Tatiana Akopova: “Self-Esteem”

I settled in at Ratas&Kohv for Tatiana Akopova’s second of three nights presenting her solo show Self-Esteem. One of the founding members of the Pussy Jam comedy collective, Akopova’s show featured two affiliated openers, Sandra Tiitson and Mikayla Gregory.

Tiitson showed off her characteristic charm and Estonian directness, with a subtle, funny set reflecting on her self-esteem and how it’s led her to be deeply attracted to men who are like her, for good or for ill. With material both familiar and fresh, Tiitson raised the room’s energy through crowd work, one-liners, and personal narratives. 

Gregory, an Australian comic with an animated delivery and excellent timing, soothed all of our painful high school memories by illustrating just how easy it is to be cooler than a 15-year-old now. She backed up her claims with both anecdotes and data, pulling on her experiences as a high school teacher as well as a totally objective and accurate scale to measure purity. Then on to the main act.

From the start, Akopova’s set channeled the classics with a gorgeous power suit and one-liners delivered with an air of resigned self-deprecation reminiscent of Rodney Dangerfield. From there, she began to blend styles as she narrated her efforts to improve herself and elevate her self-image, reflecting on the various lasers she’s encountered — for hair and eyes! — as well as more traditional methods involving therapeutic interventions.

Akopova riffed on various sources of self-esteem damage as well, incorporating crowd work, quips, and even a selection of poems written to accompany and encapsulate her tales. Her deadpan delivery was perfectly suited to the topic, providing a distinct tonal shift from the previous comedians. Combining social critique and personal experience, she demonstrated that perhaps self-esteem is not as important as resilience.

Self-Esteem’s final night is 18 September at Ratas&Kohv, closing out the final day of the 2024 Tallinn Fringe Festival.

Author: Laurie