The Great Soviet Bucket

The Great Soviet Bucket is a dark musical comedy that follows Timur, a dutiful Soviet citizen, and his unhinged “Mother Russia” puppet, Comrade Bucket. Like a true believer, Timur patiently tolerates the complexities of the USSR, certain that a better future is just around the corner. His local commander, Comrade Bucket — a puppet named after an enameled Soviet bucket — urges him to fully embrace the collective way of life. But as the Soviet empire begins to crumble, so too does Timur’s Soviet identity. Backed by a cadre of brilliant musician-performers, Kazakh-American opera singer Timur uses the Soviet songs of his childhood to explore the intertwined forces of identity, politics, history, and belonging.