THE FIRST SEVIL

These were the years when being an actress was tantamount to heroism. The women and girls avoided this profession not only for fear of relatives, but also beware of public censure. Therefore, for many years, the male actors were forced to perform female roles on Azerbaijani theater stage. It was during this time Marziya Davudova appeared on stage. And soon stood on a par with the first professional actors of Azerbaijan.

Marziya Davudova was born on December 8, 1901 in the village of Serevo in Astrakhan. She was Tatar by nationality. According to her mother's request, who showed great interest in education and wanted to educate her daughter, Marziya entered a four-year school for girls Daryultahsil, operating in their village due to donations of the rich. After graduating from the school, she continued her education at the Islamic Charitable Society in Astrakhan.

She lost her father early. In 1915, her mother created a new family. Marziya was left alone. The theater, which she visited for the first time in 14 years, was very attractive to her. In Astrakhan, she had experienced the excitement of being on stage for the first time. She was only 16 years old when performed Afifa in a two-act play "The First House" at school. Prior to that, she had to leave school and began teaching. She later recalled: "I became a teacher at one of the schools in Astrakhan. On May 1, 1917, I performed the title role of Afifa in the play staged by our teachers. Since 1920, I began working in Baku - first in the opera theatre, and then at the Azizbayov State Drama Theater".

Her successful debut on the stage in 1917 encouraged Marziya to join the drama club. Back at that time, the outstanding masters of the stage of Azerbaijan Huseyn Arablinski and Mirzaaga Aliyev used to tour in Astrakhan staging performances, which featured local amateur actors. Huseyn Arablinski liked the performance of the talented Marziya Davudova on stage. During a tour in Astrakhan in 1918, he invited Marziya to Baku.

In 1919, a young girl lost her mother too. In 1920, she arrived to Baku. Her great wish associated with the city was to become a partner on stage with Huseyn Arablinski. But her dream has never come true. The obscurantists, who believed the performance on stage was a humiliation, could not forgive Hussein Arablinski and his love for the theater. One of the founders of the professional theater in Azerbaijan, actor and director Huseyn Arablinski was killed in 1919 by his cousin.

... A young girl, who arrived to this city with great hope, has spent her entire life in Baku. Soon she came on the scene as a partner of another prominent Azerbaijani master, Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh.

Undoubtedly, Sharifzadeh played a huge role in the development of Marziya Davudova as a professional actress. On stage, they were partners, but in real life - in love. They married, and their daughter Firangiz was born on February 6, 1924.

The Azerbaijani theater at that time experienced a rise. Each performance became a real event. The art of drama in Azerbaijan was known not only by luminaries, but it developed also thanks to actresses like Shovkat Mamedova, Fatma Mukhtarova, Surayya Gajar, Hagigat Rzayeva, Munavvar Kalantarli, Marziya Davudova. It was not so easy to stand out among so many talented actresses. Marziya Davudova has managed this from her very first roles. She starred in the comedy "Arshin mal alan" as Gulchohra, and then as Aunt Jahan. In "Iblis", she has partnered with Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh. These roles made her the favourite of the audience. The role of Sevil has brought glory to the young actress. This work reflects the spirit of her age. The character of Marziya Davudova was so natural and convincing that even the women spectators dropped their veils by the end the play.

Jafar Jabbarli wrote about the performance of Marziya Davudova in 1933: "Marziya is a mature master. She has an amazing talent, mesmerizing the audience from the stage."

Her Sevil was a hit successfully staged on other theaters. Marziya Davudova performed this role also for the Russian audience. In 1930-1931, she played Sevil on stage of the Russian Drama Theatre in Baku, where she performed the role in the Azerbaijani language while the rest of the cast in Russian. At that time, such interesting creative meetings were popular.

In 1930-1931 theatrical season, Marziya Davudova was invited to the Baku Turkic Workers Theater, where she performed together with the actors in "Sevil".

The family life of two famous masters of the scene, Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh and Marziya Davudova, did not last long. They parted when Firangiz was young. The scene of parting father and mother had impressed Firangiz Sharifova seriously. Many years after the event, Firangiz Khanum remembered: "Night was falling. We stood on the stairs. I was at mother's arms. Both father and mother were very sad. I felt as though their parting. I was crying holding out my hands to my father. As if I wanted to get him back..."

But on stage, they continued creative collaboration. Both worked in the theater, inscribing their names in the history of theatrical art with new interesting roles...

Soon Marziya Davudova married another talented actor, Ulvi Rajab, Ajarian by nationality. They had a son Rauf.

Their lives were very similar... Ulvi Rajab also arrived in Baku from distant lands. He was born in Janivri village close to Batumi. In 1918, after returning from the war, Ulvi Rajab also met the Azerbaijani actors touring in Batumi. Huseyn Arablinski’s character Othello played on stage of the "Actor’s Society" in Batumi fascinated young Ulvi Rajab. He was lucky: he played small roles in several productions, and also appeared on stage as Soltan-bey in the operetta "Arshin mal alan" instead of a sick actor. Ulvi Rajab had connected his life with the theater since. He came to Baku at the invitation of director Alexander Tuganov. Since 1925, he has worked at the National Drama Theatre, and soon became the lead actor of the theater doubling Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh...

In 1932, Marziya Davudova was awarded the title of the Honored Artist. In 1936, she became the People’s Artist of Azerbaijan. In 1937, Mirza Ibrahimov’s "Hayat" was first staged in theatre, where Marziya Davudova played Hayat and Ulvi Rajab - Suleyman. "Hayat" took both of them to stardom. Mehdi Mammadov wrote: "The play was a real success. The ensemble of performers, especially Marziya Davudova (as Hayat) and Ulvi Rajab (as Suleyman) were awarded high scores. The actors, mainly performing romantic roles in the classical repertoire, had a great victory, creating rich and realistic characters. It was unanimously confirmed that a performance of great artistic value was designed, centered on the character of Hayat performed by Master Marziya Davudova ".

Meanwhile, the show, which had a great success, remained in her memory as a bitter memory: the role of Suleiman, performed by her husband Ulvi Rajab, was his last work. Shortly after the premiere, Ulvi Rajab was arrested. Actor, awarded the honorary title Honored Artist on April 25, 1933, was condemned as "public enemy" in 1937.

Not only Ulvi Rajab was a victim of repressions in 1937. Policy of repressions pursued by the Soviet government was a heavy blow to the entire national theatrical art. The incomparable actor, a fanatic of his people Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh was also branded as "public enemy and shot together with Ulvi Rajab in 1938.

After Ulvi Rajab and Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh were announced "public enemies", Marziya Davudova was repeatedly subject of interrogations. It was hard times for her. On one hand, she was tired of investigation, and on the other her children were asking questions about their fathers. Concealing fear of reprisals, which remained until the end of her life, she continued her stage career.

Davudova had worked tirelessly, playing in new productions, helping to new recruits. The People's Artist Hokuma Gurbanova wrote in her memoirs that Marziya Davudova was destined by fate: "I played the characters created by Marziya Davudova. I was always worried how she would react to this. She had a big heart and great talent. After performances, Marziya-khanum has always congratulated me and appreciate my performance. "

Marziya Davudova continued to make progress in the arts. For her role of Gulzar in the play "The morning of the East", she was awarded one of the most prestigious awards of the time in 1948- the Stalin Prize. İn 1949, in acknowledgement for her services to the Soviet art she was given the most honorable title, the People's Artist of the USSR. Twice - in 1946 and 1949 - she was awarded the Order of Red Banner of Labor, in 1959 - the Order "Badge of Honor". She had many medals. In 1947, 1951 and 1953 she was elected member of parliament to the Supreme Soviet of Azerbaijan SSR. Along with her works at the Azerbaijan National Drama Theatre from 1956 until his death, she was the chairman of the Azerbaijan Theatre Society.

Since 1928, Marziya Davudova was cast in films. The movies "Hacı Qara", "Bir ailə", "Bakının işıqları", "Bir məhəllədən iki nəfər", "Koroğlu" glorified her as a film actress.

The audience specifically attended the performances performed by Marziya Davudova. Positive or negative did not matter - Goneril ("King Lear"), Gertrude ("Hamlet"), Lady Macbeth ("Macbeth"), Kaplan ("Wuthering year"), Kabanikha ("Storm"), Mahsati ("Nizami"), Firangiz ("Ogtay Eloglu"), and others. These roles have always attracted great interest of viewers.

Her daughter Firangiz was eight years old when the playwright Jafar Jabbarli insisted and got consent of her father to take her to the scene as Sevar in "Ogtay Eloglu" and Gunduz in the play "Sevil". Once Marziya Davudova took her to the Philharmonic, to a close friend of the family Uzeyir Hajibayov and asked hm if her daughter could become an actress. The composer did not let her finish the sentence: "The heiress of Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh has to become his follower." On the advice of Uzeyir bey in 1941 Firangiz-khanum entered the vocal faculty of the Azerbaijan State Conservatoire (now Academy of Music). Later she tied his life to the stage, becoming a worthy successor to Abbas Mirza Sharifzadeh and Marziya Davudova.

In 1962, Marziya Davudova’s life full of love for stage stopped. But due to her roles, vivid characters the actress has forever inscribed her name to the history of Azerbaijani theater, and still remains in our memories.