Review: Hotelli Paradiso

An A-class farce that hits the mark

Helsinki City Theatre is Finland’s leading farce stage. Neil Hardwick , who is of British origin, is Finland’s leading farce director, who many think makes more “Finnish” comedies than Finnish-born ones ever did.

Now Hardwick has taken up the French farce of relationship cheating written in 1894. He has been given access to a team of highly skilled actors, a large stage and enormous resources for the production of the play.

The result is a charmingly complete entertainment package. It is a collection of the ridiculous comedy of adultery and petty fornication based on the double standards of the romantic culture of the Catholic country.

In real life, similar experiences are guaranteed not to make you laugh, but as a farce on stage, the imaginative substitute life is both amusing and entertaining. And this summer, there has been a public discussion about cheating and its refreshing effects.

The City Theatre’s interpretation has been built really nicely, making uncompromising use of all areas of theatre art. Sari Salmela’s costumes are meticulous and well thought out. The colour scheme, together with Katariina Kirjavainen’s epochal sets, delight the viewer’s eye with their perfection. Henri Karjalainen’s camouflage underlines the characters’ character images in an almost textbook way.

Hardwick’s portraits of Georges Feydeau allow for a detachment in acting. The comedy actors really get into their element. Jari Pehkonen Mathieu, Sanna-June Hyden Marcelle and Nelly Hristova’s Victoire Maid are great roles that have a sense of the times, class consciousness and a sensitive view of gender.

The large gallery of characters supports the strong interpretation. Still, the key roles stand out. Santeri Kinnunen The pinglet is a very successful comedy role. Tiina Lymi As Mrs. Angélique, there is a similarly clearly replicating gorgeous beauty.

The farce night is so perfect that it almost leaves you cold. However, should there be a bit of an edge in live art?

When you think about it, you can throw yourself into an entertaining performance – and enjoy.