Among the plays by foreign dramatists staged in theaters, the production “Husband and Wife” was also included—performed with great success at the Main Academic Drama Theater of Turkmenistan named after Saparmyrat Turkmenbashi the Great.

Uzeyir Hajibeyov wrote the operetta “Husband and Wife” in 1909. It was this work that launched the highly successful creative career of the famous Azerbaijani composer. As in all of Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s other musical comedies, the operetta “Husband and Wife” is full of intrigues that the husband and wife set up for each other.

“The first thing we did was adapt the operetta into a musical performance,” explains director Arslan Berdiyev, “and then we rejuvenated the production by about 100 years, focusing on modern fashion rather than the national costumes of the early 20th century. Some songs had to be turned into recitative, but we tried as much as possible to preserve U. Hajibeyov’s music.”

The stage presents an incredible story that unfolds between the spouses. The husband, an avid card player, has grown tired of his wife’s reproaches and decides to divorce her. But in order not to return the bride price, he persuades his friend to marry his wife. She, however, overhears their conversation and writes her husband a letter, pretending to be a young, beautiful, and wealthy woman confessing her love for him. Outwitting him, the wife arrives at the arranged meeting with her face covered, promising to uncover it only after the wedding. And the husband falls into the trap. One can only imagine the look on his face when he discovered that the “bride” was his own wife!

The role of Marjan (the husband) is played by Azat Didarov, and the role of his clever wife Ninnet is performed by Gulshat Tahirova. The lively production, which keeps the audience in tense anticipation from beginning to end, concludes with a cheerful denouement that most delighted the female half of the spectators. The audience fully appreciated both Uzeyir Hajibeyov’s light humor and the work of the creative team of the Main Theater, which gave viewers immense pleasure from watching the performance.