Like in any classical ballet, the main character of The Curtain is a prima ballerina. Unlike the ceremonial ballerina portraits, which can be found in the productions of the past centuries, the character of The Curtain appears with her back to the spectators. Or to be more exact, the spectators are on the other side of the ramp, where they always aspire to get in order to see at least a little how all this is done.
Here is how: the solemn comes hand in hand with the routine, the light of the ramp and success on the stage are replaced by darkness and endless self-chastise (same as in Respighi's music: the organ tune is sublime and radiant, and the strings are scarcely heard, stepping lightly), and the metaphorical rays of glory sometimes turn into an actual searchlight, which is persistently following the ballerina blinding her. Vyacheslav Samodurov staged this portrait-ballet for the Maria Alexandrova, the prima ballerina of the Bolshoi Theatre at the time.
Best Performance of Musical Theater