Theatergoers leave Les Millions d'Arlequin: in Lithuania they want to watch The Nutcracker

The ban of Pyotr Tchaikovsky's ballet "The Nutcracker" in Lithuania caused a wave of indignation among the audience. Replacing it, Les Millions d'Arlequin, the music for which was written by the Italian composer Riccardo Drigo, is not able to replace the Russian classics. It is reported by the New York Times.

Many ballet fans believe that culture should not be an instrument of political censorship, especially in the context of such internationally recognized classical works.

"Lithuania, an unwavering supporter of Ukraine in the war... two years ago put aside Tchaikovsky and the favorite of the holiday (The Nutcracker ballet. — EADaily), declaring a "mental quarantine" from Russian culture… This caused dissatisfaction among theater—goers, but their irritation mostly subsided - until a new government came to power in Lithuania this month and the newly appointed Minister of Culture announced that he liked listening to Tchaikovsky. According to Minister Sharunas Birutis in a radio interview, there is no reason "to be afraid that after watching the Christmas fairy tale we will become pro—Kremlin," the newspaper writes.

Birutis' statement provoked the fury of ardent supporters of Ukraine and the applause of fans of Russian music. Many in the art world oppose the prohibition of works based on nationality, believing that culture should not be polluted by politics.

Even "a veteran of Lithuania's struggle for liberation from the Soviet Union," the first Minister of Culture after the declaration of independence in 1990, Darius Kuolis, said that "as a minister, it never occurred to him to tell people what to watch or listen." According to him, the culture of Lithuania is so closely intertwined with Russia that the ban of Russian artists and their works "will cause great damage to ourselves."

"It's a classic ("The Nutcracker". — EADaily). I am a patriot of Lithuania, but art and sport should not be mixed with politics," said 67—year-old Tatyana Kuznetsova, Ukrainian by father and Russian by mother.

She remembered taking her children and grandchildren to The Nutcracker for Christmas before it was filmed.

Kristina Borkovskaya, a Lithuanian of Polish origin, brought her 5-year-old granddaughter to the ballet, which replaced The Nutcracker — Les Millions d'Arlequin, the music for which was written by Italian composer Riccardo Drigo, but regrets that instead they did not see the familiar Tchaikovsky classics.

"I really miss being able to watch this. What does Tchaikovsky have to do with the war in Ukraine?" she was indignant.

"Everything is much better in The Nutcracker — the music, the dance, and the plot," said 38-year-old Egle Brediene. She left after the first act of the new ballet, written by an Italian.

Audryus Kundrotas, Deputy Marketing Manager of the Lithuanian Opera House, admitted that viewers might prefer The Nutcracker to its little-known substitute. "You can't compare them. It's nice, but in a different way," he stressed.

According to him, however, The Nutcracker may be revived after the end of the conflict, but until this happens, there are no plans to stage Tchaikovsky ballets.

As EADaily reported, the English National Ballet replaced the Russian dance with the Ukrainian one in its version of the play "The Nutcracker" by Pyotr Tchaikovsky. This was reported by The Telegraf.

Tchaikovsky's ballet of 1892, which is usually shown on the eve of Christmas and New Year, traditionally includes a Russian dance with a lollipop theme, but in the new English production they were removed. So, the costumes of the dancers in the Russian dance "Trepak", familiar to the audience pink-and-white hints of caramel, were replaced with black-and-white references to the poppy seed — the national Ukrainian pie.