Sergei Esenin and Zinaida Reich met in 1917 at the editorial office of the Delo Naroda newspaper. They got married on 30 July 1917 in the church of Cyricus and Julitta, Russia’s Vologda district. In 1918, they had a daughter, Tatyana, and in 1920, a son, Konstantin.
By that time, Sergei and Zinaida had long lived separately. After divorcing Esenin in 1921, she married the famous theatre director Vsevolod Meyerhold. He took care of Tatyana and Konstantin until the end of his days as if they were his own children.
Also thanks to Meyerhold, Reich’s theatrical career picked up. On 19 January 1924, she first appeared on stage as Aksyusha in the performance The Forest based on a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. Later Reich became one of the most famous Moscow actresses and a lead actress of the Meyerhold Theatre.
Her daughter Tatyana wrote to theatre critic Konstantin Rudnitsky: ‘You can find what Vsevolod wrote then, which showed his interest in American cinema practices: if you do not have the right actor, try a suitable non-professional in the role. So when they couldn’t find a candidate for the role of Aksyusha in The Forest, they decided to follow this principle and see what Reich could do… In 1924, aged 30, she played her first role — and a major one — without any professional training… The way she was in life largely determined the way she appeared on stage. Meyerhold admired her — but he also tested her. All the roles that Reich played — Aksyusha, Anna Andreevna, Goncharova, Marguerite — seemed to have nothing in common, and yet she remained herself in each one. Her character combined features that rarely came together. And somehow Meyerhold seemed to exploit those incompatibilities. In The Forest, the inexperienced actress had the opportunity to play the entire role while using her own natural intonations. Meanwhile, Aksyusha is adaptable: otherwise, how would she coexist with grotesque characters? ’
By that time, Sergei and Zinaida had long lived separately. After divorcing Esenin in 1921, she married the famous theatre director Vsevolod Meyerhold. He took care of Tatyana and Konstantin until the end of his days as if they were his own children.
Also thanks to Meyerhold, Reich’s theatrical career picked up. On 19 January 1924, she first appeared on stage as Aksyusha in the performance The Forest based on a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. Later Reich became one of the most famous Moscow actresses and a lead actress of the Meyerhold Theatre.
Her daughter Tatyana wrote to theatre critic Konstantin Rudnitsky: ‘You can find what Vsevolod wrote then, which showed his interest in American cinema practices: if you do not have the right actor, try a suitable non-professional in the role. So when they couldn’t find a candidate for the role of Aksyusha in The Forest, they decided to follow this principle and see what Reich could do… In 1924, aged 30, she played her first role — and a major one — without any professional training… The way she was in life largely determined the way she appeared on stage. Meyerhold admired her — but he also tested her. All the roles that Reich played — Aksyusha, Anna Andreevna, Goncharova, Marguerite — seemed to have nothing in common, and yet she remained herself in each one. Her character combined features that rarely came together. And somehow Meyerhold seemed to exploit those incompatibilities. In The Forest, the inexperienced actress had the opportunity to play the entire role while using her own natural intonations. Meanwhile, Aksyusha is adaptable: otherwise, how would she coexist with grotesque characters? ’
