The performance of M. Stonkus, M. Katleris and M. Bartuševičius shook Klaipėda: the audience burst into laughter

The arena stand-up comedy project of Mantas Stonkus, Mantas Katleris and Mantas Bartuševičius, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary this year and is beloved by lovers of good humor and is breaking popularity records one after another, celebrated the second day of Christmas with a packed Klaipėda Arena.

"The Klaipėda Arena was packed - there was not a single free seat left. It seems that "Mantai" has created an unbreakable tradition over the past ten years to wake up humor lovers from their herring-laden tables on the second day of Christmas and come for a good laugh."

"That decade in arenas obviously bore fruit - the program was polished down to the smallest detail, the audience was laughing, thank God, no medics were needed," the organizers are delighted with the incredible popularity of the project.

Having started in Klaipėda in November 2016, the country's most famous stand-up masters will celebrate the culmination of their sixth tour, this time called #MantaiPlinka, in Vilnius in January 2026. The title itself already encodes that here, stories that will bring tears of laughter to the eyes will flow from the stage about sharp and slightly uncomfortable, even embarrassing topics for many - for example, the male midlife crisis. Mantai says that it is easier to survive it when everything is viewed through the prism of humor.

During that decade, the three most famous Lithuanian Mantas not only started to go bald, but also took off with their personal careers – they created various hugely successful TV projects and online podcasts, gathered full halls with humorous performances, organized comedy tours throughout Lithuania, went from comedians to actors, from actors to creators and producers of popular projects. They got married, divorced, celebrated life, and some finally found time for a wedding. So the inspiration for this tour that started yesterday – through the eyes.

"As a man approaches his forties, his life fundamentally changes - whether he wants it or not. This is one of the main topics when we gather to talk and share secrets. Midlife crisis is not only about love for much younger mistresses or powerful cars with no roof. There are also much deeper topics that give rise to stand-ups, but we avoid talking about them out loud. We not only laugh about it, but we also openly publicize situations from our own lives that have never been told before," said M. Stonkus. Meanwhile, someone observes the thinning forest of hair on their head in the mirror, someone comes to terms with what is changing. They stop lying to themselves and set new challenges. They realize that they may still be somewhat handsome, but no longer young, they brag no longer about their achievements in bed, but about their victories in quizzes after guessing a chain of words.

In any case, the best jokes can only come from one's own experience. And there's so much of it accumulated over the course of a decade that it's a huge challenge to fit it all into a two-hour show.

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