Description
Helsinki 98's breakthrough work The End of the Soviet Man returns to the repertoire in autumn 2026. The performance, based on Svetlana Alexievich's documentary prose, has achieved exceptional audience success: 73 of 75 performances have been sold out. The work is the world's most performed theatrical adaptation based on Svetlana Alexievich's production. Helsinki 98's first international visit will be seen on 6.10.2026 in Tallinn, when The End of the Soviet Man is performed at the Vaba Lava theatre. xxx "What is the most horrifying thing here? What kills me? A crushed idea! Communism has been betrayed! Everything is in pieces!" THE END OF THE SOVIET MAN, based on the documentary novel of the same name by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich, tells the story of 87-year-old Vasili Petrovich N. The Soviet Union has already collapsed and communism is ridiculed, but Vasili Petrovich still believes in the idea. He is a loyal cadre of the party. Alexievich's genre is documentary prose, in which she examines the destruction of the Utopia, i.e., the communist and totalitarian Soviet Union. Alexievich interviewed Vasili Petrovich in the early 1990s. THE END OF THE SOVIET MAN brings to the fore a worldview in which the current Russian administration has also grown up. The performance is staged in the premises of an old high school decommissioned from school use in Vuosaari, East Helsinki. In the performance, the premises are transformed into a brutal Russian nursing home of the 1990s. The main role is played by Sami Lanki. The play's premiere was on 15.9.2023. Press reviews: "The End of the Soviet Man is such a merciless X-ray of Russian dictator faith that one would wish it festival invitations raining all over Europe." "Sami Lanki is the sovereign center of the stage. He doesn't give a moment's peace on stage. An enormously intense role performance." – Demokraatti 7.8.2025 "Rarely have I seen a performance where video installations support the action on stage as well as in this interpretation."' – Kulttuuritoimitus.fi 6.8.2025 "Although Alexievich's important documentary novel is set specifically on the ruins of the Soviet Union, every moment of the play carries the feeling that this is not about history but about the present moment." – Voima 16.10.2023 The performance is produced by HELSINKI 98. The production is part of the Maailma näyttämölle project supported by the Finnish Cultural Foundation. The play has also been supported by the City of Helsinki and the Arts Promotion Centre Finland. HELSINKI 98 is a theatre group that explores the question: "What can art be after 24.2.2022?" The set designer and video creator of THE END OF THE SOVIET MAN, Pavel Semchenko, received the 2024 Säde award for the performance's videos, and Sami Lanki was one of seven nominees of the Finnish Actors' Union for theatre actor of the year for his main role. On 5.-6.8.2025, the play was performed in the main programme of the Tampere Theatre Festival. THE END OF THE SOVIET MAN – WORKING GROUP: Author: Svetlana Alexievich Translation: Director and Martti-Tapio Kuuskoski Roles: Vasili Petrovich N – Sami Lanki; Nurse and other roles – Elli Närjä Direction, adaptation, production: Director Set design, videos, lights, poster: Pavel Semchenko Costumes, make-up: Anis Kronidova Sound design: Ville MJ Hyvönen Marketing and production: HELSINKI 98 The translation of the performance has been made for the stage. Total duration 2 h 10 min (interval 15 min). The performance is recommended for over 16-year-olds. Note! We cannot admit latecomers to the performance space. Arrival instructions to Vuosaari Tilajakamo (Vuosaarentie 7): By metro: Vuosaari stop, walk left from the metro's Columbus exit, walk towards the main entrance of Vuotalo, opposite which is the former high school of Vuosaari, now Vuosaari Tilajakamo. The walk from the metro to Tilajakamo takes 3 minutes. By car: There is a parking lot at Vuosaarentie 7.