Carles Sans Revives Solo Show 'Por Fin Solo' in Andorra

Carles Sans, the veteran comedian known for his decades with the mime trio El Tricicle, has brought his solo show *Por fin solo* back to Andorra after it quietly toured the country during the pandemic. The performance weaves together personal anecdotes from his 40-year career, blending monologue with the expressive physicality that defined El Tricicle.

In the show, Sans recounts wild, real-life stories, such as the time their performance was lost in translation in Japan or the antics he performed on planes to conquer his fear of flying. After El Tricicle disbanded, he knew he wanted to return to the stage but recognised the group was irreplaceable. "I had no choice but to speak," he said, adding that after 40 years of silence, it felt right—though always paired with gesture, evoking memories of the trio for many fans.

Now nearly four years in, *Por fin solo* has drawn 160,000 spectators across 380 performances, exceeding Sans's expectations. Finding a new path was challenging, he noted, as audiences resist image changes late in a career. Yet the shift proved a success, prompting him to develop a follow-up focused on even more personal tales. One city councillor even timed the laughter during a show, clocking it at four to five laughs per minute—a feat Sans attributes to craft and intuition honed over a lifetime.

Reflecting on El Tricicle's era, Sans called it "marvellous." From the start, the group delivered exactly what audiences craved: wordless, gestural theatre with accessible themes like horror films or sports that anyone could follow. They carved out a unique "Tricicle genre," he said.

In today's social media-driven world, Sans believes humour grows harder, rooted as it is in surprise. "It's increasingly difficult to astonish people," he observed. Still, he cannot imagine life beyond the stage—even in retirement, he plans to stay connected to making others laugh, his true calling.