La Rouille (Rust) was one of the first pieces of theatre to sharply criticize Soviet Communism in the West. Written by Russians Vladimir Kirchon and Andrei Ouspenski, it was adapted into French and premiered at the Théâtre de l'Avenue in Paris on November 22, 1929. Rust consisted of 10 short sketches or vignettes each dramatizing an aspect of Communist existence in Moscow, according to the Brisbane Courier of Jan. 25, 1930. The leading character, Constantine Tereklne, is an utter scoundrel, and each successive scene adds to the picture of the misery, poverty, depravity, and hopelessness which constitutes life in the Russia of to-day.
Imp. H. Chachoin, Paris
literature: PAI-LXXV, 299