Libretto: Olga Tsekhnovitser based on Alan Alexander Milne’s fairy tale Winnie-the-Pooh, translation and adaptation by Boris Zakhoder
Musical director: Andrei Ivanou
Director: Olga Buravlyova
Designer: recipient of the Francysk Skaryna Medal, laureate of the State Prize of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Kostiuchenko
Lighting designer: Lyudmila Kunash
Choreography: Olga Kostel
Movements: Vitaly Kotovitsky
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes with one interval
Sung in Russian with Russian surtitles
Premiere: 2 December 2012

Winnie the Pooh
The action takes place in the Magic Forest…

The 1st act
Morning. Naughty frogs run to the pond to do morning exercise, the bear Winnie the Pooh wakes up. He wants to have a breakfast, but there’s no honey in the pot and the Pooh sets off in search of it. He climbs a tree where the bees live…
- Honey…Honey…Honey… Honey…Honey…Honey…
The frogs see what’s happening and decide to play a joke on him. While fighting with the bees, Pooh falls down. Piglet sees that and decides that Pooh learns to fly and asks to fly with him, but it’s already 11 o’clock, and the poor Pooh haven’t eaten anything. Who has a lunch for Pooh and Piglet? For sure, it’s Rabbit! 
A hospitable owner of the rabbit hole treats the guests with honey. The gluttonous bear eats so much, that he can’t get out from the rabbit hole. The frogs came running and help to pull Pooh out from the rabbit hole, but it is in vain. Waiting till he slims, Rabbit tells a fairy-tale…
Owl comes reading the fortune on a daisy. The prediction is horrible: “He will spit!” – it is very upset. Friends try to understand, who will spit and if he will spit in them too. Owl doesn’t want to tell about her lover and feigns that in the forest appeared a huge Heffalump! In fear Rabbit pulls Pooh from the hole and hides inside, and Piglet vanished into thin air. 
Till the bear tries to come round, it starts to rain, and the sad donkey Eeyore appears… Suddenly it comes out that he has a birthday today, but everybody forgot about it. Pooh at a breakneck speed starts to search for a present and meets Piglet with a pot of honey. That’s what the donkey needs! And Piglet will present his last balloon, and Eeyore will grow merry… 
On the way to Eeyore Pooh eats all the honey. But the pot is also a good present! At this time Piglet hurries so much to congratulate Eeyore that…BOOM! Sad Piglet brings a burst balloon, but there appears Pooh and it comes out that exactly this balloon suits to the new pot.
Slaphappy Eeyore, Pooh and Piglet start to sing loudly! The frogs come, the Rabbit comes after and presents to Eeyore his best carrot and friends celebrate Eeyore’s birthday!
The angry Owl comes with a bunch of daisies. When you’re in a bad mood, all you need is to spoil the celebration, and the donkey’s tail is near! Owl easily tears away the Eeyore’s tail. Friends are confused: who could steal the tail? But Owl knows everything: for sure, it was the terrible Heffalump, and to catch him, they need to dig a hole…
Everybody set about work, but nobody wants to dig. Owl leaves unnoticed, Rabbit starts to write a scientific agenda concerning digging a hole, and doubtful Eeyore assails him with questions. Piglet leaves together with Rabbit and Eeyore to take a look at the scientific agenda, soon Pooh is left alone and digs a hole.

The 2nd act

Night. The hole is ready, but the friends didn’t come back. Pooh is sad because he feels lonely. He seats down on a log to wait for Piglet. Meanwhile the star shines at the sky. Where is Piglet to count the stars together?
Suddenly Piglet appears with the pot of honey that will draw Heffalump. Pooh is very upset that the honey is not for him, so it goes. So, everything is ready and Pooh with Piglet go home, because it’s high time to sleep. 
At midnight the bear wakes up because of the Strange Noise. And if it’s Heffalump! Suddenly Tiger jumps into the house, he is a new cheerful friend of Pooh and wants to play a special hide-and-seek, when seeks everybody except Tiger. Pooh seeks unwillingly, but Tiger disappears. ..
Searching for the place to hide Tiger finds honey and hole and jumps into it. Meanwhile Owl wants to play Heffalump and also jumps into the hole!
The air is rent by a shriek!!! From the bushes come Rabbit, Piglet and Eeyore. It’s clear: Heffalump is caught! Rabbit is ready to apply his agenda, but suddenly someone jumps out of the hole and falls down unconsciously. Friends recognize Owl and hurry up to save it. And in this moment…in the Owl’s bag the Eeyore finds… his tail! However, where is the on who has stolen it? “He’s there!” – screams Owl and everybody hiding behind her, step back from the hole.
Pooh arrives, he’s bored of seeking for Tiger and wants to eat some honey, prepared for Heffalump. Pooh comes close to the hole, he isn’t listening to the friends and shouting “Honey!” jumps into the hole. Momentarily loud chaw is heard from there…and after his shouting:
-Help! Let me free! Let me free! Help!
A real mess begins: Pooh appears with a pot on his head. Owl tries to free him, at this moment Tiger gets out of the hole and takes part in saving Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Rabbit and the frogs join them. Finally, the bear is free.
Owl sees Tiger and shouts –Heffalump! Rabbit, Piglet and Eeyore are terrified. Pooh doesn’t understand why the friends are afraid of his new friend and call him Heffalump. Because it’s Tiger!
Everybody is happy to get acquainted with him and sing a favourite song of Pooh about Friendship!