Ekaterina Varnava and Svetlana Ustinova in "Chanel vs. Rubinstein" in Berlin 19 May 2026

Ekaterina Varnava and Svetlana Ustinova are together for the first time on stage - in a musical performance inspired by the events of the past.

Two of the brightest stars of modern theater and cinema - Ekaterina Varnava and Svetlana Ustinova - meet in a drama based on real historical events. Their duo turns the story of Chanel, Rubinstein and Prince Dmitry Romanov into a powerful emotional duel, where each scene is a clash of characters, temperaments and destinies.

Ekaterina Varnava creates a fragile and daring image of Ida Rubinstein - Diaghilev's muse, ballerina, patroness and the woman who inspired Maurice Ravel to create the immortal "Bolero".

Svetlana Ustinova embodies the complex and multifaceted Gabrielle Chanel - the woman who changed the aesthetics of the 20th century and created the legendary Chanel No. 5 fragrance.

The audience will be treated to:

• the birth of Chanel No. 5 fragrance,
• the creation of Ravel's Bolero,
• the conflict between two great women,
• the fate of Prince Dmitry Romanov, a man caught between two worlds.

Together with Varnava and Ustinova on stage - Dmitry Kondrashov, giving the play additional depth and drama.

The audience will find themselves in the very center of meetings, quarrels, reconciliations and revelations between three iconic figures whose influence is still shaping the cultural landscape of Europe.

Playwright and director: Olga Henkina