Reality show satire packs energy into I Want to Believe

Triin Ruumet’s new production I Want to Believe at Von Krahl Theatre explores the superficiality of reality TV and the young people who take part in it, ERR’s review says. The colourful and highly energetic performance also asks whether its apparent abundance reflects reality or excess.

The audience is initially told by Edgar Vunš that it has gathered to watch a recording of the reality show Private Life. A large screen at the centre of the stage combines prerecorded footage with scenes taking place live, creating the impression that viewers have entered a television studio rather than a theatre.

Juhan Ulfsak’s voiceover delivers the kind of humorous commentary associated with the genre. His lines about skimpy bikini lines and toned muscles sound familiar and natural, while his translations of the participants’ English phrases also prompt laughter.

The production takes aim at consumer society through bold advertising breaks filled with provocative words and actions. Its absurd humour extends to parodies of institutions in both the public and private sectors.

I Want to Believe portrays reality TV as superficial and its young participants as primitive. The young people are parodied through constant Estonglish, an emphasis on appearance, empty conversations, nudity, swearing and rapping. Their clothing also matches the show’s reality-TV aesthetic, consisting mainly of jeans, T-shirts and sporty casual wear.

The single beauty Kristina

Kristina Preimann, playing Private Life’s Kristina, is the evening’s star both because of the responsibility carried by her role and because of the character she creates. She remains convincingly within the bounds of her persona, a scandal-prone weather presenter, throughout the production.

Preimann plays two roles at once: the host and the main character of Private Life, in a format resembling a dating show centred on a single woman. Kristina is bold and humorous, but restrained enough to remain likeable and engaging.

Her charisma is particularly clear in a scene in which one of the boys has to clean the kitchen. To announce the task, Kristina sits theatrically on a kitchen cabinet with her legs apart in high heels, cleaning products visible between them. “The cleaning products are here,” she says mischievously.

In a confessional-camera segment, Kristina explains her actions by invoking several idols, before concluding that what matters is what she herself would say. The character’s more sensitive side also emerges when she discusses southwesterly winds and low-pressure systems in front of a weather map. It quickly becomes clear that she is speaking not only about the weather, but also about her own emotional turbulence.

Preimann’s performance is described as skilful and multifaceted. The production premiered on September 2, 2026, at Von Krahl Theatre. It is directed by Triin Ruumet, written by Joosep Lõhmus and designed by Ksenia Verbeštšuk, with Juhan Ulfsak responsible for body dramaturgy.