IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? by Happeningfish

Happeningfish walks onto the small stage at Heldeke! alone, and within minutes, it feels like we’re sitting down for a very personal conversation.

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? is a mix of stand-up, theatre and personal storytelling about relationships, desire, boundaries and the wonderfully messy business of trying to be loved.

From the moment they step on stage, there is an ease and confidence that makes it feel less like watching a performance and more like being let into someone’s world. The stories are personal, sometimes awkward, sometimes outrageous, and often very funny.

We laugh at the ridiculousness of relationships and human behaviour, but the show doesn’t stay on the surface. Between the jokes are moments that feel much more vulnerable, touching on identity, connection and the things we do to each other, and ourselves, in the hope of finding love.

And happeningfish has a beautiful stage presence. Alone under the lights, they manage to hold the room without needing anything elaborate around them. Just stories, timing, humour and a willingness to go into places that are sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes hilarious, and sometimes unexpectedly moving.

Heldeke! feels like the perfect setting for it. Its small, intimate theatre creates just enough closeness between performer and audience for the personal stories to really land.

IS THIS WHAT YOU WANTED? makes you laugh, occasionally wince, and sometimes feel a little more than you expected from a comedy show.

And perhaps that is the point. Beneath the humour and awkward stories, there is something very human about wanting to be understood, wanting to be loved, and trying to figure out how to get there without completely losing the plot along the way.

The Tallinn Fringe Festival continues until 18 September.

Author: Hélène