Stand-up comedian Alexey Shcherbakov has suspended his career after reviews of his concert material began following show cancellations in Moscow and other Russian cities.
According to a report published by Russian media channel Mash on Telegram, the comedian's director said that official checks into Shcherbakov's stage material were initiated after several of his scheduled concert appearances were called off.
The report stated that the content of his comedy routines will be modified going forward, with plans to remove political jokes from his performances.
Shcherbakov is one of Russia's best-known stand-up comedians, having built a wide following through television broadcasts and digital platforms. Mash is a popular Russian news channel on the Telegram messaging service that reports on public figures and entertainment industry news.
Drop in private performance demand
In addition to public tour interruptions, Mash reported a drop in demand for Shcherbakov's private stand-up appearances at corporate and private events. The comedian currently has no such private concerts scheduled for the month of September.
Private bookings for the comedian are priced between 3.3 million and 10 million rubles for a 30-minute set. Venues booking Shcherbakov must also fulfill his performance rider, a standard agreement detailing hospitality and technical requests, which specifies a microphone, a bar stool, a phone charger, tea, and water.
Previous concert cancellations
The suspension of Shcherbakov's career follows a string of earlier concert cancellations across different regions of Russia. In March, news surfaced that two of his planned shows were called off in Murmansk Oblast, a region located in northwestern Russia, where he was scheduled to perform in a hall with a capacity of 500 people.
Prior to the cancellations in Murmansk Oblast, Shcherbakov's concerts failed to take place in the city of Kyshtym, located in Chelyabinsk Oblast in the Urals region. Another major performance in Moscow was also cancelled after nearly all tickets for the show had already been sold.
