When the war broke out, Ukrainian comedians had to think about whether it was appropriate to joke now. However, there was demand, and stand-up is experiencing a boom in Ukraine. Ticket revenue is often directed to the Ukrainian military.
CHERKASY When Russia invaded Ukraine at the end of February, the Kyiv Underground Stand Up club literally went underground.
After the initial shock and a break, the gigs started again. Now they are organized in basement bars or other similar spaces, which can serve as population shelters if necessary.
– The whole of Ukraine is now in the basement because of the bombings and missiles. But at least it’s easy to find an audience for stand-up, jokes the club’s best-known comedian Anton Tymoshenko.
He is from Nikopol. The city is currently under constant fire, as the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is located on the opposite bank of the Dnieper River.
Tymoshenko has a tour of Ukraine lasting the whole summer. At the time of writing, he is in Cherkasy.
“Would I like to be president? Absolutely not”
The 27-year-old Tymoshenko studied politics in Kiev, but was already interested in comedy. His thesis was about the role of humor in political campaigns, and humor eventually took the young man’s attention completely.
In 2016, Tymoshenko appeared on television in a comedy competition for the future president of Ukraine to Volodymyr Zelensky in front. Both comedians are from the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Tymoshenko says he is not looking for a political career like Zelensky.
– I am often asked if I would like to be the president of Ukraine one day. I really don’t, it’s not a nice job. A little stressful.
– The question of whether you want to be the president of Ukraine is currently relevant to ask only Zelensky, Tymoshenko sneers.
When the war broke out, Tymoshenko and other Ukrainian comedians had to think about whether it is at all topical and appropriate to make jokes under the prevailing circumstances. They soon realized that people have a need to deal with what is happening through humor.
“The universe is constantly expanding to get further away from Russia.”
comedian Anton Tymoshenko
– Comedians are constantly arguing about what is appropriate and what is not. Actually, it is appropriate to work hard for a win.
That’s why comedians use their own notoriety to help the Ukrainian army. They advertise fundraisers on social media and transfer part of their box office proceeds to charity.
– Sometimes the soldiers come after the gig to compliment and say it was fun. It comforts me a lot and makes me understand that I am doing something useful, says Tymoshenko.
According to him, the biggest problem in the work of a stand-up comedian is the lack of inspiration at the moment, because his thoughts are always on other things.
– I made up jokes thanks to a feeling of guilt. I’m safe and my challenge is to make humor when there somewhere the boys are defending our homeland.
“Recently, my health has started to deteriorate, so I decided to live healthier. I have the best motivation ever: I want to live at least until Putin dies.”
comedian Slavik Martynjuk
Anti-Russian “meditation” and other jokes
The Russian invasion has changed the topic of Ukrainian stand-up. Most of the stories these days revolve around the war and the Russians.
– It’s a strange feeling when for the last ten years I was saving money to buy myself an apartment in Kiev and now I’m saving money so that we can win the war. However, I don’t know which one is more difficult, because apartments in Kyiv are really expensive, says Tymoshenko.
At the beginning of the war, he made an anti-Russian “meditation” on YouTube, the purpose of which is to calm the Ukrainians. In the video, the comedian tells jokes about Russians in a calm voice accompanied by relaxing music. For example, such:
– The fact that we are next to Russia has one advantage: we always live in the moment, because we may only have a moment to live.
Tymoshenko believes that jokes about Russians are here to stay. The challenge, of course, is that they start to feel numb at some point.
– Today, in Ukraine, the skill of a comedian is determined by whether he can find a new perspective on Russian jokes.
Tymoshenko is not ready to think about his future achievements in the field of stand-up.
– At the moment, the pinnacle of a Ukrainian comedian’s career is surviving.
His tour culminates in September in Kyiv. All box office proceeds from the concert organized in the Okakuu concert hall for a couple of thousand spectators will be directed to the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
The comedian knows only one thing about future prospects.
– After the win, I would like to come and play in Finland. It is the happiest country in the world.
“I returned to Kyiv a few days ago. All the people of Kyiv who left the city started asking what it’s like and whether it’s worth coming back. I answered that it’s not worth it, because it’s great here even without you.”
comedian Vasil Bajdak