An outsider’s report is always interesting, especially when this „outsider” was in fact an insider – a part of the Viru Variete troupe. Such reports can show, how exactly was Viru Variete awakening from its sleep. The word goes to our one and only Ülle Ulla!

„In the evening of October the 30th a lot of people gathered in the Salme cultural centre. They remembered the good old times when you usually invited your guests that came to Tallinn to spend an evening at some variete, sipping aromatic coffee and taking a bite on the finest Estonian chocolate. Even now, many years later, you could feel the atmosphere. Same scents, same talks, same feelings. You can hardly tell what year it is now. The audience came to see their favorite, Viru Variete, which has been in a shade for some ten years. The variete worked successfully for more than 20 years, showing over 20 different programs. It was a theatre absed on traditions, and it was a sad surprise when it was unexpectedly closed. We were very confused and we couldn’t find a reason for that. But finding reasons is for the weak, and Viru Varietee has never been weak.

So everything good has a tendency to come back. Some enthusiasts decided to wake our Sleeping Beauty. Irina Kruglova began as a dancer in Viru Variete troupe, and later become capable of doing solo-performances, dancing with a partner. She also received the third prize on the union competition, with her partner Gennadi Yakovlev. When Viru Varietee closed, she wanted to continue her dancing career. Kalju Saareke made her his student and later on – his helper. Some time later she decided to be a choreographer herself, so she registered Viru Varietee as a company and asked Ants Vähejaus to help her. Well, why not wake up Viru Varietee to life once again!

...Today’s evening proved that all wishes can become reality, if you have experience and friends on the way. New Viru Variete troupe is young and daring. Irina Kruglova has staged most of the performances herself. There were a lot of highlights in this program, especially the finale. At the end of the first part „Supernova” was shown, a hit of those times, re-interpreted by Irina. Tõnu Kilgas, Eric Krieger, Erkki Otsman, young singer Margarita and the „Viru” trio – everyone was performing brilliantly. The thing that made me glad the most was that a lot of young people came. My wish would be that variete art could rise again in our modern society. When we were first in the Soviet times, we were respected and honored, and there is nothing that can stop us from reaching the same level once again, because there are a lot more opportunities now. Despite the tastes of the modern century, variete has the right to live. We should take our experience and create a new base on it. And I wish Viru Variete strenght and power for that! Viru’s former dancer, Ülle Ulla.”