YEREVAN, APRIL 10, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. "Metaksia has been and will remain the beautiful fairy-tale and the unique charm of the Armenian theater. I don't know and can't say when a new Metaksia will be born in the Armenian theater. Her place on the stage is vacant up to this day," Vahe Shahverdian, Art Director of Gabriel Sundukian National Academic Theater, declared at the April 10 event dedicated to well-known actress Metaksia Simonian's 80th birth anniversary. Vahe Shahverdian said that he is always angry when he hears such expressions as "a beautiful actress", "an attractive actress" addressed to Metaksia as Metaksia became beautiful and attractive on the stage as "her charm had a talent and her talent had a charm". This was the talent of being unusual and unique that Metaksia had on the stage. The evidence of this are numerous roles the talented actress played with an attraction and charm no one else has ever played on the stage of the Armenian theater". According to V.Shahverdian, Metaksia Simonian's best role was the role of Nastasya Philipovna in the "Idiot" by Feodor Dostoyevski. At the Moscow tour in 1970, this role played by the actress was estimated by well-known theatrical critics Svobodin and Rudniski as "the best Nastasya Philipovna in the Soviet Union". "For unknown reasons, the Armenians have never spoken about this. The theatrical world did not like her. The theatrical world persecuted her. I can ground my words by articles and publications written about her at that time," V.Shahverdian declared. According to the Art Director of the National Academic Theater, the actress having an exclusive talent should have been buried in the Pantheon after Komitas: "She should rest near the other Armenian great figures. Metaksia's place is there". Vahe Shahverdian also mentioned that a week of performances will be held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the actress with the participation of theaters of Armenia, Artsakh and Tbilisi, which will be concluded by a distribution of prizes.

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