Inspired by the life of Varvara Asenkova, a 19th-century actress who earned great acclaim on St. Petersburg stage before her death at the age of 24.
Acting
Tenyakova captures raw, volatile genius without ever performing it
Production
Lush period detail that smells like greasepaint and faded velvet
Director
Yan Frid
Natalya Tenyakova
Varvara Asenkova
Igor Dmitriev
Nikolai Dyur
Aleksandr Borisov
Aleksandr Gedeonov
Lidiya Shtykan
Aleksandra Asenkova, Varvara's mother
Vladimir Chestnokov
Ivan Sosnitsky
Aleksandr Susnin
Aleksandr Martynov
Vladimir Erenberg
Aleksandr Khrapovitsky
Igor Ozerov
Yuri Glebov
Irina Gubanova
Masha Dontsova
Tatyana Piletskaya
Nadezhda Samsonova
Aleksandr Sokolov
Kulikov
Yulian Panich
Prince Vasily
Geliy Sysoev
Trosnikov
Viktor Kostetsky
Perepelsky
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Asenkova was so forgotten that Frid basically reconstructed her from theatre gossip and two surviving letters.
Tenyakova was 32 playing 19-24; the age gap subtly comments on how young stars age in collective memory.
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