Mystery-Bouffe

Mystery-Bouffe
Written by	Vladimir Mayakovsky
Characters	The Clean The Unclean A Compromiser An Intellectual The Lady with the Hatboxes Devils Saints Jehovah Actors of the Promised Land The Man of the Future
Date premiered	November 18, 1918 (1918-11-18)
Place premiered	Theatre of Musical Drama Petrograd, Russia
Original language	Russian
Setting	The Entire Universe; The Ark; Hell; Paradise; Land of Chaos; The Promised Land

Mystery-Bouffe (Russian: Мистерия-Буфф; Misteriya-Buff) is a socialist dramatic play written by Vladimir Mayakovsky in 1918/1921. Mayakovsky stated in a preface to the 1921 edition that "in the future, all persons performing, presenting, reading or publishing Mystery-Bouffe should change the content, making it contemporary, immediate, up-to-the-minute."^[1]

Mayakovsky defined the theatre as "an arena reflecting life". The play's production laid the foundations of agitational theatre; it was the first experience of political satire in the Soviet theatre. It combined revolutionary pathos, the vocabulary of a mass rally, and the organic nature of a street show with its farcical nature and major key. The play coexists with topical facts of the political moment and poetic and philosophical digressions. The main theme is the unshakable faith in the victory of the people.

The play was written for the anniversary of the 1917 revolution, and was accepted by the Central Bureau to be part of the festivities. The title is likely a reference to the opera buffa/opéra bouffe, comic opera genres popular at the time. This original version was directed and produced by Vsevolod Meyerhold, and the art was done by Kazimir Malevich. The premiere was in the Theatre of Musical Drama on November 7, 1918.

Mayakovsky himself played the role of the "simple man", as well as some bit roles including Methuselah and one of the demons. This version of the play lasted three seasons.

After two years, Mayakovsky reworked the text of his play. This second version premiered in the First Theatre of the RSFSR on May 1, 1921. A printed edition of the second version was released in June of that year. This version of the play lasted about 100 shows.

A 60-minute animated film adaptation of the play was made in 1969, directed by David Cherkasskiy. It was the first animated feature to be made in Ukraine. The Soviet government banned screenings outside of the Ukrainian SSR.^[4] In 2015, the director of the film uploaded it to Youtube.

In 2007, after several decades of the play not being seen anywhere, the Moscow A.R.T.O. theatre put on an updated version of the play which was dubbed "Mystery-Bouffe. The Clean Variant", based on the texts of the first and second versions. It premiered in France on May 1, 2007.^[5]

1. Seven Pairs of the Clean:

1. 1) The Negus of Abyssinia

   2) An Indian Raja

   3) A Turkish Pasha

   4) A Russian Merchant (Speculator)

   5) A Chinese

   6) A Well-fed Persian

   7) Clemenceau

   8) A German

   9) A Russian Priest

   10) An Australian

   11) His Wife

   12) Lloyd George

   13) An American

   14) A Diplomat

1. Seven Pairs of the Unclean:

   1) A Soldier of the Red Army

   2) A Lamplighter

   3) A Truckdriver

   4) A Miner

   5) A Carpenter

   6) A Farmhand

   7) A Servant (Female)

   8) A Blacksmith

   9) A Baker

   10) A Laundress

   11) A Seamstress

   12) A Locomotive Engineer

   13) An Eskimo Fisherman

   14) An Eskimo Hunter

2. A Compromiser
3. An Intellectual
4. The Lady with the Hatboxes
5. Devils:

   1) Beelzebub

   2) Master-of-ceremonies Devil

   3) First Messenger

   4) Second Messenger

   5) Guard

   6) 20 of the Clean with Horns and Tails

6. Saints:

   1) Methuselah

   2) Jean-Jacques Rousseau

   3) Leo Tolstoy

   4) Gabriel

   5) First Angel

   6) Second Angel

   7) Angels.

7. Jehovah
8. Actors of the Promised Land:

   1) A Hammer

   2) A Sickle

   3) Machines

   4) Trains

   5) Automobiles

   6) A Carpenter's Plane

   7) Tongs

   8) A Needle

   9) A Saw

   10) Bread

   11) Salt

   12) Sugar

   13) Fabrics

   14) A Boot

   15) A Board and Lever

9. The Man of the Future

• Act 1 — The entire universe.
• Act 2 — The Ark.
• Act 3 — Hell.
• Act 4 — Paradise.
• Act 5 — Lord of chaos.
• Act 6 — The promised land.

• Mistero Buffo by Dario Fo

• English translation of the 1921 version
• 1918 version (in Russian)
• 1921 version (in Russian)