The play "Una donna tutta sola" ("A Lonely Woman") was written in 1977 by the married couple Franca Rame and Dario Fo, as part of a cycle of five monologues titled "Tutta casa, letto e Chiesa" (lit. "All House, Bed, and Church"). The five plays — Il risveglio ("The Awakening"), Una donna tutta sola ("A Lonely Woman"), La mamma fricchettona ("The Freak Mother"), "The Same Old Story," and "Medea" — are five female monologues that debunk the obsessive sexuality of men and a world revolving around masculinity.
The female universe unfolding through these monologues is filled with biting irony and a wrenching cry. It is inhabited by stereotypically submissive yet unconquered women, relegated to a secondary role by a male-dominated society. Since its Milan premiere in 1977, the situation regarding women's rights in the world has somewhat improved, but equal opportunities remain an unattainable ideal.
The monologue of Maria was first performed by Franca Rame herself. This is the story of a woman torn between baby powder and grated parmesan, a paralyzed perverted brother-in-law and a small child, a cruel husband and an infantile lover; fending off phone harassers, creditors, and a voyeur with binoculars.
Laundress, cook, maid, nurse — all of these are Maria. And Maria is every woman trapped in the Procrustean bed of daily life, family, and misunderstanding from loved ones, the world, and most importantly — from herself. After all, even love remained a mystery to her for a long time. On her wedding day, she thought love had finally entered her life — but it turned out that a husband had arrived. A young teacher, who would later fall in love with her, seemingly gives her a true feeling. But here, too, disappointment awaits her.
Scenes from the play "The Neighbor." Photo: Galina Naumenko / "Other Beasts"
The heroine of the play came to life on stage several times. In 1981, in London, it was directed by Michael Bogdanov as part of the triptych One Woman Plays (along with "Waking Up" and "The Same Old Story") for actress Yvonne Bryceland. In 1982-1983, audiences in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban saw the play. In 2011, the play was staged at the Cape Town theater Play.House.Productions, adapted to the South African context — actress Jess Harrison performed in the production. In the CIS, the play has been staged in Almaty, St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Seversk.
On June 16, the theatrical project "Other Animals" presented a play in Russian in Tashkent.
What is this "Zveri" thing?
The theater-studio "Other Beasts" was founded in the spring of 2022. Initially, the troupe consisted of producer and project founder Murtas Kazhgaliyev, directors Maria Tikhomolova and Rustam Musakulov, American actor and teacher Judson Wright, as well as actors Rafael Babadzhanov, Yulia Plakida, and Anastasia Pryadkina. Soon, photographer Anna Shishkina, actress Galina Borisova, and her French colleague Adrian Ugge joined the collective.
As always in such cases, it happened by accident. We wanted to do an evening on the topic of animals, and there was a book by [Gerald] Durrell, 'My Family and Other Animals'. It seemed to us like a rather interesting title. Animals, but other
Murtaz Kazgaleev
"Other Beasts" does not have a fixed cast—there is only an established creative core of ten people. The theater collaborates with actors and directors on a project-by-project basis.
"Other Beasts" call themselves an independent theater where actors and directors can realize what cannot be done in institutional spaces. The founders consciously abandoned limitations on format and duration of productions — for the sake of being able to speak freely about important matters.
This is an actor's and author's theater: every production is born from a personal impulse—without restrictions on theme, genre, or form. The only censorship, if it exists at all, is internal. The main distinction of "Other Beasts" from classic state theaters is limited resources. The team lacks its own stock of scenery, professional technical equipment, powerful lighting. Everything is built on strong texts and the actors' craft.
Kazhgaleev notes that the lack of constant funding is the flip side of independence. The state does not provide material support to the theater, and relying entirely on patrons, in his opinion, is risky: "today there is a patron — tomorrow there is none."
Theater is not the most profitable investment. Are we financially stable? You could say yes. Because we have almost no money. Everything runs on enthusiasm, everyone contributes a little. We exist because we want to make art, not for profit.
Murtaz Kazgaleev
Who are "Other Beasts" having a dialogue with?
The audience at "Other Beasts" is diverse: from those over fifty who are not first-time attendees to young people who closely follow theater and know exactly what they're looking for. There are more women in the audience—a common characteristic of theatergoers. The theater's founder notes that the proximity of the stage to the auditorium favorably distinguishes "Other Beasts" from most other theaters.
Independent theater is closer to the audience. The difference is not whether it is "traditional" or "contemporary," but whether it is good or not. Contemporary theater is a theater that speaks to the audience here and now.
Murtas Kazhgaliyev
While embracing the freedom of creative expression and speaking openly about the personal, "Other Beasts" carefully respects the viewer's personal boundaries."We don't use much interactivity—the idea of forced involvement is not close to us. We sometimes use it, but carefully. When there's nothing to say, many resort to involvement, to invading the viewer's personal space," believes Murtaz Kazhgaliyev.
Stage performances are held monthly in various locations: at the Human House gallery in Tashkent, at the Greek Cultural Center, at the "Khamsa" art studio, and at the French Alliance. Over two years, "Other Beasts" have created about 40–50 small-scale pieces, from which 4–5 full-length theatrical evenings lasting from one to one and a half hours can be assembled.
A performance that pretends to be light
"Other Animals" included "The Neighbor" in their repertoire to address several internal objectives simultaneously: to give the actress space for expression, to reveal the director's vision, to re-voice the text written in Italy in the mid-20th century, which has not lost its relevance. It was important to tell this story without pressure, moralizing, or accusations—calmly, precisely, with lightness. The production is structured so that the audience suddenly begins to feel another's pain as their own.
The lead actress Galina Borisova joined "The Other Beasts" in January 2024. She has dozens of roles at the "Ilkhom" Theater under her belt: Cornelia in "Tortilla Flat Quarter," Phaedra in "Tsvetaeva. Phaedra," Sophia in "The Son," and many other characters played with complete dedication. The play by Dario Fo and Franca Rame was offered to her by Murtas Kazhgaleev. He initially hesitated: would an actress of such caliber agree to participate in what is essentially an experimental, chamber production?
When it became clear she would agree, the next stage began—the search for a director. Ultimately, this role fell to Maria Tikhomolova.
For Tikhomolova herself, working on "The Neighbor" became an opportunity to fulfill a long-standing dream—to stage a one-woman show. However, finding a text that would match her intonation proved difficult. The play was suggested by none other than Murthaz Kazhgaliyev. She was drawn not so much by the social content, but by the chance to tell a story where the funny and the sad, the mundane and the painful, the tragicomic and the bitterly comical exist on equal footing.
This is not abstraction, not absurdity. I love such forms, but I've simply grown tired of them. I wanted something simple, funny, sad, bitter, and sweet all at once.
Maria Tikhomolova
"The Neighbor" in Tikhomolova's interpretation materialized as a play, "which passes quickly, requires no effort to understand: 'What was that?' — as if they showed you an equation, and you have to solve it." Against the backdrop of the contemporary stage, where a play increasingly becomes a platform for political or social statements, "The Neighbor" consciously avoids slogans and a frontal position. It does not fight, does not justify itself, does not impose — but calls for listening.
Now, it seems to me, everything in our theater has become too speculative. The logic is too visible, some concept, as if there is an obligation to bear social responsibility... Of course, that's important. But you're not always obliged to be a mouthpiece, to fight and make statements.
Maria Tikhomolova
The social context in the play does not dominate, but it is palpable—it grows out of specific situations. The story of the Italian "Neighbor" resonates with the situation of women in Uzbekistan, and the local context acquires a global resonance. The play becomes a conversation about a woman's right—to a voice, to a choice, to disagreement.
"I know women who have run away, who have been beaten - and still got into that man's car and drove off. I cannot stop that car. I can only put on a play. And if someone starts to think - that's already good," says Maria Tikhomolova.
