Tallinn Fringe Festival proudly presents

www.fringe.ee

Performer: Aleksandr Popov
Genre: Stand-up comedy
Language: Estonian
Duration: 60 min
Tickets: 5€/10€

"Why I stayed ...? A Gothic Review of Life"

11.07.2023 - a date that was supposed to be my last encounter with this world of misery and dark shenanigans played by life on a "talking ape". Funny thing - I experienced the "outer body" experience - I had the presence of mind to write the farewell note and absorb the decadence of it all at the same time. Yet, after the note was done I couldn't really figure out where to go next ...

This show is based on my own drastic decision to bid farewell to the life that at one point seemed insurmountably difficult to keep holding on to. I was on the verge of losing my home, my physical health was in shambles and my mind was a pandemonium of visions from mistakes of "future past". I wanted to go, but seeing myself taking the steps to do it as an "uninvited guest" at the battle between my body and mind, I stayed ... I guess I wanted to see the alternative ending after all!

My goal is to talk to my "self" and tell it the story of insecurities and prejudices I had before my life turned to shambles. I tried so hard to spiral down into the abyss that I completely forgot to take a moment and live. It was finding myself staring down the abyss that I suddenly got reminded of all the idiotic happenings and circumstances that led me to this moment - inability to grieve properly for my father, first serious relationship that ended in a heartbreak, bad financial decisions made on the spur of the moment desperation, etc.

My show is about a series of mishaps and attempts at getting help way too late. And then finding oneself at the precipice of a final decision thinking "why can't I ..." and realizing that I have been making a joke out of myself since day one!

It's a "retrospective on life not fully lived". After a restart of sorts I am focusing on advancing myself through my comedy. This show is the most personal I've done so far - it is not just about having a laugh at my expense. I want the people to see that it's really about laughing at me while thinking about themselves and their vulnerabilities.
#tallinnfringe2026