Review: Diivat
Asko Sarkola and Esko Roine run a dizzying drag show in Ken Ludwig’s play, directed by Neil Hardwick. The dizzying and mindless intricacies of the farce are solved with skilful acting. Satu Silvo shines as a genuine woman on stage.
Despite its dubious reputation, farce is a true masterclass skill. When it fails, the concoction is horrible bush theater, when it succeeds, it is exhilaratingly masterful entertainment. Director Neil Hardwick knows with decades of experience which strings to pull to make Finns laugh. Ken Ludwig’s play Diivat , which can be seen at the City Theatre, also meets expectations thanks to its virtuoso actors. There is no shortage of professionalism, as by chance there are up to three theatre directors on stage. Asko Sarkola HKT, Esko Roine TTT and Pekka Strang, Lilla Teatern.
FARCICAL SOUP COOKBOOK
Farce works according to certain almost mathematical laws. There is a rule that requires a man to dress as a woman. From one century to the next, the change of identity has been seen as comical, and the trick also offers the actor opportunities for stage action. Misunderstandings and falling in love due to appeal to us viewers. The divas also have a hefty dose of Charley’s aunt and Tight Places. The second rule is foolhardiness out of love or the lust for money. Performing art on the brink of disaster also makes the Divas laugh.
On the plot level, Diva is just as crazy as it should be. We live in 1950s America. Leo Clark (Esko Roine) and Jack Gable (Asko Sarkola) are ringed actors who make a living by recycling the TOP 10 compilations of Shakespeare’s productions. Success is not easy, the cash drawer is empty and the constant travel is tiring. The duo’s brain, the money-hungry Leo, gets a wild inch from a newspaper advertisement. The millionaire of a nearby small town, Mrs. Florence (Marjatta Raita), has died, and now they are looking for missing relatives to divide the property. It’s just a shame that the legal heirs are women and the other is deaf-mute. A little thing for the brilliant Shakespeare actors, that is, towards the test.
The millionaire’s house is hosted by the affectionate and sincere Meg (Satu Silvo) with her groom candidate Duncan (Santeri Kinnunen). Duncan is a priest who waits with his tongue out for the money that belongs to Meg. The plans change when the long-lost, strangely scrappy relatives, Maxine and Stephanie, arrive. They immediately hear the “good news”: Florence is not dead, but is fighting for her life with the special help of her doctor (Eero Saarinen). The soup is almost ready.
To spice things up, the doctor’s tall loser son Butch (Pekka Strang) and his cheerful girlfriend Audrey (Vappu Nalbantoglu) are thrown in. The concoction will begin to bubble. Role-playing, misunderstandings, foolishness with costume changes and the charms of falling in love follow one another. Mr. Shakespeare himself gets his share in the form of Epiphany, which runs through the Divas as a kind of subtext.
THE TASTY SPICES OF THE SOUP
Of course, there is something great about the fact that the General Director of the City Theatre is seen on stage dressed as a woman. Would one of Helsinki’s main theatres join in on such a political statement? Of course, there are other things to eat for the eyes and ears at Diivot . The pompous set design designed by Hannu Lindholm is bathed in Markku Penttilä’s caramel lights. In the train scene at the beginning, a split train really bursts onto the stage. Harri Ahponen’s soundscape roams sounds and hits from Bing Crosby through Peggy Lee to Nick Cave. The costumes designed by Sari Salmela offer opportunities for genuine theatre madness with a livree outfit. Even the bold manual offers beautiful pictures and a great comic-like training diary. The warm-toned humor hit has been invested in very well.
Hardwick’s direction is relaxed and permissive, but requires a precise sense of rhythm from his actors. Of course, the veteran gentlemen Asko and Esko are in a class of their own here. Humour is born from a combination of charm, arrogance and virtuosity. Both actors shine with the power of their charisma with slightly familiar tricks. Sarkola, who flaunts in her flamenco outfit, is downright beautiful. I listened with concern to the rough and pressed voices of both heroes. I wouldn’t want such gentlemen to have vocal cord surgery.
Of the rest of the group of men, Santeri Kinnunen in particular makes a great guy as a grumpy priest. Eero Saarinen is also doing well as a lewd doctor.
Ken Ludwig’s favorite character has obviously been Meg. When we talk about the real women in the play, Satu Silvo does a brilliant job as Meg. Sincerity, listening, accuracy of timing, everything works in Silvo’s work. In Silvo’s interpretation, Meg’s dream of acting and hunger for life also gets a touch of the tragic tone that the performance needs.
Vappu Nalbantoglu brings freshness to the performance, but why is the character directed so bimbo?
Marjatta Raita is incredible as an elderly woman who is on the verge of death, but who nevertheless sees everything wisely and accurately.
Asko Sarkola has sometimes defended the existence of light farces on HKT’s big stage. According to him, the box office revenue can be used to finance the performance of more ambitious dramas on other stages, such as the small stage in Pasila. However, there is nothing to be ashamed of in divas . It’s just as light, laughable and moving as it should be. Perhaps it is also the wisdom of Sarkola and Hardwick that the performance does not even try to be political or modern. The laws of comedy are eternal.