A Ukrainian comedian, now residing away from Moscow, laments that he communicates solely in French.

Title: One Man's Struggle: Viktor Kyrylov's Heart-Wrenching Journey

On the blasted dawn of February 24, 2022, the life of 20-year-old Ukrainian lad, Viktor Kyrylov, took a twisted turn. Woken by his mother's frantic call, he learned that old Mother Russia had declared war on his birthland, and his hometown of Odessa was getting blasted. "'Don't come back'", she sobbed. Viktor, a Russian culture devotee, had made Moscow his dwelling for the past three years, living the dream he'd yearned for years. A student at the prestigious GITIS theater school, he was about to star in Chekhov's "The Seagull" on February 25.

"My dream transformed me into a Ukrainian traitor, an enemy to Russians, snatching life's meaning," Viktor Kyrylov pensively muses. Should he join the fray against his would-be brethren or scram? Three years on, on the stage of Paris' Théâtre de Belleville, Viktor Kyrylov shares, in a gripping one-man show, his soul-wrenching predicament.

He christened the show "Now I only write in French". The Russian tongue, he wishes to "forget", while the French, which he now commands flawlessly, serves as his sanctuary. Viktor narrates his exile with the passion of someone screaming for release from the ambivalence that's plagued him for ages. He needs to unravel the puzzle of how his story intertwines with the larger historical narrative. Onstage, maps of Ukraine, Russia, and the defunct USSR are projected, revealing centuries of geopolitical shenanigans that have upended countless lives.

Insights

Viktor Kyrylov's one-man show, "Maintenant je n'écris plus qu'en français," is a profound and emotional performance, recounting the story of a young Ukrainian man who found himself in the uncharted waters of war when Russia invaded his homeland in 2022.
The show explores the complexities of identity, loyalty, and war, with a focus on themes such as family, patriotism, youth, death, hate, love, betrayal, and guilt.
The performance, directed by Éric Ruf, is approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes long, featuring set design and costumes by Constant Chiassai Polin, lighting by Anne Coudret, and sound by Thomas Canny.
The show is being performed at the Théâtre de Belleville in Paris, France, from April 4 to June 29, 2025 — a venue that champions contemporary theater and emerging artists.
The show poses the questioning question, "Pourquoi combat-on?" ("Why do we fight?"), shedding light on the human experience of displacement, identity crisis, and the emotional turmoil wrought by war.

Despite being a Russian culture devotee, Viktor Kyrylov, the Ukrainian protagonist of the one-man show "Now I only write in French," chose Paris' Théâtre de Belleville to share his heart-wrenching journey that began on February 24, 2022.
In this captivating performance, Kyrylov delves into the complexities of identity, loyalty, and war, intertwining his personal story with centuries of geopolitical shenanigans that have affected numerous lives.
Among the many themes explored in the show are family, patriotism, youth, death, hate, love, betrayal, and guilt, offering a profound and emotional portrayal of a young man grappling with displacement and an identity crisis.
Interestingly, Kyrylov chose to use French as his primary language for the show, possibly as a way to find solace and distance himself from the Russian tongue.
The show has received critical acclaim for its compelling narrative, detailed set design, and riveting performance, with runtimes scheduled from April 4 to June 29, 2025, at the Théâtre de Belleville in Paris, France.
As Kyrylov shares his story with the world, viewers may find themselves questioning the motivation behind war, as the performance thoughtfully examines the human experience of conflict and the emotional toll it takes on individuals.