thomas; lane from fr. M. Alexandrova. - M., 1965. - 74, p.
   Roles: 8 female.
   Topic: Women; Family.


7. Tulchinskaya M. E. Passion for the sofa: a play in 2 days / Maya Tulchinskaya // Modern dramaturgy. - 2010. - No. 2. - P. 113-130.
   Roles: 4 female.
   Topic: Women; Parents and children; Conflict of generations.


8. Churchill K. Top girls: [play in 3 days] / Caryl Churchill; lane Tatiana Oskolkova // Anthology of modern British drama / [ed.-comp. A. Genina, O. Romina; lane from English : T. Oskolkova and others]. - Moscow: New Literary Review, 2008. - P. 19-116.
   Roles: 7 female.
   Topic: Women.

Plays for 5-7 actresses and 1 actor:

9. Kolyada N.V. Baba Chanel: a comedy in 2 parts / Nikolai Kolyada // Modern dramaturgy. - 2011. - No. 1. - P. 3-23.
   Roles: 1 male, 6 female. Place and time of action: assembly hall of the cultural center, our days.
   Topic: Women; Old people; Social problems; Psychological conflict; Amateur artistic activity.


10. Kolyada N.V. Korobochka: a play with 2 cards. based on the works of Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol // Kolyada N.V. "Box": plays different years/ Nikolay Kolyada. - Ekaterinburg: Magazine "Ural", 2009. - P. 109-147.
    Roles: 1 male, 5 female.


11. Razumovskaya L.N. Dowryless: a comedy in 2 parts / Lyudmila Razumovskaya // Modern dramaturgy. - 2001. - No. 2. - P. 25-47.
    Roles: 1 male, 5 female.
    Topic: Women; Social problems.


12. Simon N. Jake's Women: [play in 2 d.] / Neil Simon; lane from English Valentina Khitrovo-Shmyrova. - [M. : Club-96, 1996?]. - 94 s.
    Roles: 1 male, 7 female.
    Topics: Writers; Women; Creation; Vices; Love.

In the library, the selection of plays can be continued by looking through the publications “Yearbook of Plays” and “Yearbook dramatic works" These editions include information about plays published from 1973 to 1995.

When visiting the library, please go to the Reference and Information Services Room (room No. 9).

Sincerely,
bibliographer Olga Nikolaevna Pochatkina.

Plays for enterprise projects

Plays for enterprises and private theaters in their artistic merits should not differ from plays performed in repertory and any other theaters. However, the specifics of their rental require that they also meet some technical requirements: a limited number of characters, convenience and portability of scenery, attractiveness for wide range viewers (usually a comedy or lyrical drama). Below is a list of plays that, in the author’s opinion, are most suitable for performance in enterprise projects. Annotations of these plays are also provided. By clicking on the title of the play, you can see its full text on the Internet.

Two characters

A modern comedy dell'arte in the genre of a cheerful farce. Two clowns and clowns act out a play that is born right in front of the public.Pantomime, acrobatics, circus tricks, music, singing, dance, words merge into a single action.Comedy presupposes the ability of actors to improvise, buffoonery and live contact with the public.2 men, 1 woman, interior.

. This work combines dramatic, melodramatic and comedic motifs.

The bride and groom, successful business people, are forced by circumstances to invite a random person they meet - an already middle-aged man of strange behavior - to be a witness at their wedding. To laugh at the man and have some fun at the same time, a young couple asks him to talk about the women he has loved. The result of the entertainment is quite unexpected. Relations between all three become tense. This meeting decisively changes the fate of each of the heroes. Purity of soul, intelligence, sensitivity, and the ability for deep feeling triumph over rationalism and dry practicality. 2 men, 1 woman.

Three friends - single women of the “golden age” - decide to change their fate and find life partners. This warm comedy convinces the viewer that years are not an obstacle to the search for love and happiness. 3 age female roles. Interior.

.The play has 3 characters: a man, a woman and... a dog (to be played by a child or an actress).

A lonely man, a railway worker by profession, finds a puppy, and very quickly this little devoted dog becomes his only joy and consolation. She responds to this concern with selfless love and loyalty.

The day comes when Mikhail must make a choice: either quit his job or get rid of the dog. After painful hesitation, Mikhail decides to kill his friend. A woman kills animals at a veterinary station. She is trying to save the dog, and with it the soul of its owner. The collision of the characters’ two truths, their dissimilar views on the true meaning of life, creates a spring of conflict. The character of the woman – prickly and at times aggressive, but selfless, ready to love and help – gave the name to the play. The play has been translated into English language, staged in New York.

Director Howard Fishman: American Theater Company is proud to present itself in New York with Valentin Krasnogorov's production of Dog, the first production of this unique and challenging play on the American stage.

What I admire most about her is her nobility of spirit, and the heart that pulsates so vulnerable within her. Without a doubt, this is a difficult play - prickly and subtle, frightening and ambiguous. But she is courageous enough to admit it all and show it on stage, where we can all recognize the parts of ourselves that we try so hard to hide."

. An evening of three one-act comedies different genres, paradoxically interpreting the problems of modern marriage. These theatrical short stories can be presented separately or together. 1. " " . The wife persistently calls her husband for a frank conversation. 2 male roles, 1 female. Interior.2.“ ». " ". Ironic version ideal family, consisting of a classic triangle. 2 female roles.

. (see above)

4 characters

. An exploration of modern marriage in the form of a brilliant comedy, poignant and very funny. Critics from Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic noted " deep meaning and the wit of this cheerful, but wise and warning play", its "magnificent construction and sparkling dialogue." A. Shirvindt concluded the preface to this play, published in " Modern dramaturgy", in these words: "If you are not afraid of the mirror, hurry to look into it. In Bulgaria, a performance based on this play received a prize " ». " Plot: A husband and wife invite two of their friends (a man and a woman) to a party. All four are connected by complex relationships, and each is waiting for their fate to be decided: today or never. 2 men and 2 women. Interior.

By the beginning of the performance based on the classic play of the 18th century, the performer of one of the main roles does not appear in the theater. He is urgently replaced by another actor who does not know the role, which leads to numerous tragicomic situations. They are complicated by the difficult personal relationships between the participants in the play. Love, hatred, envy, jealousy, flirting add additional colors to the comic plot. Each participant in the performance simultaneously plays both the character and the actor performing it. 1 female, 3 male roles.

. (see above)

. Strange, funny and dark, a night rehearsal for an unusual performance with an unexpected ending. 2 male roles, 2 female roles, interior.

. An evening of three one-act comedies of different genres, paradoxically interpreting the problems of modern marriage. These theatrical short stories can be presented separately or together. 1. " " . The wife persistently calls her husband for a frank conversation. 2 male roles, 1 female. Interior.2.“ ». Husband is looking for best way separation from his wife. 2 male roles, 1 female. Interior " ". An ironic presentation of a version of an ideal family consisting of a classic triangle. 2 female roles.

5 characters

. Comedy. A man suffering from memory loss comes to see a doctor asking for help. The doctor tries to find out the symptoms and causes of the disease, but to no avail: the patient’s answers are so contradictory that it is impossible to get anything useful from him. Fortunately, we manage to call the patient’s wife. She answers all the questions clearly and confidently, but from her statements it follows that the doctor also suffers from memory loss. The situation becomes even more confusing when another woman unexpectedly comes and also declares that she is the wife of the sick man. The situation is becoming completely absurd. The doctor reaches almost madness. This dynamic and funny comedy develops rapidly and vividly, ending with an unexpected denouement. 3 men, 2 women. Interior.

6 characters

. Farcical sitcom in French style la piece bien faite - "a well-made play." Intricate adulterous situations are intertwined with the passionate desire of the characters to make a career. The play has great success. 3 men, 3 women, interior.

An excerpt from a review of the play: “This is a wonderful gift to the audience - a balm of humor, smiles, laughter, an excellent remedy for bad mood, blues, pessimism."

(THIS WEAK TENDER SEX. ) . An evening of two one-act comedies with music and dancing. These very dynamic farces take us back to the times of Lesage and Rabelais. The play has not left the theater repertoire for many years in a row. The music for the play was written by Victor Pleshak.

Plot: 1. "Little night serenade." The old doctor's wife falls in love with a young man. She finds a way to deceive her strict husband. 2. "Silent woman." A husband invites a doctor to cure his young and obedient wife of muteness. In vain the doctor tries to dissuade the husband from this intention. Eventually, the doctor restores speech to the wife, and she begins to talk incessantly until she drives her husband crazy.2 male roles, 3 female roles, interior .

From a theater review: " The events unfolding on stage, although they take place as if in the 17th century, are very attractive today with their daring humor, wit, and unpredictability of plot twists."

XXI

7 characters

The characters in this paradoxical comedy are women who do not know each other, different in age and dissimilar in character, but by chance find themselves in the same place. In their conversations, disputes, and conflicts, the influence of our turning point on the destinies, views and moral values ​​of the heroines of the play becomes obvious. 6 female, 1 male role. Interior.

"Black comedy. The theater has just played the long-awaited premiere of Shakespeare's Othello. The actors performing the main roles stay after the performance to celebrate this event in a friendly circle. Unfortunately, the holiday is overshadowed by the mysterious death of one of the characters, and there is a suspicion that one of the participants in the play may be involved in this. Either dark or cheerful humor, detective intrigue, sharp turns plot and unexpected ending capture the viewer's attention until the very last line. 4 male roles, 3 female.

.Comedy with grotesque elements. Her characters of different ages and character hope to find their personal happiness in a successful marriage, but the realities of the hasty life of a business and practical XXI centuries force them to say goodbye to the ideals of the past. As a result, they find something completely different from what they expected. The motor of action is central heroine– an energetic middle-aged businesswoman. Funny and, at times, sad, this far from everyday intellectual comedy provides excellent material for performers of all roles. 2 men, 5 (3) women (three roles out of five can be played by one actress).

.This play is a 2017 “remake” of a comedy of the same name, first staged in the 1980s in Leningrad, where it ran for 400 performances, then in another 40 theaters in Russia, as well as in Poland, the Czech Republic and Germany. At a festival in the Czech Republic, the play received three prizes, including the “Prize for best dramaturgy" and "Audience Award". 4 male roles, 3 female, interior.

. Synthesis of melodrama and ironic paradoxical comedy. The play develops two lines of action. Main actor one of them is a director looking for a way out creative crisis and recruiting actresses in a strange way for his new play. The leading heroine in another line of action is a famous artist experiencing her last love. The heroes of the play are in that period of life when it is time to take stock. Despite sad ending, the play is funny. Lively dialogue, unusual design and variety of colors make this comedy very theatrical. It contains a dozen “solo” roles for actresses of all ages and roles. 2 male roles, 10 female roles, interior.

The main characters of the play (2 men and 1 woman) are approximately 55-60 years old, female characters are aged from 25 to 55 years. If necessary, female roles may be played by fewer actresses.

Translation from French of three very unusual one-act comedies with elements of the grotesque and absurd.4-13 characters.

Contacts :

Tel. +7-951-689-3-689,+9 72-53-527- 4146,+9 72-53-527- 4142

e-mail: valentin. krasnogorov@gmail. com

And if so, then what is beauty?
And why do people deify her?
She is a vessel in which there is emptiness,
Or a fire flickering in a vessel?

When the film was released on big screens, Russian distributors were puzzled by the problem of luring viewers to a film that did not impress with its poster. No big names, no huge budget, no trendy theme. Moreover, the name is strange “Stage Beauty”, which can be translated as “Beauty on the stage”. As a result, by analogy with the then popular “American Beauty,” the film was called “English Beauty.” I believe that by distorting the title, the distributors only confused the audience.
And the film is worth watching. This is interesting artistic interpretation real events, which took place on the stage of British theaters at a time when women were still prohibited from acting. All female roles were played by young men. This topic has already been raised in a charming, brilliant candy wrapper, "Shakespeare in Love". Certainly a good, charming film, but very formal, superficial and celluloid. And there was more about Shakespeare than about actors.

In “Beauty in English” (we will call it that at the will of the distributors), unlike its predecessor, there is less pathos and beauty, but much more authenticity, sincerity and real passions that captivate the viewer. Despite the fact that the film is deliberately unkempt, the costumes are mint, the streets are dirty, the theater is shabby, all these details give authenticity to the atmosphere and events of the film. And how much love and passion there is in this film. Both hetero- and homosexual, but everything was filmed very carefully. You probably need to be careful with these topics; only a mature and morally prepared viewer will perceive some episodes adequately.

The film is multi-layered and delicious, like Napoleon cake.

A lot of wonderful dialogues, a lot of dressing up, a lot of interesting topics:
- actually theater theme, making up a coherent sequential plot,
- self-identification by gender of the main character filling in the plot
- love experiences(how could we live without them) add intensity to the plot
- female beauty in the theater “What is beauty? "
- the degree of authenticity of the acting (how to die on stage correctly), etc.

The main character Ned Kynaston was one of the last so-called. “boy performers” during the Restoration: young actors who played female roles on stage. For Billy Crudup, the role of Kynaston is a real benefit performance, allowing him to demonstrate his talent and excellent acting capabilities, which he does brilliantly and with pleasure. I enjoyed watching his virtuoso playing. And what hands he has!

You can roughly estimate how many roles he manages to embody in the film’s not-too-long running time:
Man playing famous actor Ned Kynaston.
A man playing a man who wants to look like the perfect woman.
A man playing the role of Desdemona.
A man playing a woman playing Othello.
The man playing Othello.
A man playing a gay man.
A man playing a gay man who has fallen in love with a woman.
A man playing a woman with a dick (don't be alarmed).
A man playing a theater star cast down from Olympus.
Etc.
But in all guises a man!

Billy Crudup shines, he is beautiful and precise, evoking a whole range of feelings. This is truly “fire flickering in a vessel”!

Rupert Everett, who plays King Charles II, rocks the show. This amazing actor will make any episode look like candy. And here he has some "candy", and Everett amazingly plays a farcical role without the slightest falsehood or exaggeration.

It must be said that Claire Danes plays wonderfully, completely matching her partners. Her mental tossing and doubts look absolutely appropriate and natural, and the heroine herself is charming and sweet, arousing sympathy and empathy. Good actress, talented.

Ben Chaplin (Buckingham) is absolutely unrecognizable, incredibly handsome and plays a great duet with Crudup.

The film is very high level acting, which creates an “ensemble” that plays harmoniously and smoothly. There is not a single unnecessary or drawn-out episode, everything is appropriate and integrated into the overall picture.

There is also catharsis in the film. IN final scene with the scene (excuse the tautology) from “Othello”, the one where “did you pray to Desdemona for the night?”, my heart almost jumped out of my chest.

The director and actors, despite the passions and twists of the plot, managed not to lose measure and taste, and at the same time deftly hook the viewer's feelings. The film, in which, apart from sparkling witty dialogues and dress-up games, there is no action, special effects or beauty, it grabs you and doesn’t let go until the last minute.

Moreover, this is the case when the second and third viewings are no less interesting and allow you to savor the old ones and discover new ones. interesting details that might have escaped the first time.

I really liked it. A good, interesting, adult film.

Origins acting profession originate from prehistoric times, when the concept of “art” did not exist. Magic rituals and rituals, worship of gods, forces of nature and sacred animals, various festivals divided people into performers and observers. Shamans, priests, spellcasters and other ministers of various cults were, so to speak, the first performers.

IN ancient Greek era performing arts continued to develop taking into account the religious, mythological and epic ideas of society. Plays were most often written based on mythological or historical subjects. All roles were played by men. Female actresses could only perform in troupes of traveling “folk” theaters. And only in the Middle Ages, when plays of a secular nature began to appear, women were able to engage in acting professionally. Although, in fact, a woman first appeared on stage in the late Roman era, initially in performances low genre, as a dancer and acrobat.

The exclusion of women from the public sphere, including the ban on performing on stage, was due to the moral standards corresponding to that time. Originating in Italy in the Middle Ages professional theater(comedia dell’arte), the situation of female actresses has changed somewhat. Despite the fact that male characters, as a rule, there were more, and even the roles of nurses, soubrette, old women were given to male actors, women still got the opportunity to embody young heroines and mistresses.

In France in the 16th century, professional troupes were built on patriarchal relations. This is clearly reflected in one of the contracts that have come down to us in 1545, concluded between the actor-entrepreneur L’Epéroniere and the actress Marie Feret. According to this document, Marie Feret was obliged for a year to “assist him, L'Eperoniere, to perform every day for a specified time and as many times as he pleases, Roman antiquities or other stories, farces and jumps, in the presence of an audience and everywhere, wherever L'Eperoniere wishes." In turn, the entrepreneur assumed the obligation to “feed, support and shelter Marie Feret, and also pay her twelve Tours livres a year for this service.” The contract ends with a curious phrase: “If this contract is not approved by the husband of Marie Feret, it is declared invalid.” What else can you say?!

In Spain, female actresses appeared in the middle of the 16th century. At this time there were many different types theater organizations. In lower-level groups, women's roles were played by men, and in middle-level groups by women or boys. In associations of the highest type, all female roles were played exclusively by women. But after some time the church reconsidered “ theatrical question” and banned such practices, generally tightened moral control to the point of persecution and the closure of theaters. In 1644, a law was passed according to which only married women could engage in acting.

The first female actresses appeared on the English stage in the 17th century. However, it was a very unstable time: from the heyday of theaters at the beginning of the century to their complete closure and the outlawing of this activity. The situation changed only in 1660, when Charles II returned to England. In France, where he was in exile, women were already performing on stage - from now on this rule is taking root in England. However, the attitude of men towards female actresses was then quite consumerist. For example, famous English actresses of that time - Nell Gwyn, Moll Davis, Barry and others - were famous not so much for their acting as for their feminine charms, and their position in the theater was determined high position their patrons. Actresses were often tasked with reading prologues, equipped with erotic puns and all sorts of allusions to the scandalous chronicles of that time.

Initially, the actresses were of humble origin and decided to take up this profession for two reasons. First, acting was a promising job prospect for women in its own right. Due to hard physical labor and domestic violence, the girls sought to leave as soon as possible parents' house. Secondly, the prospect of becoming a kept woman from the stage to a rich man opened up.

An interesting fact is the exclusion of women from the acting profession in Japanese theater. The art of Kabuki was started by the famous and successful at the time ( beginning of XVII century) by the dancer O-Kuni, whose performances were given a corresponding name, meaning “strange”, “outlandish”. She subsequently founded a women's troupe, which was soon disbanded for ethical reasons, due to traditions of morality. The actresses were replaced by pretty young men. In 1653, young men were also prohibited from performing on stage. At this time, the onnagata movement began, when female roles were played by mature male actors.

A woman appeared on the Russian stage only during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna, starting in 1756. It was then that professional actresses appeared on the Russian stage to play female roles; before that, female roles were performed by men. Later, female actresses appeared in serf theaters. The first Russian actresses were Marya and Olga Ananyin and Musina-Pushkina.

Mostly Russian actress for a long time came from a lower, poor class. She is either a serf, or a bourgeois, or the daughter of an insignificant official, a small merchant, or illegitimate. One had to have great courage and determination to fight social prejudices in order to achieve the opportunity to go on stage. And this determination, and for some, personal sacrifice, opened the doors to the world of theater for many Russian actresses.

"What do you want, sir?
-Are you crazy?! What am I to you, sir?

Quote from the movie "Hello, I'm your aunt!"

Male actors often play women in theater and cinema - for them this is an interesting creative challenge. If you know, British actor Eddie Redmayne is nominated for an Oscar this year for his performance as an artist who has undergone gender reassignment surgery (T. Hooper’s film “The Danish Girl”). Today I would like to remember a few others famous films – comedies, whose heroes were forced to dress in women's clothes and play the role of a lady. I looked on the Internet - this topic has been raised more than once, but no one writes about the process of creating an image, but I want to dwell on this.
It would probably be most correct to start not with a movie, but with a play English playwright Brandon Thomas “Aunt Charlie” (we also translate it as “Charley’s Aunt”, English. Charley's Aunt), written back in 1892. The play was extremely popular not only in England, but also abroad; here in Russia, the comedy was first staged by the Korsh Theater in 1894. With the advent of cinema, the play has been filmed more than once since 1915. Our popular version is the TV movie "Hello, I'm your aunt!" But we’ll talk about Donna Rosa (Donna Lucia in the play) later.

Still from the film "Maniacs" 1936

Most famous comedian of all times and peoples Charlie Chaplin dressed as a woman three times in his films (Business Day 1914, Masquerade Mask 1914 and Woman 1915). As critics write, such a reincarnation gave talented actor the opportunity to reveal your mime abilities as widely as possible.

Still from the film "Masquerade Mask" (Charlie Chaplin in the center) and Chaplin in life.

Watch the film - Chaplin is very convincing in the role of a young lady, if you don’t know that a man is playing, you won’t guess (and, by the way, he was touched by the corset under the dress, a trifle, but nice)

But of these three films, "Woman"- perhaps the most famous. Including the scandal that erupted around him.

This sweet, harmless picture was banned by censors in England and Sweden. Critics attacked her with the words: “vulgar!”, “rude!”, “insulting!”, “an actor in underwear?!”, “a man in a dress?!” Well, etc. England woke up earlier; in Sweden they allowed to show the film only in 1931, 16 years later.

Julian Eltinge as a woman and in life.

There is a version that Chaplin was prompted to this cinematic “gender change” by the then popularity of the actor Julian Eltinge (Julian Eltinge). In fact, male actors playing women on stage have been known for a long time (let’s just remember the times of Shakespeare). Here's Julian Eltinge He became famous for his performance of female roles on stage and in films. Moreover, he did not hide the fact that he was a man, and at the end of the performance he took off his wig. They say that this made a strong impression on the audience, because in the role of ladies he looked more than convincing. And in life, he emphasized his masculinity in every possible way: he appeared in public only in men’s dress, in every possible way rejected rumors of his unconventional sexuality (which does not stop historians from suspecting him of this to this day), he was even seen in fights with stage workers who made jokes on this score.
Here's a paradox: Julian playing women is normal, but Chaplin is vulgar...

More photos of Eltinge.

It's interesting that my beloved stepbrother Chaplin Sydney in 1925, he also dressed up in a lady’s dress to play the same Aunt Charlie that I wrote about above.

Charlie in Tramp makeup and Sydney as Donna Lucia. On the right is the photo of Sydney Chaplin in life.

This film is considered one of the most successful adaptations of the play.

Still from the film "Charlie's Aunt" (1925)

Maybe this is not God knows what event in the world of cinema, but I can’t help but write about it: another famous American actor(and my favorite) tried on a female guise in the film "Love Madness" He was handsome William Powell. It's funny that women most often turn out to be unattractive even from very attractive men (Chaplin and Redmayne are exceptions) and are always visually older than their physical years. At least that's how it turned out with Powell.

William Powell in the film "Madness in Love" and in life.

Powell, who all his adult life wore a mustache, he even had to sacrifice it for this role.

Powell in the dressing room.

Compared to Tony Curtis And Jack Lemmon, who played musicians in the film "Only girls in jazz", Powell wasn't that hurt. That's who had to endure all the hardships of acting as an actor. beautiful ladies! Here it was not the mustache that was shaved off, but all the hair on the body that came within the camera’s field of view. And Tony and Jack were forced to wear real heels.

Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon in Some Like It Hot and in their natural looks for the film's promotional photo.

At first they wanted to dress the actors in authentic women's dresses of actresses Debbie Reynolds and Loretta Young. As Curtis said, “their waists were the size of my biceps. I went to Billy Wilder and said, "Billy, would Orry-Kelly make us our dresses?" To which he replied: “Okay, let him do it.” I knew it was a rare occasion because Orry-Kelly doesn't do men's suits, so it was very nice...

Actor Tony Curtis and costume designer Orry-Kelly at a fitting.

...The dresses flowed beautifully down from the waist, but underneath there was a very stiff, dense fabric, and the upper part was made of soft materials..."

Actor Tony Curtis and costume designer (now the photo shows a costume designer! I hope you have already understood the difference in these two professions: “costumer”, i.e. looking after the costume, and “costume designer”, i.e. coming up with the costume)

Once again, actor Tony Curtis and costume designer Orry-Kelly at the fitting.

Curtis continues to recall: "...We wore garter belts, bras, shoes, beautiful cloche hats and those high collars that Olivia de Havilland wore in her early films."

Costume design for the ladies for the film Some Like It Hot by Orry-Kelly.

Actors in makeup and costume.

“The makeup took about 30 minutes.

Makeup artist Emile LaVigne makes Tony Curtis look beautiful...

AND Jack Lemmon

After that we put on costumes and wigs.

Tony Curtis and hair stylist.

An hour and 15 minutes later we were ready.”

Jack Lemmon in character.

Helped actors get into female images American drag queen actor Barbette, former tightrope walker and aerial acrobat. Since childhood, he dreamed of working in a circus, so when one of the duo’s sisters Alpharetta Sisters offered to replace him deceased sister, happily agreed. But a condition was set: you need to perform in a woman’s dress, they say, it is more pleasant for the viewer to admire the fluttering young ladies than the men. Later, Barbet began to work solo, but also in a woman’s dress, however, at the end of the show, he, like Eltinge, tore off his wig.

Barbet in stage image and in life.

Barbet performed at the Moulin Rouge and Folies Bergere, he was admired by all of Paris, he was friends with Diaghilev, Josephine Baker and Anton Dolin. Jean Cocteau admired Barbet immensely and even cast him in his film “The Blood of a Poet.” Cocteau "wooed" Barbette famous photographer Man Ray, who made a whole series of interesting photographs.

Barbet in Man Ray's photo.

But the age of tightrope walkers and aerial acrobats was short, illness began to overcome Barbet and he returned to America, where he directed circuses and staged interesting programs, acted as a consultant on circus issues in cinema and theater. And it was he who was invited to teach Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon how to move correctly when they portrayed ladies. Why did a drag queen work on acting, and not some woman? It's simple, the director didn't want Tony and Jack to play seriously women, he wanted them to portray men who pretend to be women.

However, for the sake of experimentation, Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon walked around the studio in female guise. After they were kicked out of the men's room, they decided that they had succeeded in the images - a scene from our film "Gentlemen of Fortune" immediately comes to mind.

Tony Curtis with his daughter Kelly on the set of Some Like It Hot. 1959

They say that when Orry-Kelly took measurements from all three stars, he half-jokingly told Marilyn Monroe: “Tony Curtis will have a better ass than you,” to which Monroe opened her blouse and said: “But he doesn’t have breasts like that!” » (I wrote about “Women’s tricks. “Naked Dresses” in the film “Some Like It Hot”)

And, of course, I can’t help but remember another popular film - "Tootsie" which brought a lot of suffering to the performer leading role.

Even more than 30 years after the release of this wonderful comedy (which the actor, due to the torment that befell him, does not consider it a comedy), Dustin Hoffman, speaking on one of the television shows, shed a tear, remembering how upset he was when I realized what an ugly lady he makes. “Now I know how important it is for a woman to be confident in her attractiveness. I came home from the audition and cried." But it told him how to play. “When I saw myself on the screen, I realized how uninteresting a woman I am - if I had met myself at a party, I would never have talked to myself."

Dustin Hoffman as Dorothy Michael. The costumes were tailored to hide the Adam's apple.

Tootsie costume designer Ruth Morley.

“I thought that if I was going to be a woman, I had to be beautiful.” His epiphany came when a makeup artist told him that he couldn't make an actor look more attractive than he was.

With director Sydney Pollack.

A blond wig was considered vulgar, so I had to wear a chestnut one. The skin was tightened with adhesive tape. “We shaved our legs, our arms, our backs and our fingers,” Dustin recalled. But the stubble appeared after three to four hours and I had to start the whole procedure all over again. As a result, the actor did not suffer in vain; he received an Oscar nomination for this role, and this comedy is still loved by the people.

On the set of the film "Tootsie".

Well, I'll end my story with a movie “Hello, I’m your aunt!”

Let me repeat that it was based on the play Charlie's Aunt (or Charley's Aunt) by Brandon Thomas. The film had a very modest budget, so it was filmed in television format, in the small Ostankino pavilion. The apparent sense of space was created due to the cameramanship of director Georgy Rerberg. Director Viktor Titov decided to shoot the film in the style of silent cinema, which, firstly, allowed the actors to improvise brilliantly, and secondly, allowed for conventions in costumes and makeup.

“...The most important thing in the work was the memory of the experience of Charlie Chaplin, who once made a short film “Woman”. I also wanted to experience: what is it like? What do these creatures feel and experience in skirts, stockings and other toilet details? Women's suit I settled in diligently, practically not taking off even during lunch breaks. The fact is that these breaks were short, and there were queues at the buffet. If you completely change your clothes: take off your stockings, cape, skirt, etc., you may end up hungry. I never allowed myself this! That's why I took off... only the wig. We looked at the woman with a bald head, to put it mildly, in surprise.

Having played roles in various comedy films, I was firmly convinced that making comedies is not at all as fun as it seems from the outside. For the entire film "Hello, I'm your aunt!" We only really laughed during the filming of the cake fight scene.

The film's budget was small. Costumes - only one copy. There was no time to wash and wait for them to dry. We were warned that there would only be one take per scene. Filmed with two cameras. And so I throw the cake at Dzhigarkhanyan, I see his face covered in cream... and I can’t help myself, I’m crying with laughter. I understand that it’s impossible, but there’s no way I can resist...
It must be said that at that time no one expected that this particular picture would be such a success that, to put it calmly, it would be included in the fate of our country. But now the third generation has grown up, which knows me precisely by “Hello, I’m your aunt!”

Costume designer for the film "Hello, I'm your aunt!" Natalya Kataeva on the set of a program about the film.

The costumes for the film were designed by artist Natalya Kataeva, and I must say, they turned out wonderful!

One can feel the stylization of the early silent film era - 1915.

The dress of the millionaire Dona Rosa and the costume of her pupil are very elegant. The rest of the costumes clearly reflect the characters' personalities.

Kalyagin’s dress, as Natalya Kataeva recalled, is deliberately ridiculous. “I dressed Donna Rosa, departing from the fashion of those years. Her dress is voluminous, the outfit is made of silk, and decorated with... fringe from curtains.

If you believe the Ostankino website (where I got this photo from), then the costumes are from the movie “Hello, I’m your aunt!” are available for rent to everyone(((

I made the gloves myself and the boa too: I bought feathers, dyed them in color and collected them into a scarf.” "We thought about it for a long time women's dress for Alexander Kalyagin,” actress Galina Orlova, who played Betty, Jackie Chesney’s lover, complements this story in another interview, “and in the end they sewed it from a curtain. One got the feeling that his hero, having run into the house, a quick fix I built myself an outfit from curtains.” As you can see, it wasn’t only Scarlett O’Hara who came up with this idea!)

Here you go. Of course, you can remember a lot of films in which actors played women, but, you see, those films that I wrote about above have already stood the test of time, audience love, and have become classics of comedy! Although, I don’t deny, my list is a little subjective ;-)