Alexander Ivanovich Platonov (russian: Александр Иванович Платонов, 1871–1934) was a Russian and Soviet
stage actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lite ...
and reader in drama, better known under his stage name Adashev (Адашев) and associated with the
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre (or MAT; russian: Московский Художественный академический театр (МХАТ), ''Moskovskiy Hudojestvenny Akademicheskiy Teatr'' (МHАТ)) was a theatre company in Moscow. It was f ...
, in 1898–1913.
Biography
Among his best-received parts there were those of Bassanio (''
The Merchant of Venice
''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock.
Although classified as ...
'', 1898), the Messenger (''
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...
'', 1899), Orcino (''
Twelfth Night
''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...
'', 1899), Alyoshka (''
The Lower Depths
''The Lower Depths'' (russian: На дне, translit=Na dne, literally: ''At the bottom'') is a play by Russian dramatist Maxim Gorky written in 1902 and produced by the Moscow Arts Theatre on December 18, 1902 under the direction of Konstantin ...
'', 1902), Molchalin (''
Woe from Wit
''Woe from Wit'' (, also translated as "The Woes of Wit", "Wit Works Woe", ''Wit's End'', and so forth) is Alexander Griboyedov's comedy in verse, satirizing the society of post-Napoleonic Moscow, or, as a high official in the play styled it, "a ...
'', 1906), Grandfather ('' The Blue Bird'', 1908) and Zemlyanika (''
Revizor
''The Government Inspector'', also known as ''The Inspector General'' ( rus, links=no, Ревизор, Revizor, literally: "Inspector"), is a satirical play by Russian dramatist and novelist, Nikolai Gogol. Originally published in 1836, the pla ...
'', 1908), of which he was the first performer at MAT.
In 1906 he became the head of the Adashev Drama Courses (with such masters as
Leopold Sulerzhitsky
Leopold Antonovich Sulerzhitsky (russian: Леопольд Антонович Сулержицкий; September 27, 1872 – December 30, 1916) was a Russian theatre director, painter and pedagogue of Polish descent. He is associated with the Mosc ...
,
Richard Boleslawski
Richard Boleslawski (born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki; February 4, 1889 – January 17, 1937) was a Polish theatre and film director, actor and teacher of acting.
Biography
Richard Boleslawski was born Bolesław Ryszard Srzednicki on February ...
,
Vasily Kachalov
Vasily Ivanovich Kachalov (russian: Василий Иванович Качалов; – 30 September 1948), was one of Russia's most renowned actors. He worked closely and often with Konstantin Stanislavski. He led the so-called Kachalov Group wit ...
,
Vasily Luzhsky
Vasily Vasilyevich Luzhsky (russian: Василий Васильевич Лужский, born Kaluzhsky, Калужский; 31 December 1869, — 2 July 1931, Moscow, USSR) was a Russian, Soviet stage actor, theatre director and pedagogue, assoc ...
and
Nina Litovtseva
Nina Nikolayevna Levestamm (russian: Нина Николаевна Левестамм, 12 January 1878 – 8 April 1956) was a Russian and Soviet stage actress, associated with Moscow Art Theatre, known under her stage name Litovtseva (russian: ...
, teaching). Soon the courses became immensely popular and acquired the status of a preliminary school for actors willing to join MAT. Alumni included
Evgeny Vakhtangov
Yevgeny Bagrationovich Vakhtangov (also spelled Evgeny or Eugene; russian: Евге́ний Багратио́нович Вахта́нгов; 13 February 1883 – 29 May 1922) was a Russian-Armenian actor and theatre director who founded the ...
,
Serafima Birman
Serafima Germanovna Birman (russian: Серафима Германовна Бирман, link=no; – 11 May 1976) was a Soviet and Russian actress, theatre director and writer. People’s Artist of the RSFSR (1946).Adashev's biography at the Moscow Art Theatre site.Alexander Adashev at the Russian Theatre Encyclopedia.