Klavdia Elanskaya was a great actress. At one time, she was a worthy competitor to Alla Tarasova.
Career start
Klavdia Elanskaya, whose biography is still of interest to theater fans, had a rare quality - she was madly in love with her work.
At a very young age she entered the Moscow Art Theater, although at that time her talent was being evaluated low. Nemirovich-Danchenko, a Soviet theater director, spoke of her as too inexperienced, green, but did not deny a good future. And the trust was justified: in 1924, Klavdia became a full member of the art theater troupe, and her career skyrocketed. She devoted her whole life to working at the Moscow Art Theater.
Surge
Elanskaya's first role was Sophia in the production of the classic story "Woe from Wit". The acting of the entire troupe was smashed to pieces by critics: at that time it was fashionable to criticize the Moscow Art Theater. Sofya, who seemed “too whiny” performed by Elanskaya, did not like it either.
The premiere of "Hot Heart" was much more noticeable, in which the actress got the role of Parasha. Real talent was not spoiled even by inexperience - the excitement and poetry of the image ex alted Elanskaya attracted the attention of allcapital Cities. Critics and viewers highly appreciated the ability to convey the bitter wisdom of the Russian people in one fate, the depth of feelings for their heroine.
Recognition
The fact that Klavdia Elanskaya is an actress with a capital letter became clear after the classic play "Three Sisters", in which she played the role of Olga, a mysterious woman with a sonorous melodic voice. From Yelanskaya she inherited a slight shadow of sadness on her face. Well, the actress conveyed both the internal struggle with herself, in which it is impossible to win a complete victory, and the captivity of loneliness, and the pulling longing for unfulfilled dreams. It was a bright, enchanting start in acting work. Elanskaya played an unforgettable role for the next 16 years: exactly five hundred times she reincarnated as Olga again and again, and the full cast of performers managed to travel all over the Soviet Union. After that, no one was able to repeat the stunning success of the performance.
Best role
Elanskaya's greatest role is considered to be Katyusha Maslova in the play "Sunday" based on Tolstoy's novel of the same name. This was a real event for the art theater - the image was played brilliantly. Claudia put her soul into this role, and Katyusha, repulsive, drunk and sinking to the bottom, suddenly appears in all her splendor on stage, proving that true inner beauty never disappears. Elanskaya made the whole hall tremble and, together with the character, experience a whole life full of resentment, anger and deepest despair. She embodied all the bitterness of the common people living under the yoke of those in power. Even now, when you listen to the recording of this performance, the voiceYelanskoy fascinates - it resembles with its purity the ringing of a bell, calling and disturbing.
Private life
Klavdia Elanskaya, whose personal life was not rich or stormy scandalous novels, devoted herself entirely to her husband, Ilya Sudakov, and shared with him all the sorrows of the difficult fate of the director misunderstood at that time. They have two daughters - Irina and Ekaterina, who with dignity took the baton of their parents in love with the theater. When Sudakov fell ill, Claudia abandoned her career and looked after him until the very end. Her husband died on September 1, 1969, after many painful years of bedridden illness.
Personality
Klavdia Elanskaya, whose photo shows us a woman with a deep and slightly sad look, was an exceptionally truthful and kind person. She did not know how and did not want to refuse help to anyone and earned the adoration of almost everyone with whom she worked in her life. People went to this woman for advice, she never participated in behind-the-scenes intrigues and did not tolerate gossip. Elanskaya transferred all her best qualities to her heroines, of whom there were a great many. She was friends with actress Stepanova for many years, although they were completely different in character and temperament.
It was impossible not to recognize such a talent, because the great actress literally breathed the theater, loved to play and experience complex, other people's emotions. This dedication and joy of playing has attracted and mesmerized audiences for years.
Career sunset
Klavdiya Elanskaya loved her theater so much that she died away with it. Her last notable role was Maria Lvovna in the play "Summer Residents". The acting was highly appreciated, but the performance did not receive wide recognition - even the best actors of our time failed to transfer the very essence of Russia at the beginning of the 20th century. The Moscow Art Theater was living out its last years, and this was clear from the languid style, excessive arrogance and ingrained habits that had no place in modern times. Performance after performance, Elanskaya played more and more insignificant roles that could no longer return to their former glory.
Besides, the long illness of her husband could not but affect the actress, and in the 60s she almost completely abandoned her work. Her last role was Melania in the play "Egor Bulychev and Others" directed by Livanov in 1963. The performance turned out to be an unsuccessful attempt to revive the greatness of the Moscow Art Theater, and the director of the theater raised the question of the dismissal of Yelanskaya. For the actress, this was a real blow - the people whom she served faithfully expelled her. She sent a letter full of grief to the management, and Claudius was left in the troupe with half the salary. But the theater was dying inexorably, and Klavdia Yelanskaya devoted herself entirely to her husband and children.
One of her daughters taught acting, and the other was an actress and director, headed the theater "Sphere". Both are no longer alive. Unfortunately, Yelanskaya, like many talented actors, was powerless in the face of the new time. They are foreverremained in the period when conservatism and classical drama were valued. This inability to reveal new facets of her talent became fatal for many - their time has passed, and the theater, to which Claudia devoted her whole life, turned out to be wrong. The Moscow Art Theater survived, replenished with new actors, and the former comrades of the actress ruthlessly expelled her, unable to cope with new trends.
