Frankfurt's Russkij Teatr, the only Russian-speaking theater in Germany, opened its third season with "Spinning Soul," based on Vladimir Nabokov's stories "The Potato Elf" and "The New Neighbor," written in Berlin in the 1930s. Actor Aleksandr Bargman presented his performance in 1994 at the Pushkin Theater in St. Petersburg and again in Frankfurt on May 6th and 7th, 1997.

"Bergman's technique is brillant, the range of his voice impressive, his gestures are nuanced and minute. His perfect rhythm and choreographed movements emphasize the action's seriousness and portent," Aleksandr Svobodin wrote in Teatral'naia zhizn' (10/1996). "The drama is a cry of humanity in distress. Nabokov's style is conveyed with precision and subtlety. The tiniest movements, minutest portrayals, unusual montages of different states of the soul were rendered by the artist. A truly artistic marvel...."

Olga Konskaja, director of the Russkij Teatr in Frankfurt, proudly presented the 26-year-old Aleksandr Bargman as "the future of Russian theater" to a delighted audience.