Jubilee Oleshko from the inside: flowers, congratulations and behind-the-scenes bustle

Choosing a place to celebrate is never easy. Someone celebrates his birthday with a home feast, and someone prefers a restaurant so that there are enough seats for all friends. Alexander Oleshko has so many of them that the artist decided to celebrate his half-century anniversary on a grand scale: the Kremlin Palace was chosen for the meeting. But while the guests were enjoying a conditional "banquet" - a concert, I decided to look at the "kitchen" - behind the stage and in the dressing rooms to see how the "cookies" are prepared for serving.

Walking through the behind-the-scenes labyrinths, we get into the room in front of the makeup rooms. People are scurrying around and carrying stained suits for future rooms. The Anniversary is asked if he is worried before going on stage. He smiles:

- Never. I don't have time to get old and sad, I work all the time.

And yet Alexander's excitement is felt. It's a joke: the hall can accommodate six thousand people. I don't know if it was a full shot, but judging by the string of people before the entrance, this figure is close to the truth.

Near the costumer Oleshko is delayed to talk about something with the palace employees. Looking at the time, the concert should go on for twenty minutes. Wanting to know the reason for the delay, I approach the anniversary.

- I heard there was a queue at the entrance, he laments to the assistant. - Did everyone get in, all settled?

After receiving a satisfactory answer, the artist rushes to the stage to begin the concert. Surely someone in the audience is unhappy: how can you be late for your own performance? And this is not a whim, but a purely human impulse

Again we run through the intricacies of technical rooms to look into the hall. Through the trampling of heels from behind the walls are heard the words of the song about sun hares. Let's get to number three. Anniversary congratulates himself with the song "Happy birthday to me!" The concert takes only fifteen minutes, and flowers are already being carried to the stage. A photo of Lyudmila Vladimirovna, Alexander’s mother, appears on the screen, and he sings a song about her fragile and loving heart.

We return to the dressing room and meet Igor Krutoy. He just returned from the stage where he performed with Oleshko and Igor Nikolaev. Colleagues from the media immediately take the composer into circulation. On the question of how to surprise the anniversary, joked: "Beauty of girls." Under journalistic pressure, he still gives up and opens the veil of secrecy:

Colleagues are given CDs, books, their own compositions. And expensive gifts for girls.

While the ladies are fascinated by Igor, his namesake Nikolaev sneaks away.

You feel like you're in a parade. Everywhere there are people in uniform: green kitels, vests, visorsless. Everyone is worried - here is one girl in a folk costume adjusts her makeup, and the second beats off an excited tap dance. On the plasma, placed in a picture frame, broadcast what is happening in the hall. On the stage, like a fiery bird, Ekaterina Guseva flies in a red dress. Collectives and guests change one after another. Waiting for their turn everywhere: frozen at the screen, warm up in front of the mirror, photographed against the background of a poster with Oleshko. Artists seem to be no less than spectators.

From the speakers, congratulations and compliments are constantly heard. Jubilee wish long years, creative success and good health - a classic set. After his speech, Pelageya briefly appears and recalls his acquaintance with Alexander:

- We rode the tundra, entertained people engaged in hard work. Then he fascinated me with his intelligence. Very sincere, open, kind person.

The matter is approaching intermission, and the room becomes noisy: the youngest artists arrive. Everywhere scurry little clowns and circuses, among them is tiny Charlie Chaplin. In the break, the perpetrator of the celebration appears briefly to greet the friends who have arrived. He has a huge teddy bear in his hands, and I can hardly resist the joke about "Daddy's Daughters." From the speakers bells are heard: the audience is invited to return to the hall. After the third, Oleshko again runs for a couple of minutes to satisfy the children's request - a collective photo. Alexander smiles, but the excitement is noticeable, because he is already waiting on stage. However, young tourers do not suspect anything: for them today is also a holiday - meetings with their favorite artists and a performance in the Kremlin Palace.

Konstantin Gubin, a poet and composer, who wrote more than a dozen songs for our stage, is suitable. Despite the track record, the anniversary is called a special customer. Here is one of the features: the song for one of the final numbers Oleshko asked to write a week before the celebration. Gubin met the deadline, but does not consider it a gift for the anniversary: he called all his work a gift to Alexander.

Soso Pavliashvili came to the Kremlin Palace to sing a duet with the anniversary “Leningrad twist”. Before leaving, he recalls the heroism of his colleague: once Alexander spent the airwaves with a broken leg. When asked if Soso treats him like a son, he corrects: "As a younger brother!"

Larisa Dolina tried to remember the acquaintance with Oleshko ... and could not. The singer is sure that this happens in one case: a good person. I admired the busy schedule on which the anniversary works, and immediately was horrified: “But I have the same ...”

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To communicate with Lev Leshchenko did not work – he rushed to the stage to congratulate Alexander. Together they will present “Drink of Happiness”, the same song written in a week. Despite Leshchenko's protests, Oleshko says that he is like a father to him - they are so much alike.

After the concert, we catch the anniversary again: he is almost powerless. Agrees to pose for a photo with bouquets, but they fall out of hand. Shares flowers with the girls from the dancer, but asks to give all the notes to him - he must be reading congratulations. We asked if he was happy with the response:

“The main thing is that people are happy,” the artist modestly replies. We are happy if we give them joy.

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