War & Peace

Dubai Opera, in collaboration with M Premiere, proudly present the regional debut of War and Peace, a breathtaking stage adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s monumental masterpiece, exploring the deepest questions of love, destiny, and the human spirit in times of conflict.

Directed by the acclaimed Rimas Tuminas, this landmark production was originally created in 2021 to mark the centenary of the legendary Vakhtangov State Academic Theatre of Russia. Since its premiere, it has captivated audiences worldwide with more than 100 sold-out performances, earning praise from leading critics and audiences for its emotional depth, visual splendour, and artistic ambition.

At the core of Tuminas’s vision is Tolstoy’s profound belief that “the family is life’s mirror.” Through the intertwined paths of the Rostovs, the Bolkonskys, and the Kuragins, War and Peace illuminates the tenderness of love, the weight of loss, and the resilience that defines us in moments of upheaval, all set against the sweeping drama of the Napoleonic Wars.

Uniting celebrated actors of stage and screen with the Vakhtangov Theatre’s most exceptional young talents, this epic five-hour theatrical odyssey unfolds through powerful performances, evocative music, and striking visual poetry. It is a rare opportunity to experience Tolstoy’s world brought to life with extraordinary emotional and artistic force.

The idea, literary composition and staging – Rimas Tuminas

Set design – Adomas Jacovskis

Costumes – Mariya Danilova

Composer – Giedrius Puskunigis

Choreographer – Angelica Cholina

Lighting design – Alexander Marveev with Damir Ismagilov assistance

Scriptwriter – Maria Peters

Literary consultant – Elena Kniazeva

Assistant directors – Eldar Tramov and Gulnas Balpeisova

Scene speech trainer – Vera Kamyshnikova

Make-up design – Olga Kaliavina

Sound directors – Ruslan Knushevitsky and Matvey Rodionov

Stage managers – Natalya Menshikova and Irina Gromova

Cast:

The Rostovs

Count Ilya Andreyevich Rostov – Sergey Makovetskiy

Countess Natalya Rostova – Irina Kupchenko

his wife

Vera – Asya Domskaya

their elder daughter

Natasha – Kseniya Treyster

their youngest daughter

Nikolay – Yuriy Tsokurov

their son

Sonia – Irina Smirnova

their cousin

The Bolkonskys

Prince Nikolai Andreich Bolkonsky – Evgeny Knyazev

Andrey – Yuriy Poliak

his son

Maria – Polina Chernyshova

his daughter

Liza – Mariya Berdinskikh

Prince Andrey’s wife

Mademoiselle Bourienne – Anastasiya Zhdanova

Princess Maria’s companion

Count Pyotr Kirillovich (“Pierre”) Bezukhov – Denis Samoylov

The Kuragins

Prince Vasily Sergeyevich Kuragin – Andrey Zaretskiy

Elena (Hélène) – Anna Antonova

his daughter

Anatole – Vladimir Logvinov

his son

The Drubetskys

Princess Anna Mikhaylovna Drubetskaya – Mariya Shastina

Boris Drubetskoy – Nikolay Romanovsky

Maria Ignatyevna Peronskaya – Liudmila Maksakova

Marya Dmitriyevna Akhrosimova – Olga Chipovskaya

Anna Pavlovna Scherer – Марина Esipenko

Vicomte Mortemart – Oleg Makarov

Marya Lvovna Karagina – Aleksandra Streltsyna

Stranger – Artiom Parhomenko

Count Leo Tolstoy – Artiom Parhomenko