Review: Omaka par
Hilarious comedy with deep undertones
Lilla Teatern’s new deal for the autumn is a festive but also thought-provoking comedy that sometimes tears down roaring laughter, sometimes makes the audience strongly empathize with the protagonists in situations that are familiar to many.
The Odd Couple, by American playwright Neil Simon (1927-), premiered on Broadway in 1965 and has been made both as a TV series and as a film starring legendary couples Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau. In Helsinki, Lillan’s top couple horses Pekka Strang and Sampo Sarkola play the mismatched couple who drive each other crazy during their involuntary cohabitation. The director is Pentti Kotkaniemi, who previously directed Grönholm’s Method, Daddy’s Boys and The Salesmen at Lillan.
The show begins with a poker night as it usually does every Friday at the home of the newly divorced slacker Oscar Madison (Sarkola) in his messy eight-room apartment with moldy food in the fridge. The gang consists of the anxious Vinnie, humorously portrayed by theatre academy student Peter Ahlqvist, who is worried that he will not make it home in time as he has promised his wife. Peter Kanerva makes an intense interpretation of Speed, who has a hard time curbing his irritation over the game that never gets going. Marc Svahnström’s Roy is a kind of Daniel Westling look-a-like, a nice pal who lends more money to Oscar who is already in debt to everyone and yet tries to play together for the monthly maintenance of his children. Police officer Murray who keeps the whole gang in shape is incredibly well played by Robert Kock, a very believable police figure that has been seen in countless American movies.
Mary Poppins around the clock.
However, the evening is overshadowed by concern over the absent card player, news reporter Felix Ungar, who has disappeared after his wife threw him out the same day. In the end, he shows up, presumably suicidal, but is offered accommodation in Oscar’s oversized house. .
The cohabitation is still not a bed of roses because Felix is incredibly pedantic, domestic and nagging like a typical wife, while Oscar is sloppy and bohemian. The poker gang does enjoy a tidier playing environment and better snacks with the beer, but Oscar feels as if he would live with Mary Poppins 24 hours a day. .
The double dating with the newly divorced sisters on the same staircase also does not go as planned. Giggly Gwendolyn is played by Nelly Hristova, known from Kotikatu, among others. The sister Cecily is played by the new acquaintance Heidi Lindén, despite the name, a Finnish actor from Tampere but with a very charming accent, very eloquent body language and flirtatious looks. .
A veritable laughter fest.
Pentti Kotkaniemi’s character direction works well overall in Alishas Davidow’s set design, which is a very typical American living room that has been seen in countless sitcoms. Sari Salmela’s costumes nicely complete the 60’s feeling in the play. The performance is crowned by the eminent interplay between Sarkola and Strang. Strang in particular stands for an incredible performance as the extremely vulnerable Felix who is not far from tears. .
The text is both incredibly witty and funny and at the same time very moving. It depicts in such a beautiful way the man’s anguish before the divorce, the loss of his wife and children, the difficulties in starting dating again, the struggle to get back on his feet financially after the ex-wife took everything and you also have to pay alimony. .
The trials that even a good old friendship can be subjected to if you are forced to socialize too intensely also come out nicely. The friends’ concern about a possible suicide attempt while trying to put up a cool façade is touching. .
In a country like Finland, with a high divorce rate and suicide rate, especially among men, Mismatched Couples is also a highly topical play – unfortunately. But despite the serious undertones, Lillan’s performance is above all a veritable laughter fest. .