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Project
Unruly Horses
based on the life and songs of Vladimir Vysotsky
Conceived by Mina Yakim & Moni Yakim
Book by Moni & Mina Yakim and Peter Kellogg
Translations by Albert C. Todd
English lyrics by Peter Kellogg
Musical adaptation by Larry Hochman
About Unruly Horses
A new musical based on the real-life Soviet Union folk hero Vladimir Vysotsky, Unruly Horses is conceived by Moni and Mina Yakim, freely based on leading French actress Marina Vlady's best-selling memoir of her marriage and life with Vysotsky. The stage show features 24 musical numbers, with English lyrics by Peter Kellogg and Albert C Todd with musical adaptation by Larry Hochman.
A poet, songwriter and actor, Vladimir Vysotsky died in 1980 at the age of 42. His fearless confrontational works were known verbatim by millions of people in the Soviet Union, even though the national radio station was forbidden to play his music and his poems went unpublished. As an actor, he made some 26 films, performed regularly with the Taganka Theatre and was one of the most acclaimed Hamlets of his generation.
About the Creators
 Moni Yakim
Moni Yakim began his theatrical career in his native Jerusalem. Joining the Massach Theatre at age fourteen, he appeared, over a span of seven years, in numerous productions such as Shaw’s Arms & The Man, Noel Coward’s Hay Fever, Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Moliere’s Scapin and in Israeli plays premiered by the company. He also formed his own “Reim” quartet for which he wrote playlets, skits & songs, touring all over Israel. After his military service, he made his way to Paris where he studied the French classics with the famed director/actor/teacher George Wilson at the Theatre Nationale Populaire and with Etienne Decroux, creator of modern Mime. He became a principal in Decroux’s company, performing such Mime classics as “The Trees,” “The Factory” and “Lance Thrusts.” Later, while working with Marcel Marceau, he met his wife and artistic partner Mina, who was studying at Marceau’s school. He also joined Theatre Franco Allemand, touring France and Germany with Buchner’s Woyzeck and Leonce and Lena and Plautus’ Pot of Gold. For the Cité Universitaire he directed plays by Guelderode and Lorca. It was there that he was noticed by the legendary Stella Adler, who urged him to study with her. She arranged for him to come to New York as her student and to teach physical acting at her conservatory. In the U.S., Moni Yakim established himself as a unique director and as a Master teacher who became a founding member of the Juilliard Drama Division.
 Vladimir Vysotsky (songwriter)
Until his death, Vladimir Vysotsky was a prophet without honor in his own country; although he wrote more than a thousand highly popular songs, he died without an official record release to his name. The reason for this studied neglect lay in the political tenor of his material. Vysotsky, who began performing in the 1960s, was quite critical of the Communist regime, and his lyrics took position on the Soviet status quo. His songs derived from the blatny pesny (literally, delinquent song) tradition, with its celebration of sex, drink, and street fights. Informally distributed cassettes ensured Vysotsky a wide and enthusiastic following. After his death, in 1980, Gorbachev granted his music an imprimatur and a 20-album retrospective was released. ~ Leon Jackson, All-Music Guide
AOP Presentations
January 19, 2008 - 6 PM, January 20, 2008 - 8 PM
South Oxford Space & Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Rehearsal Studio
Piano/Vocal Workshop of Five Excerpts
MUSIC DIRECTION: Steven Osgood
PERFORMANCES BY: Jessica Miller, Lucas Richter, Jeffrey Tucker, and Michael Zegarski.
PIANO: Charity Wicks
Other Presentations
Sep 10 - Oct 13, 2002
(Under the title "Let Us Fly")
King's Head Theatre
London, England
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