Gatis Maliks Finally Receives Award - Liepāja Theatre Throws Confetti from 1987 Stockpile

In the dressing room of Liepāja Theatre on Wednesday afternoon sat a man with blackened bananas on his table and a freshly received 'Kristaps' Award. Gatis Maliks - an actor who until now was famous as the "eternal nominee" - has finally received his award. Of course, this happened precisely when he's performing at Liepāja Theatre as someone about whom "absolutely everyone has an opinion about."

"I don't envy myself having to play Lauris Reiniks," admits Maliks, while bananas blacken on his table - the same ones he puts in his bag every morning, takes for a walk, and brings home in the evening. This tradition either indicates a deep philosophical approach to life or simply that actors have weird habits.

The show "Freimanis" is so popular that tickets are no longer available. This means that in Liepāja, people are willing to pay money to see Maliks attempt to embody Lauris Reiniks. "There's Valtiņš, who has literally become Freimanis. And then there's me, who absolutely doesn't look like or sing like Lauris Reiniks," he's honest about himself.

Maliks apparently never listened to Freimanis compositions, and even less to Reiniks' songs. "I generally didn't listen to Latvian music much," he admits. Now he has to play a musician he never listened to. It's like making a Riga resident drive a Liepāja tram - technically possible, but the result will be interesting.

Meanwhile, locals are satisfied - not only because someone from Liepāja finally received a serious award, but also because they can read Maliks' cynical and spot-on social media posts. As local café owner Aina said: "Finally someone who writes about blackened bananas as honestly as we live."