Putin takes cast to task after surprise visit to the theater

Outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a hint of how he may continue to direct the show in Russia during a surprise visit to the theater.

The Kremlin leader and his wife Lydumila dropped into a Moscow theater on Sunday evening to see a production of the 19th-century comedy Woe from Wit by Alexander Griboyedov.

The audience gave them a standing ovation as they took their seats. But after the performance Putin, who is due to hand over to Dmitry Medvedev in May, went backstage and surprised the cast by giving them advice on how to interpret the play.

"Why did you show the hero crying at the beginning?" he demanded in critical remarks broadcast by state television. "One gets the impression of him as a weak person. But he's a strong man. He withstands everything that's thrown at him, but you showed him snivelling."

"You're absolutely right, and I'm so glad that the actor has heard this," director Rimas Tuminas said.

Putin "The actor has nothing to do with it. He's done what you told him to do."

Putin found contemporary relevance in a scene where the hero criticizes fellow Russians for bending over backward to adopt Western ways.

"This is a particular lesson for the new members of the European Union," he said, to nervous laughter, before adding: "I'm joking, I'm joking."