Georgii Deliev, Mask Show (Маски Шоу), 1991-2006.

Mask Show was a major, influential sketch comedy program run by the Odessan comedy troupe Maski [Masks]. The troupe formed in 1984 under the leadership of Georgii Deliev and created numerous films, stage plays, and even a virtual reality performance (Maski Online, 2017), but their sketch comedy show was undoubtedly their most famous work. Mask Show was first broadcast on Channel 1 on 5 September 1991 in a conscious imitation of slapstick silent film comedies, as well as English comedian Benny Hill and his eponymous Benny Hill Show (1955-1989). The first episode of Maski Show also parodied the American channel MTV, itself s a new phenomenon in the post-Soviet world at the time, with a fast-talking English-speaking narrator introducing multiple musical clips in different styles, from those portraying Odessa as a sexy beach resort, to attempts at hip-hop, to a dramatic skit set in hell where Stalin and Hitler play chess surrounded by cavorting women. The first episode offers a bewildering array of styles, from purely silent clown acts, to musical numbers, nude women dancing behind transparent plastic, and similarly dramatic turns in tone and cinematography. Their second episode, “Masks in Colombia” (1991), initiated the recurring motif of the troupe visiting a foreign country and experiencing culture shock and confusion. Later episodes explored broad themes (e.g. “Masks at a Wedding” from 1992 or “Masks on a Boat” from 1996). According to a 2011 interview with troupe member Vladimir Komarov, the young actors involved were manipulated into predatory contracts offered by their studios and neither have rights to the television show, nor receive royalties for its broadcasting. Despite this troubled legacy, Maski represents another example of Soviet media foci like student-run comedy troupes successfully finding their footing in the new media landscape and experimenting with styles, sounds and images totally absent from Soviet television to lasting popularity.