In 2011, Russian comedian Mikhail Zadornov posed the following question to “Club of the Merry and Quick-witted” (Klub veselikh i nakhodchivikh, or KVN) octofinalists: “Why don’t Americans play KVN?” As Russian Standup Boston (pictured below) proved last weekend, they do!
KVN clubs, a Soviet-style cross between Saturday Night Live and Whose Line is it Anyway? became a sensation in the 1960’s as teams from universities, factories, and municipalities faced off for regional titles and the chance to play on national television. KVN was the most successful TV program in the history of Russia, but, more importantly, it created a durable competitive infrastructure in smaller towns. Even prisons formed KVN teams. KVN became part of a culture of sociality, just like American tennis and bridge leagues. Now it is a pan-Eastern bloc network whose champions meet each year for a final tournament. Stable leagues exist all over the former USSR, from Chechnya to Uzbekistan. Immigrants formed leagues in the United States and Israel. Last weekend Russian Standup, from Boston, visited the West Coast, whirling through a three-night tour of San Francisco, Orange County, and Los Angeles. Their blend of sketch comedy and improv does more, though, than keep KVN tradition alive. As bilinguals performing for bilingual American audiences, they have extra linguistic room to make jokes based on (mis-) translation and multilingual puns. Is it the same as KVN in Russia? No. Is it still veselyi (cheerful) and nakhodchivyi (clever)? Without a doubt.