In the play, Tatyana is portrayed by Olga Lerman over a period spanning decades, as she evolves from an innocent youth into a resilient mature woman. The role of Onegin, however, is played by two actors, as the play unfolds through the older Onegin's recollections of his life and times, explains Aleksei Guskov, an award-winning actor who plays the older Onegin.

In Russia, girls begin ballet lessons from an early age. "It's part of our history, like Chinese children practicing martial arts. That's why I decided to have young ballet dancers in the play. It's a reference to Russian history and culture," Tuminas says.

The 67-year-old Lithuanian is the first non-Russian artistic director of the Vakhtangov Theatre, one of the largest companies in Moscow established in 1921. His direction of Eugene Onegin earned him the Golden Mask award at the Russian Festival of Performing Arts in 2014.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn