The Saint Petersburg State Academic Drama Theater "Komedianty" (The Comedians) is a Saint Petersburg theater that has operated since Soviet times. The theater's artistic director is Mikhail Levshin. The theater is connected to Nizhny Novgorod through touring visits, including a documented visit in May 2000, as well as the death of one of the company's actors.

Tour in Nizhny Novgorod (2000)

In May 2000, the Komedianty theater performed on the stage of the Nizhny Novgorod Opera and Ballet Theater from May 20 to 22.[1] Two productions were presented to adult audiences: the Russian classic vaudeville "Trouble from a Tender Heart" after the play by Sollogub (May 20 and 22 at 6:00 p.m.) and "Passions, Italian-Style," a production based on works by the Italian comic playwright Eduardo De Filippo (May 21 at 6:00 p.m.).[1]

The children's program included three productions: the musical fairy tale "Puss in Boots" based on Charles Perrault (for children ages 4 to 10), a production titled "A Village Was Riding Past a Peasant," based on Russian folk tales, rhymes, and nursery jingles, and the "School Laugh-Panorama" for older children.[1]

Death of the actor Gennady Spiridenkov

The theater's actor Gennady Valentinovich Spiridenkov (April 10, 1956 – September 12, 2026), known for roles in Russian television series, died in the hospital after he fell ill during a performance on the stage of the Komedianty theater. According to Mikhail Levshin, an ordinary rehearsal had taken place the day before, and the actor had been in good spirits and looked healthy. When Spiridenkov collapsed on stage, the artistic director at first took it for an improvised bit of staging — in the plot, the actor's character discovers that women pay no attention to him. Colleagues called two ambulance crews; the doctors restored his heartbeat and took the actor to the hospital, but they were unable to save him.

Sources

  1. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" — These days the Saint Petersburg State Academic Theater "Komedianty" is on tour in Nizhny Novgorod. Nizhny Novgorod News (archive)
Materials from the following articles were used (1)

Death of Gennady Spiridenkov