'Without a Dowry'. ANDREI MUCHNIK

“Without a Dowry” at the School of Dramatic Art is an experimental interpretation of one of the most famous plays by Alexander Ostrovsky. The plot revolves around Larisa, a beautiful, albeit dowry-less young woman. Preyed upon and even gambled over by the rich men of the town, she’s hopelessly in love with the opportunistic Paratov. Dmitry Krymov’s version keeps close to the original text, but adds a few interesting gimmicks, like the characters watching the UEFA European football championship of 2008 (where Russia made it to semi-finals) or showing every character walking along the Volga embankment on a video screen before the actual actors enter the stage. There’s also cheesy karaoke and dancing in drag.