On September 11, 2026, the premiere of the comedy performance 'Three Lovers, Not Counting the Body' took place in Kyiv. The lead roles were performed by Alla Martyniuk, Oleksandr Nagrudnyi, Ihor Portyanko, and Nazar Hrabar. The production was immediately billed as a genre mix: humor, a detective intrigue, music, dance, and stage plasticity are interwoven, and the central mystery, by the authors' design, is revealed only in the very finale.
A Plot That Turns Into a Detective Story
At the heart of the story are love, jealousy, unexpected confessions, and the appearance of a mysterious body that completely changes the lives of the characters. According to the press office's description, a male painter, new admirers, and love triangles gradually transform the romantic comedy into a near-detective tale. The audience does not know until the very end where the body came from, who is to blame, and whom the female lead ultimately chooses — it is precisely this intrigue that keeps attention until the final chord.
Staging: Music, Dance, and the 'Fourth Wall'
A distinctive feature of the production is the active interaction between the actors and the audience and the deliberate breaking of the 'fourth wall,' which makes the performance lively and unpredictable. The music in the show does not serve as a backdrop but becomes part of the story itself, while the choreography and stage plasticity push the emotional tension to its peak. This format allows the audience's attention to be held throughout the entire performance and turns the comedy into a full-fledged stage show.
The Production Team
The director of the production was Valeriia Demchenko, and the choreographer was Anna Klyushnichenko. It was precisely their joint work that ensured the balance between the comedic tone, musical numbers, and the detective plotline that keeps the audience on edge until the very last moment.
Nationwide Tour After the Kyiv Premiere
After the capital's premiere, the team set off on a tour across Ukraine. According to the available schedule, the play will be performed in Kryvyi Rih (September 28), Mykolaiv (September 29), Khmelnytskyi (October 19), Rivne (October 20), Kyiv (October 24), Ternopil (November 3), Uzhhorod (November 4), again in Kyiv (November 28), Dnipro (December 13), and Kropyvnytskyi (December 14). Thus, audiences from various regions will be able to see the production live during the autumn and early winter.
Contradictory Data
In the original press office materials and in the headlines of publications, there is a discrepancy in the spelling of one of the actors' surnames: in one place it is given as 'Portyanka,' in another — as 'Portyanko.' Most likely, this is a typo, however, the exact spelling of the surname is not standardized in the provided sources. In addition, some descriptions contain evaluative formulations (for example, 'star cast'), which are not a verifiable fact and reflect the editorial position of the source publisher.
