Review: Diivat

WHEN THEATRE IS PLAY

You know those ancient emblem masks of the theatre, one mouth in the ears, the other forehead in deep wrinkles of sorrow. Now it’s time for the former, cleanly. It’s very good, because sometimes it feels like the people don’t really know how to play, go crazy, throw themselves into being children anymore. If you haven’t done a laughter test for a long time, now is your chance. Bring a large handkerchief in case of a bubbling nose and flowing makeup.

The American farce fits perfectly on the stage of the Helsinki City Theatre thanks to the lively direction and the country’s top comedians. Neil Hardwick bounces the pieces of his chessboard with pleasure, and brothers Asko Sarkola and Esko Roine make their own bounces with at least two spins.

The heroes of this hilarious rogue story are two Shakespeare actors who have gone crazy on a trip, who, in the hope of easy money and spurred on by a newspaper advertisement, pretend to be lost relatives and thus possible heirs. To be more precise, the heiress, because according to a surprise twist, it turns out to be two women. Nothing is impossible for a professional actor, Leo and Jack, Esko and Asko, convince each other, and they also have to make a great effort to redeem that claim.

The deceased has not yet died, and it does not seem that he will die anytime soon, and there are others who are also claiming property. And when love jumps into the game, it’s about staying in your own box, no matter how skilled the impostor is.

Sarkola and Roine play their dual roles with astonishing flexibility, quick reactions and as if they were each other, seeking and inciting each other. The playwright has created his characters precisely for interpreters like them, and therefore the performance simply cannot fail.
Real women, Meg, Audrey and Florence, Satu Silvo, Vappu Nalbantoglu and Marjatta Raita bring their own radiance to the plot with their own personal tunes. A pleasant surprise is offered by Santeri Kinnunen in his downright acrobatic comedian role as the priest Duncan, and Eero Saarinen as the wildly manly doctor. Pekka Strang’s foal-like, shy young man completes the pattern endearingly.

The fairy tale proceeds lightly and intersperses with amusing ambiguities in the gentle stage design of the “blooming”, subordinate to romanticism and in the costumes that follow the twists and turns of the story.