A Drink with the Devil
An Immersive Adaptation of The Master and Margarita

“Follow me, reader! Who told you that there is no true, faithful, eternal love in this world! May the liar's vile tongue be cut out! Follow me, my reader, and me alone, and I will show you such a love!”

Introduction

A Drink with the Devil is an immersive theatre piece inspired by Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. The National Institute of Dramatic Arts will be transformed into 1930’s Moscow and audience members may explore and follow various characters as they please.
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The Master and Margarita’s narrative structure is perfect for a choose-your-own-adventure immersive experience. Bulgakov’s profound novel is already a narrative amusement park, filled with overlapping events and dozens of unique characters crossing paths. What better way to experience his text than by inviting people to navigate Moscow as Woland and demons bombard the city with mischief and mayhem?


​Use of NIDA's Facilities

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The entirety of NIDA’s facilities (as much as is practical, anyway) will be set-dressed to host this production’s many site-specific performances. (Note to the panel, I’ve had to guestimate some of these choices since I don't have a layout of the building and it’s been many years since I have walked through the facilities.)

  • NIDA’s atrium will double as Griboyedov’s House and Satan’s ball. The Atrium will serve as the start and ending point (“home base”) for audience members.

  • The Parade Theatre will be The Variety Theatre.

  • The Playhouse Theatre will become Woland’s residence, Apartment 50 of the Bolshaya Sadovaya

  • The Space Theatre will become Pilate’s realm, an abstract impression of Yerushalayim.

  • James Fairfax Foyer will become the Sanitorium.

  • The Studio Theatre will be Margarita’s realm (undecided if this should be her apartment or the streets of moscow, etc)
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  • Rehearsal studios will become various apartments and offices in Moscow.

Balancing Many Tones

The Master and Margarita is a masterpiece of a novel. At first glance, it is a cleverly crafted farce; a strange blend of Mel Brooks meets Kafka. In my proposed staging, farcical scenes will utilize sight gags, slapstick, satire, and comedic chaos. Some comedic reference points are Beetlejuice, Citizen Ruth, and The Thin Man series.

Deeper into the text, especially upon reaching Book 2, The Master and Margarita becomes a fantastical romance, lush and bittersweet. I want to evoke archetypal images of Lovers facing Fantastic Challenges. Other tales that fit this tone include Orpheus, Dracula/Carmilla, and any number of Neil Gaiman stories.
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At its core, The Master and Margarita is a book written by a dying man. What turns Bulgakov’s novel from art to masterpiece are his profound meditations on forgiveness and death. Discovering the right tone for this will require nuance, subtlety, and tremendous work. In the performance, this element will be set up by Pontius Pilate then underscore the finale. This emotional landscape is akin to Sibelius’s Violin Concerto in D Minor or David Bowie’s Black Star Album.

Narrative Structure

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A Drink with the Devil is a 90 minute performance piece broken up into segments:

  • The first 15 minutes introduces the world of the play, the tone, and many characters.​
    • Audience members arrive at Griboyedov’s House, a jazz band plays, characters mill about, drinks are passed around. Cabaret-style performances may be staged.
    • The action is interrupted by a crazed Ivan. Once he is dragged to the Sanitorium, Koroviev takes the stage.
    • Koroviev invites the audience to explore Moscow as they please.

  • The 30 minutes that follow are dedicated to the ensemble of Moscow’s inhabitants. Primarily   farce and mischief, this sequence will culminate in with absolute havoc.

  • An intermission may be included if necessary.

  • The following 30 minutes are dedicated to Margarita’s story. Magical, abstract, and surreal, this portion ends with Satan’s Ball.
    • Margarita does not enter the show until this sequence begins.
    • Many performers playing small roles as Muscovites in the earlier part will double as the dead guests at Satan's Ball.  

  • 15 minute epilogue.
    • All audience members will be corralled back to the Atrium for a dreamlike sequence.
    • The final moments of the show will be a transformative movement sequence implying the final few chapters of the book.

Overall Visual Design

A Drink with the Devil should visually reference both the grotesque soviet humor of Hen His Wife and the lush beauty of Yuri Norstein’s Seasons. The first half of the show should depict a more naturalistic “real world,” visited by powerful forces of mischief. At the halfway point, once Margarita enters, the design world should invert; a surreal and dreamlike quality should invade the atmosphere.

Scenic Design Ideas

Griboyedov’s Restaurant

​In A Drink With’s The Devil, Griboyedov’s is a Soviet take on the Coconut Grove. An open and elegant nightclub with art deco flourishes. Because this space will double as Satan’s Ball, the more open and simple it is the better.

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​Woland’s Apartment

Woland’s space should feel teutonic and cold, using of a lot of brass, silver, dark purples and blues. I would ask my designer to use strange angles, Crowleyian esoteric symbols, and geomancy. 


​Annoushka’s Apartment

A tiny Soviet apartment that smells like cabbage. Her space is very much defined props. A dented old samovar with fresh tea would be a nice touch.

Satan’s Ball

​For Satan’s Ball, Wolland will cast electronic veil over Griboyedov’s. Using projector design and/or blacklight, the ball should evoke Mexican woodcuts and Kenny Scharf.

Satan's Ball should feel like a space outside of time. 

Casting

A Drink with the Devil requires a large cast and a diverse range of performance skills. I would cast entirely from NIDA’s acting school, working with performers to strengthen the improvisation and concentration needed to perform on tracks and occasionally interact with audience members. Below is a breakdown for just a few of the major roles in the show.

Margarita 
Regal, poised, and devastatingly witty. Actors with these qualities include Lily Rabe or Julianna Margulies, Gina Torres.

Ivan Nikolayevich
This role needs a performer who can capture Ivan’s journey from arrogant and debonair poet to anxious madman to changed philosopher. Lee Pace or Gene Wilder types, for example.

Behemoth
Woland’s clown, the mischievous Tom Cat, should played by a comedic character actress of short stature.  Experience with acrobatics and/or musical theatre a plus.

Koroviev
Lanky, fluid, trickster figure. Also must be comfortable with musical theatre. An Alan Cumming type

Annushka
​Rich with conedic relief, this chatterbox busy body babushka wants nothing more than to feed you cabbage soup and gossip about her neighbors. Carol Kane was born to play this role.

The Master
I am really really tempted to reimagine the Master as a woman. This would heighten the taboo nature of their relationship as well as allude to Russia’s longstanding difficulties with homophobia. An actor who plays the master must be a dynamic character actor with a serious gaze and a tender touch. Sarah Paulson or Lena Headey, for example.

Woland
As the dark prince himself, this performer needs to be the iron will that his gang of misfits orbit around. Menacing and seductive, someone with the composure of Mads Mikkelson and/or the vitality of Bobby Cannavle.

Azazello
A large and imposing figure with an elegant charm. Think Laurence Fishburne.

The storylines and characters an audience member encounters may vary based on how they navigate the space. Other characters they may encounter are the Nikanor Ivanovich, Ivan Savelyevich,Grigory Danilovich, Andrei Fokich, Natalya, Nikolai Ivanovich, Archibald Archibaldovich, Doctor Stravinsky, The members of Masolit, Militia, and general Muscovites.

Sound Design and Music

From the atmospheric sounds of bustling 1930’s Moscow to the supernatural elements, this production is an ambitious sound designer’s dream. Sound design will be especially important to both craft the world and cue the actor’s during vital moments.

At Griboyedev’s a live jazz band would ideal, but classic 1930’s Russian jazz records (like Leonid Utyosov) also work.

Korol I Shut (literally Kings and Jesters) is a Russian Horror punk band that uses fantastical imagery in their songs. While they are a bit anachronistic, it would be easy and interesting to put them through an Old Vinyl audio filter.
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In Bulgakov’s book, Satan’s Ball includes Jazz and Classical orchestras. Considering its jungle setting, you end up with a problematic depiction of race and culture. I would want to sidestep this and use synth and electronic ambient music for this scene. Pieces from The Original Soundtrack to Beyond the Black Rainbow, Disparition, and The Venetian Snares all posses and otherworldly menace, sexuality, and dance rhythm.

Annushka only listens to circassian folk music. On repeat.

The final moments of the show will be an abstract and lyrical dance to Aleksandr Soynikov‘s Der Meister und Margarita. It is a nuanced and dramatic piece of music inspired by the novel. 

Costume Design

The normal inhabitants of Moscow should have naturalistic outfits, based on time period appropriate sewing patterns, but perhaps with slightly more surreal fabric patterns. Characters and scenes that are more fantastical (Woland and his gang, visitors to Satan’s Ball) should go as art deco surreal as possible.
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Fashion designers to reference include Elsa Schiaparelli, Gilbert Adrian, and Leon Bakst.

Thank you for reading!