Old Vaudeville on the modern stage: towards the problem of genre relevance

The study of the historical fate of different genres, including vaudeville, allows for an analysis of the movements of theatrical thought. Even a general look at the Russian theater bill of recent decades indicates that classic vaudeville remains quite in demand, including in the major theaters of the country. The main problem of the old vaudeville on the modern stage is its relevance, not in the sense of the relevance of a particular play, but of the genre as a whole. When staging vaudeville, the director must answer the question: what is vaudeville today? Thus, the search for the modern within the principles of the vaudeville genre seems relevant now, along with attention to the issue of excessive and often unwarranted modernization of the classical repertoire. Formal and comparative-historical methods were used. The analysis is based on a comparative genre approach, including the study of stage interpretations of vaudeville in their historical context and contemporary directorial interpretations. The article offers an original perspective on vaudeville as a "meta-genre" with universal characteristics of theatricality, capable of transformation and integration into new theatrical forms. The author examines vaudeville not only as a relic of the past but as an active element of contemporary theatrical practice, sought after and developed by directors from different schools and generations. The novelty of the work lies in the multi-faceted analysis of vaudeville (classic plays by Lensky, Koni, Sollogub) in current stage productions of the 21st century. It is concluded that vaudeville retains its relevance due to its plasticity, ability for self-irony, and deep connection with the actor's nature of theater. The study also raises the problem of modernizing the classical repertoire, criticizing the formal approach to contemporizing and emphasizing the need for a substantive actualization of the genre. Vaudeville is viewed as an important component of the domestic theatrical tradition, organically integrated into cultural memory and stage practice.