April 17 marks the anniversary of Lidia Ivanovna Rzhetskaya (1899–1977), a famous Belarusian actress of theatre and cinema, who left a bright mark in the history of Belarusian theatrical art.
Lidia Ivanovna Rzhetskaya was born in Minsk in the family of a priest. The theatre entered her life in her youth. During her studies at the Mariinsky Gymnasium, Lydia successfully performed at literary and artistic evenings, where she performed romances by Russian and foreign composers. After graduating from high school, she met V. Krylovich, who played on the amateur stage. It was he who interested the girl in the touring performances of Russian and Ukrainian troupes. It so happened that during the performances in Minsk of the Ukrainian Sagaidachny Theatre in the play "Unhappy Love" she had to replace the sick actress. Lydia played the role of the main character and after such a close acquaintance with the stage, she could no longer imagine her life without the theatre. L. Rzhetskaya began her professional acting career in 1916 in the Belarusian Hut club, created by the Minsk branch of the Belarusian Society for war victims. The first role that the actress played in the club was Pronka in the play "A boor" (according to E. Ozheshka). From 1917 to 1920 She worked in the First Association of Belarusian Drama and Comedy, since 1921 – at the Belarusian State Theatre (now the National Academic Theatre named after Ya. Kupala).
L. Rzhetskaya's work on stage was distinguished by a wide creative range: she performed roles in dramatic and comedy performances with equal success. The created images are characterized by vital truth, depth of thought, simplicity of execution, nationality, soft lyricism and humor. Special recognition was given to the roles in the Belarusian repertoire, in which L. Rzhetskaya revealed the character of a simple woman, her courage and perseverance in trials, the desire for goodness and beauty, and love of life. She gave a brilliant stage life to the characters of the performances "Motherland" by K. Chorny (the role of the Mother), "The end of friendship" by K. Nettles (the role of Natalia), "Lark" Z. Byaduli (the role of Kaspariha), "Who laughs the last" K. Nettles (the role of Aunt Katya), etc. The role of Alzbeta from the play by Y. Kupala "Paulinka" stands out in particular, which the actress performed with subtle humor, showed in this image the richness of the national language, its richness of proverbs and sayings.
Lidia Rzhetskaya as Avdotya in the film performance "Pyayut zhavaranki" by K. Krapiva
An important place in the work of L. Rzhetskaya was occupied by the plays of A. Ostrovsky. The images she created of Shablova ("Late Love"), Domna Panteleevna ("Talents and Fans"), Murzavetskaya ("Wolves and Sheep"), Kukushkina ("Profitable Place"), Kruchinina and Galchikha ("Guilty without guilt") they became the best evidence of how organically the works of the Russian playwright sound on the Belarusian stage.
Lydia Rzhetskaya as Murzavetskaya in the play "Wolves and Sheep" by A. Ostrovsky
Lydia Rzhetskaya as Kukushkina in the play "Profitable place" by A. Ostrovsky
The actress in the Moliere comedy "The Miser" created a wonderful image of a charming, mocking and audacious Frazina. In Russian and world drama, L. Rzhetskaya combined a traditional approach to the classics with a modern understanding of it and her own original interpretation of images.
Lydia Rzhetskaya as Marfa in the play "Blizzard" by L. Leonov
The actress gained wide popularity thanks to her performances on the Belarusian radio. She also acted in films. Among the most famous feature films are "Who Laughs Last", "Our Neighbours", "The Clock Stopped at Midnight", "Sasha–Sashenka", etc.
Lidia Ivanovna Rzhetskaya has passed a long and interesting creative path: from a participant in gymnasium concerts to a professional master of performing arts. Her work was highly appreciated by the state. Lidiya Ivanovna received honorary titles of People's Artist of the BSSR (1944) and People's Artist of the USSR (1955). For creating the image of Avdotya Verbitskaya in K. Krapiva's play "Larks Sing", the actress was awarded the USSR State Prize (1951). She was awarded the Orders of the Red Banner of Labour (1940, 1948), Lenin (1967) and the October Revolution (1974), and medals. In 1999 a postal envelope dedicated to the 100th anniversary of her birth was issued.
Information about one of the best and favorite actresses of the Kupala theatre can be found if you refer to the resources of the National Library of Belarus: the electronic catalog and the online encyclopedia "Belarus in persons and Events".
The material was prepared by the Research Department of Bibliography.
