Beauty and the Beast, one of the most well known fairy tales in Russia was introduced into Russian folklore by Sergey Aksakov as The Scarlet Flower story. Sergey first heard the tale when bedridden in his childhood. The story produced such strong impression on young Aksakov that he later adopted the tale and made it one of the most recognisable features of children's literature in Russia.

Once upon a time there lived a wealthy merchant, who had three beautiful daughters. Once he decided to do business overseas. He called for the daughters and asked what gifts should he bring them. The elder asked for the golden crown with precious gems that could produce light and the second wanted a dressing table with a mirror which added to the person's beauty. The merchant knew these would be difficult to obtain, but within his means. The younger, named Anastasia, asked for the most beautiful scarlet flower in the world. The merchant did not know where he could find such a flower, but promised not to disappoint.

This audio production is a fully featured radio drama read in Russian by a cast of legendary actors including: Mikhail Ulyanov, a multiple award winning actor and one of the most recognised names of Russian film and TV; Natalya Varley famous for her memorable performance in Kidnapping Caucasian Style (Kavkazskaya Plennitsa); Sergey Neudachin, a poet and actor known for his theatre and film work including Burnt by the Sun 2 (Utomlennye Solntsem 2); Ekaterina Afrikantova, Lubov Nikolaeva, and Elena Shestovskaya.

Music and Direction by Lubov Nikolaeva, Igor Orlov, Yuri Pryalkin (music); Art design by Maria Spekhova, Julia Stotskaya. Produced by Vadim Buch, Mikhail Litvakov.

Аудиоспектакль с участием Михаила Ульянова и Натальи Варлей. Сказку 'Аленький цветочек' известный русский писатель Сергей Тимофеевич Аксаков услышал в детстве во время своей болезни. Вот как рассказывал об этом сам писатель: 'Скорому выздоровлению моему мешала бессонница... По совету тетушки, позвали один раз ключницу Пелагею, которая была великая мастерица сказывать сказки и которую даже покойный дедушка любил слушать... Пришла Пелагея, немолодая, но еще белая, румяная... села у печки и начала говорить, немного нараспев: "В некиим царстве, в некиим государстве... Нужно ли говорить, что я не заснул до окончания сказки, что, напротив, я не спал долее обыкновенного?'

Автор сценария: Игорь Орлов; Режиссеры: Любовь Николаева, Игорь Орлов; Музыка: Любовь Николаева, Игорь Орлов, Юрий Прялкин; Исполнители: Екатерина Африкантова, Наталья Варлей, Сергей Неудачин, Любовь Николаева, Михаил Ульянов, Елена Шестовская; Художник: Мария Спехова.