The tradition of vaudeville in the dramaturgy of B. Ratser and V. Konstantinov. The structure of the genre in vaudeville "Natural Disaster"

The object of this research is vaudeville genre in dramaturgy of Boris Ratser and Vladimir Konstantinov, whose works enjoyed wide popularity among audiences in Soviet theater during the 1970s and 1980s, yet remained on the periphery of scholarly and critical attention. Despite considerable contribution these playwrights have made to the development of Soviet theater, their plays were rarely subjected to analysis, and the genre-specific characteristics of their works remained practically unexplored. The play "Natural Disaster" was chosen as the subject of study, representing a typical example of Soviet vaudeville. Author has attempted to fill the gap in the study of the co-authors' legacy, focusing on the structural and genre features of vaudeville as presented in the works of Ratser and Konstantinov. The study examines characteristic traits of comedic and musical elements, the interaction of stage action with elements of satire, and the features of dramaturgical construction that reflect the specifics of vaudeville. Article is based on use of structuralism, cultural-historical, comparative-historical, descriptive, analytical, and other methods. Novelty of study lies in the fact that, despite well-documented nature of the vaudeville genre in the 19th and early 20th centuries by theater scholars, a significant oversight is the lack of attention to playwrights of the second half of the 20th century, whose work includes vaudeville themes, among whom are certainly Vladimir Konstantinov and Boris Ratser. Result of research includes the gaming strategies of the mentioned playwrights at both plot and stylistic levels, first discovered and studied within the framework of this article. In terms of plot, co-authors employed a popular vaudeville thematic group (matrimonial relationships), combining themes of matchmaking, quarrels between loving spouses, marriage of convenience, courtship of the bride in a competitive manner, and the relationships of lovers hindered by external obstacles. The author studies both the plot-compositional structure of the play and the language of the said vaudeville, which became an essential component in creating a comic effect. The lightness of the dialogue, rich in puns, metaphors, aphorisms, and wordplay, which forms the basis of the play, provides the necessary sparkle and expressiveness to the characters' remarks. The representation of Konstantinov and Ratser’s repris demonstrates a play of wit that finds expression in wordplay.