Premiere at Uyghur theatre

Almaty, November 2, 2009 (Khabar) - A premiere of the musical called “Arshin mal alan” by the famous Azerbaijan composer Uzeir Gadzhibekov has taken place at the Uyghur theatre of musical comedy in Almaty.
“Arshin mal alan” is the last and one of the most popular works by Uzeir Gadzhibekov. He wrote it as far back as 1913 and conducted at its first staging himself. This musical comedy enjoyed a massive success and was staged in almost 80 countries worldwide. The older generation remembers this work very well thanks to the musical film of the same name.

There are several versions of it. However, the best one was shot in 1945 on the order of Joseph Stalin. “Arshin mal alan” was one of his favourite works. The star of Azerbaijan musical art Rashid Beibutov was one of those who featured in this film. The comedy’s plot is about a young rich merchant who falls in love with a girl and changes into a street trader in order to meet her.

It is interesting that it was inspired by a true story. The comedy abounds with subtle humour and some parts are still often quoted by people.

Mao Zedong was among those who allowed a staging of this operetta in his country. In China it was performed under the title “Love under cover”. However, its original name was retained at the Uyghur theatre.

Abliz Ushamov, actor:
- We’ve been preparing this play for a month. The director chose the actors who were really destined for it in terms of vocals and dance qualities himself.

Aziz Iskandarov, actor and director:
- The difficulty lay in the fact that this play was staged here before and there were people who’ve seen those actors and that performance. So many people were comparing it during the performance.

“Arshin mal alan” is being performed on the stages of four theatres in Kazakhstan at the moment. According to theatre critics, this is an eternal work which will never lose its relevance.