Lyubov Nikulina-Kositskaya
| Lyubov Nikulina-Kositskaya | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
Lyubov Pavlovna Kositskaya 27 August 1827 Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Empire, |
| Died | 17 September 1868 (aged 41) Moscow, Russian Empire |
| Occupation | actress, memoirist |
| Years active | 1846-1868 |
| Spouse(s) | Ivan Nikulin |
Lyubov Pavlovna Nikulina-Kositskaya (Russian: Любо́вь Па́вловна Нику́лина-Коси́цкая, 27 August 1827 – 17 September 1868) was a Russian Empire theatre actress, best known for her work in the Maly Theater, notably in Alexander Ostrovsky's plays.
Kositskaya was born in Zhdanovka village nearby Nizhny Novgorod in the family of Russian serf peasants. "We were part of the household of a man whom people were calling the Dog. We, as children, were scared even by the sound of his name, for he was for us the embodiment of horror. I was born in his house which stood on land spilled with suffering peasants’ blood and tears," she wrote in her posthumously published memoirs. When the girl was nine, the family bought out their freedom. At the age of 14 Lyuba found work as a housemaid in Nizhny Novgorod. Her mistress, a merchant woman Dolganova was kind and generous, she's given her he ward girl status and provided her with teachers who taught her reading and writing. It was in Dolganova's house that Kositskaya debuted as an amateur actress, discovering she'd got a fine singing voice too.
In April 1844, against her mother's will, Kositskaya debuted in the Kositskaya joined the Nizhny Theater where she was engaged in roles of peasant girls and servant maids and also sang in operas by Weber and Verstovsky. With a view of becoming an opera star she came to Moscow but found herself first in drama school, then, through Mikhail Shchepkin's protection, in Maly Theatre. In Maly Kositskaya married actor Ivan Nikulin, who was her second husband. This marriage was not a happy one.
Kositskaya debuted on the Maly Theatre stage in 1847 and had an instant success. In her first season she played Parasha (Parasha the Syberian by Nikolai Polevoy), Luisa (Intrigue and Love by Friedrich Schiller), Ophelia (Hamlet by William Shakespeare), Mikaela (Daughter of Karl the Brave, by Vladimir Zotov). Critics praized her performances in melodramas, admitting her vaudevillian abilities were limited (due to a lack of technique). In the early 1850s she failed as Masha in Turgenev's The Bachelor (Schepkin's benefice) and people started talking openly of her decline.
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