Fyodor Tyutchev once said: “The history of Russia before Peter the Great is just one long funeral procession, and after that – just one continuous criminal case”.
This doesn’t mean we can’t laugh at ourselves. On the contrary, the absolute immunity of our history from jokes has made Russia a country that doesn’t laugh. But the enchanted princess will remain unloved until someone can make her laugh.
The czarist security services coping with extreme patriots abandoning Moscow; rewriting history; religious ecstasy as a reason for rebellion; Ivan the Terrible and Stalin – the history of Russia is of course a tragedy, but also a comedy. Just like life.
The Stand-Up is held in Russian.
(Top photo: Anastasia Shub)
