Old theatre building

Vladimir Davydov.

Anna Judic.

Nikolay Monachov.

Varvara Panina

Anastasia Val'tseva.

«Where am I from? He (Vronskii) replied to the wife’s question. What to do, I have to admit. From „Buff“. It seems 100-th time but though with the new pleasure. Charming! I know that is a shame but I sleep in opera and in „Buff“ I sit till the very end and it is funny». So the words of L. N. Tolstoi by words of his hero immortalized theatre «Buff», that has arisen in Saint-Petersburg in 1970 of XIX century. It was the first public theatre of a so called «light genres» in Russia.

In 1870 Moscow actor Fedotov got permission to set up a new theatre in Petersburg 100 meters away frow famous Alexandrinski. However in permission got Fedotov was allowed to represent performances only in foreign languges; moreover not dramatic but ones consisting of dances, music, singing, focuses and acrobatic performances. «Buff’s» management found the way out. They started to invite french and italian stars, play short scetches in french. So on the «Buff’s» stage the art of variety turn was born. And the public rushed to the theatre. Under its preassure Management of imperial theatre was compelled to allow comic operas performance in «Buff». Here first time on Russian stage were played Offenbach’s and Kalman’s operettes. Ann Judick, Varvara Panina, russian romances performer Anastasia Val'tseva, great comic Vladimir Davidoff, Nikolai Monachov were starring on the stage of Petersburg’s «Buff». A. Nekrasov wrote:

«Our life is — humpty,
More than nut empty.
Drop in at Buff —
One oblectation».

At the time of supreme popularity and viewership success in 1872 «Buff» inflamed. Having lost the bulding on Nevskii, in succeeding years theatre changed its location and owners several times and in 20-th years of past century it was none so open.