No. 56 (2): Eliseev
Inside Eliseev Building
Inside Eliseev Food Emporium
The food emporium was located in a large hall at street level whose décor was in an ornate art nouveau style – this photograph of the ceiling was taken recently, since the complete renovation of the interior of Eliseev after 1991.
The building rented out office and commercial space, especially on the upper floors. Banks, Fedorov’s restaurant, a large theater, shops for women’s clothing, military uniforms, optical goods, and pharmaceutical equipment were located there before the revolution. The Eliseev Company sponsored business and bookkeeping courses that were offered inside the building.
In 1904, Nevsky Farce, under the directorship of V. Kazansky, leased the beautiful theater, which was located right above food emporium. The theater was luxuriously decorated in yellow. It had 480 seats on the main floor and two balconies with four loges.
The well-known theater critic A.R. Kugel reviewed the farce “To the Sounds of Chopin” and described a scene that took place on a double bed, with the actors in various stages of undress, suggesting the occasional naughtiness of Nevsky Farce’s productions. According to Yuri Aliansky, the company also staged satirical pieces, such as “March and Farce,” which included characters based on the famous actors Vera Kommisarzhevskaia and Vsevolod Meierhold, and the symbolist poet Valerii Briusov. Bely referred to Nevsky Farce in Petersburg.
To see some images click here.
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