Anton and Victoria Makarskie: “metro” unites hearts

On the eve of International Women’s Day, our editorial team was able to communicate with one of the most beautiful and strong couples in domestic show business – Anton and Victoria Makarskie. They met while working on the very first Russian musical, which told the story of the metro as a place that united lonely people. Now Anton and Victoria are raising two children and happily share moments of their personal and creative lives.

What new things have you brought into your life during this pandemic period? Nowadays there is a lot of thinking about revaluation of values. Has this affected your family?

Anton: During this time, it wasn’t that we overestimated anything, but rather confirmed the correctness of our chosen path and values. Despite the truly tragic events, it is paradoxical, but for us, the time of quarantine is one of the happiest in the last few years! Without going anywhere, without going on tour or filming, we have never spent so much time in the completeness and harmony of the family! And how happy the children were - that’s another story!

Victoria: I was taught from childhood: if life gives you a sour lemon, make delicious lemonade out of it! Having lost all our concerts and tours, we immediately found a sports platform on the Internet that broadcasts to the whole world in excellent sound and video quality, entered into an agreement with them and began giving online concerts from the living room, from the kitchen, from the studio! We made very cheap tickets for everyone who wanted to watch our concerts, and we sent free links to large families, the poor, pensioners, students and people with disabilities. Sometimes they wrote to me: “Vika, I’m all in loans, left without work, but I really love your concerts!” We did not refuse anyone, we sent free tickets to everyone who asked, and in return we received parcels with food from all over the world! At the post office in Sergiev Posad they laugh at us, because parcels with homemade products arrive almost every day: “Makarsky, share, where do you need so much?!” But we are not the only ones who eat everything! We have a huge team - musicians, relatives, friends... I especially remember the package from Georgia, which, in addition to food, contained a chic white women's national outfit for concerts and six huge bottles of chacha and wine. People really thanked us for the fun performances! By the way, during quarantine we learned a lot of new songs, because online you can’t sing the same thing over and over again, like at regular concerts.

In one of his interviews, Anton noted that every spring you have a desire to change something, to go/move somewhere. Are there any such thoughts now?

Victoria: For five whole years I didn’t want to leave our new townhouse in Sergiev Posad. And suddenly, as always in the spring, it began - I want to go to a real village, even further from Moscow! I sleep and see a forest, a garden, a quiet river and a small house. While this thought does not let go, we are looking for land, and then we’ll see. It is difficult to plan something in the current rapidly changing living conditions.

In our organization we have such a concept - continuity of generations, dynasties of metro builders. Anton and you are representatives of the same field of activity. Is the children's desire to continue the family dynasty manifested in music and acting?

Victoria: I still hope in my heart that the children will not choose the profession of artists. They have many abilities and talents, such as excellent analytical skills. But as soon as Vanechka begins to sing loudly in a high and beautiful voice, singing along with the unique intonation of Mashenka’s timbre, listening to this duet, one can only hope that music will remain their passion, and they will choose another, more reliable and stable profession.

Anton: I am already the third generation of an acting dynasty, and it is a common thing when artists discourage their children from choosing this profession. But our task is to recognize their talents and develop them as much as possible! And do not interfere with what they choose, supporting them in any endeavor. Of course, I agree with Vika, I want them to have a “normal” profession, but here it can happen, as they say - “an apple from an apple tree.” In general, we'll wait and see. I know for sure that we will not force anyone anywhere.

Like your family, our organization employs many married couples who have been working side by side in the same team for decades. During such a period, anything is possible: fatigue from each other, emotional burnout. What advice would you give to such couples, based on your own experience?

Anton: It’s difficult to give general advice, everyone’s circumstances are different. Perhaps universally one would wish to never be offended. Just don’t accumulate resentment and forget about all the bad things, remembering only the brightest.

Victoria: Humor and kindness! If you approach any situation positively and don’t swear, but help a person get out of a negative mood, any problems will be solved a hundred times faster.

Our newspaper has a “Keyhole” column, when a correspondent spends one day with a builder, “spying” on his work. Let's imagine if we spent such a day with you, can you briefly describe it?

Anton: Ooooh... Our days are so different, depending on our event and filming schedules. Well, let's describe the day off. Vetch?

Victoria: We wake up, hug, I ask God for strength and wisdom for this day (this is a must for me!), then we prepare breakfast together, play and throughout the day in various funny phrases and forms we constantly remind each other that we love each other very much. We play a lot and watch various interesting scientific videos, the best films and cartoons, which only dad approves for viewing. We don’t have a TV, but we have a huge screen, and family viewing of something is my favorite time, we wrap ourselves in a blanket and enjoy watching it. Now our cat Busya gave birth, whom the children picked up on the street, hungry and cold. The cat is incredibly smart and kind, and gave birth to three kittens just like her. Now our house is three times more fun!

Anton: Yeah, and by the way, there’s also three times more wool!

When talking with our heroes, we always ask about their attitude to the metro: how do they see it?

Anton: For me, probably like for most visitors (at the age of 17 I came from Penza and entered the theater institute) - a real miracle! I remember how, when I first went down to the subway, I couldn’t ride the incredible moving stairs! I especially liked running quickly up and down long escalators, for example, on Chekhovskaya. And what’s joyful is that for our children, taking a ride on the metro is also a holiday! A couple of times we went for a ride with them just like that, without a reason to get anywhere. In general, we have been to a lot of places and seen a lot of things, but in my opinion, the Moscow metro is the most beautiful in the world!

Victoria: Our Moscow apartment is located near the Belorusskaya station, where I know every corner. I came from Belarus, and my acquaintance with Moscow began precisely from this station. And with the musical “METRO,” where we met Anton at an audition, our family began, which is almost 22 years old, but for some reason I still feel like that girl from the musical, and I don’t feel my age at all. I remember my beloved great-grandmother, at 94 years old, approaching the mirror in the morning and cheerfully asking with humor: “Vicuna, do you know who this old lady is? I’m 17 years old at heart, no more!”

Share with our readers how, in this time of gadgets and fast food, to instill in children a love of physical education?

Anton: Everything useful is instilled exclusively by your own example. Consistently, I have a workout every three days, no matter where I am! And the children, seeing this, begin to imitate. Vanya loves to hang on the horizontal bar, Masha’s favorite exercise is abdominal exercises. Again, without violence, we instill in them a sports lifestyle and explain that this greatly improves the quality of life!

And at the end of our conversation, please share your plans for upcoming concerts and meetings with you?

Victoria: In the fall, October 24, we will have a large “Live Concert” in two sections in the hall of the Church Councils of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Spectators, as always, will come from all over the country from Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk to Murmansk! People are already writing to me, asking what tasty treats we should bring to the concert. Usually they give luxurious bouquets of dried fish and jars of pickles, and Antosha is given sweets.

Anton: Well, we still have to live until October, I hope these plans will not change. And all performance dates are announced on Wiki’s Instagram. So, we are waiting for you at our concerts! By the way, they are called live not only because we have excellent musicians and everything sounds “live”, but also because we communicate a lot with the audience! If you come, we will perform arias from the musical “METRO” especially for you!