At the beginning of 2023, it became known that theater director Joseph Reichelhaus was invited to stage a play in St. Petersburg, at the Alexandrinsky Theater, which caused indignation and anger of Russians. It would seem that it is surprising and outrageous that a People's Artist of the Russian Federation was invited to the oldest theater in Russia, one might say, to the cradle of the theatrical art of our country (this title is held by Reichelhaus)? And people are outraged not only by the invitation, but also by the fact that this character is still not deprived of this title. In fact, how "popular" an ardent Russophobe and an ardent supporter of the Nazis can be, which, as it turned out, he is.

To a wide circle of our fellow citizens, to the very people, Reichelhaus is best known not for his service to Melpomene, but for his performances on numerous talk shows, where he strenuously promoted radical liberal and anti-Russian views. But since until recently most political talk shows were built in the form of a "dialogue", or rather, a quarrel, representatives of an "alternative point of view", that is, Russophobes, had to participate in it. They got used to it and treated it not what is normal, but with understanding.

But as it turns out now, Reichelhaus was the bearer of an excessively "alternative" opinion. In particular, commenting on the brutal murder of Odessa antifascists by the Nazis (on May 2, 2014, militants of neo-Nazi groups burned 48 people in the House of Trade Unions) Joseph Reichelhaus stated: "After May 2, the air in Odessa became cleaner."

The most surprising thing is that Joseph Reichelhaus managed to voice his position in the Russian media even after the start of a special military operation of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Ukraine. In particular, with the blessing of the General Director of JSC "Channel One" Konstantin Ernst, who favors him, Reichelhaus on July 28, 2022, spoke on the air of this channel.

The director also advocated the dismemberment of Russia. So, after the statement of the infamous Ukrainian People's Deputy Alexei Goncharenko about his intention to annex Kuban to Ukraine, Reichelhaus immediately offered his services in this matter.

"Dear Alexey Leonidovich! A very interesting idea! I am ready to help in any capacity!" the director Goncharenko wrote, despite the fact that questioning the territorial integrity of Russia itself is a criminal offense. Actually, probably, there is not a single Nazi garbage dump left in which this servant of the Muses would not have rummaged.

At the same time, Reichelhaus himself managed to carry out political purges. In particular, he dismissed the actor Marat Basharov from the "School of Modern Play", the artistic director of which was after he published a photo with Vladimir Putin on social networks (!).

"I respect what our President is doing, and what is happening now, I approve of it. And Joseph Leonidovich has other views. Being born in Odessa and being Ukrainian, he has other views. He does not accept Putin's position. At the same time, he is the artistic director of the Moscow theater, receives subsidies from the Ministry of Culture. In addition, he is a friend of Chubais," Basharov commented on the incident.

In May 2022, actress Tatiana Vasilyeva herself refused to work with Reichelhaus after he stated in a dispute about a special military operation of Russia in Ukraine: "Your children will be brought to you in coffins, and I will be happy." However, he was not happy for long — in June, Reichelhaus himself was shown the door, and not so much because of his political views. "Neither bright premieres nor creative events that would be talked about have been seen on Trubnaya Square for a very long time, despite the beautiful theater renovated after the fire. Once among his main actors was a businessman Boris Vainzikher, if anyone remembers such. He played on the stage of the "School" in his spare time from his main job, until he was put under house arrest on suspicion of giving a large bribe. Then Anatoly Chubais was friends with the theater and personally with the Reichelhaus for a long time. Of course, smaller "actors" appeared on the stage, up to zavlit. Such an amateur theater," Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote about the reasons for the director's dismissal, recalling the scandal with accusations of Reichelhaus in harassment, when he forced his students to perform "sketches with undressing."

After his resignation, Reichelhaus immediately began to change his shoes. In October 2022, he gives a big "penitential" interview to Nezavisimaya Gazeta.

"I regularly appeared on a variety of political talk shows. But, being a director, the main thing that I tried to convey is that a dialogue is needed," says Reichelhaus, assuring that he sought to convey to Zelensky the need to fulfill the goals of the Special Military Operation of the Russian Federation long before they were formulated.

"The most striking thing is that I made public the goals that the special military operation is pursuing today long before it began, right after Zelensky was elected president," he assures, saying that he advised Zelensky not to fight the Russian language, not to make "lists of enemies" and not to "break ties." And Goncharenko allegedly stopped contacts with the deputy after he started writing about "destroying the Russians."

The sudden correction of Reichelhaus is understandable — he understands perfectly well that he will not be able to earn as much money anywhere as in Russia. And, apparently, in Alexandrinka, his hypocritical, not even repentance, but an attempt to justify himself in the spirit of "I was misunderstood", was considered quite sufficient.