The Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg canceled performances by Boris Akunin

The Alexandrinsky Theater in St. Petersburg canceled performances of “One eight eight eight one” based on the play by Boris Akunin. They had to go to the stage of the theater for three days. Spectators are offered to get money back for tickets.

A new schedule has been published on the theater’s website. Deputy of the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg Borys Vyshnevsky drew attention to the cancellation.

Akunin’s name was not mentioned in the theater’s program and advertising materials. The author of the performance is the director-producer Valery Fokin.

Akunin’s surname as the author of the play disappeared from the posters of Aleksandrinsky and some other Russian theaters in October 2022. The writer himself said that the theaters did it at the request of the prosecutor’s office. He said then that he does not condemn the theaters, realizing that they have to work under pressure. Akunin expressed his desire that his performances continue to be available to the Russian public, even anonymously.

“One Eight One One” is a historical drama about the end of the reign of Alexander the Second and the accession to the throne of Alexander the Third in the Russian Empire in 1881.

In December of last year, a criminal case was initiated against Boris Akunin on articles about fakes about the Russian army and public justification of terrorism. This was followed by the cancellation of performances based on Akunin’s works in several Russian theaters.

The AST publishing house announced that it is suspending the distribution of Akunin’s books, as well as Dmytro Bykov’s. Their books were withdrawn from sale in the chain of stores “Chitai-horod – Bookvoed”. Another publishing house, Zakharov, which also published Akunin’s works, was searched.

• Boris Akunin (real name Hryhory Chkhartyshvili) is a popular Russian writer and translator. He repeatedly criticized the policy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, condemned the annexation of Crimea and the war in Ukraine. Lives in London since 2014. Entered by the Ministry of Justice of Russia in the list of foreign agents.