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Shakespeare Theatre arrives in Moscow after 50-year interval

Performances are to be presented on the stage of the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre

MOSCOW, November 12 (Itar-Tass) — The Moscow theatre-goers are in for a mega-event: the Royal Shakespeare Theater — the pride of the United Kingdom — has come to the Russian capital for a guest tour after a half-a-century interval.

On Monday, the famous company will meet journalists at a news conference at the Marriott Grand Hotel. Then performances are to be presented on the stage of the Moscow Chekhov Art Theatre from November 14 to 17, an official at the directorate of the International Chekhov Festival, the initiator and the main organizer of the world-renowned troupe's guest tour, told Itar-Tass. The tour is being made at the invitation of the Chekhov Festival and under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Culture and the British Council.

This project, incidentally, was upheld at the top level: On September 12, last year, it was approved during a meeting between the leaders of the two countries, Dmitry Medvedev, the then Predident of the RF, and UK Prime Minister David Cameron.

The Shakespeare Theatre performers are to present the play Julius Ceasar, which was premiered quite recently: on May 28, this year. The play is directed by Gregory Doran, new artistic director of the Theatre, whom the authoritative newspaper The Times referred to as the best stage director of Shakespearean plays in his generation.

The Julius Ceasar of 2012 production is a rather audacious experiment: the story related in Shakespeare's great "political thriller" is transferred this time to modern Africa.

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