On the evening of August 13, in the comedy show “Evening Quarter”, parody numbers for the first time by President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky and the head of the office of the Ukrainian leader Andrey Bogdan first appeared. The role of the head of state was played by actor Yuri the Great - it is reported that he will continue to cooperate with the studio "Quarter 95".

In one of the interviews, the artist mentioned that Vladimir Zelensky was interesting to him as an object of parody long before being elected president: already in 2009, the Great began to work on the image, collect material and notice the features of the future politician. However, the Great was not sure that he would succeed in casting for the role in “Evening Quarter”: many applicants had a more suitable appearance (for example, they did not have to wear a wig).

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Finally I cut my hair ... Something is wrong with me 🤔 # Yuri Velikiy # Velikiy Velikiy # key word Velikiy

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The great one said that Vladimir Zelensky influenced his career, so the actor jokes self-censorship.

One of the most memorable numbers of the last performance was a parody of the song by Angelica Varum and Leonid Agutin “I will always be with you” performed by the actor and screenwriter of the studio “Quarter 95” Alexander Pikalov. The composition sounded against the background of a slideshow of photos in which Andrey Bogdan accompanies the President of Ukraine at official and unofficial events. By the way, the head of the president’s office reposted the show’s recording on a Facebook page with the signature “Here it is, glory.”

The relationship between Zelensky and Bogdan became an occasion for jokes in another issue: “He is the only person in the circle who can afford to look the president directly in the ear” - this is how the head of the office described the humorists. Not without reminder of the acting past of the President of Ukraine, as well as his promises to fight corruption.

According to media reports, on Ukrainian television the full version of the concert will be released on September 24.

From the screen to the podium

Before going into politics, Zelensky became famous as a comedian and showman. The acting president of Ukraine began his career with KVN: he headed the 95th Quarter team and played in the Premier League. Soon, he moved the stand-ups to the screen - this is how the evening quarter show appeared.

As a member of the Kvartal 95 studio, known for its political satire, Zelensky parodied politicians from different countries, as well as businessmen and heads of state (often the incumbent president created cartoons for Petro Poroshenko and Mikheil Saakashvili).

  • Frame from the film “Love in the Big City”, 2009
  • © kinopoisk.ru

In 2007, the studio decided to start filmmaking. Among the projects of the Quarter is the well-known comedy series Swat, which lasted six seasons and was broadcast, in particular, on the TV channel Russia-1. In the summer of 2017 in Ukraine, the project was banned for showing, but in July 2019, “Matchmakers” were returned to the TV screen.

“Quarter 95” viewers owe the appearance of such feature films as “Love in the City,” “8 First Dates,” and “Office Romance.” Our time ”, which, like the“ Matchmakers ”, was widely broadcast on Russian television.

Shortly before winning the presidential race, Zelensky announced his departure from show business and, in particular, that he was leaving Quarter 95. Two months later, the studio announced a casting for the show "Evening Quarter", in the framework of which it was looking for potential parodist Vladimir Zelensky. The studio management did not identify strict criteria for selecting a candidate, noting only that anyone with a characteristic “hoarse voice” can become a casting participant.

The parodist was found after almost two months: on August 8, information appeared in the media that now the cartoons for the president of Ukraine will be made by the participant of the duet “Schumacher Brothers” Yuri the Great. On August 13 at the evening concert, this information was confirmed.