As is customary, a premiere is not just a theatrical event but also a social one. This time, the organizers suggested an Eastern dress code for the audience. Attendees showcased harem pants, turbans, an abundance of lurex and sequins, with keffiyehs popping up here and there. The Eastern fairy tale, crafted by Dmitry Bogachev (concept and plot author), Andrey Loskutov (playwright), Alexey Ivashchenko (lyricist), and Evgeny Zagot (composer), gathered a maximum of well-known characters: Scheherazade, Ali Baba, the Genie from the lamp, Aladdin, Sultan Suleiman – all met on stage to teach a modern Russian couple, spoiled by false Western values like career and money, how to soar on the wings of love. The performance demonstrates that those young people, for whom “the only thing higher than the mountains may be... deposit interest rates,” can discover their potential for genuine feelings and romantic relationships. To achieve this, they simply need a trip to a 5-star hotel in Turkey on an All Inclusive basis. In other words, no, they need to enter the magical land of All Inclusive! Well, it's essentially the same.
The key was revealed in the very first scene. Zhenya's friends (Yulia Dovganishina) share their impressions of their vacation in Turkey. Zhenya feels envious – her boyfriend, not only for the past five years has shown no desire to marry her, but also takes her nowhere except Norilsk. Max (Pavel Levkin) is a middle manager obsessed with his advertising presentations. He is a good salesman, essentially a true hero of our time. Moreover, he dislikes musicals and doesn't want to waste time on tenderness, making Zhenya's attempts to coax him into romance fruitless. Then the Genie (Alexander Babik) enters, who is also a good salesman. He presents his resume to the couple: it turns out that Einstein's discoveries, the periodic table, and Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" – all of it is his work. The presentation makes an impression. And off the couple goes to an Eastern paradise.
The main surprise, as per the rules of staging, is saved for the “golden ratio” point. Aladdin (Mikhail Pyatikopov), who moonlights as a taxi driver on a flying carpet, picks up Zhenya and Max. And this is where it really gets exciting! Because the characters truly fly on the carpet – it's done incredibly spectacularly. Then they ascend above the carpet, and it looks even more beautiful and cooler.
Everything ends well. Max and Zhenya return home. They intend to bring the fairy tale into their lives. So, returning to the beginning: “The Last Fairy Tale”? God willing, it won’t be the last.