Review: Lava-ammuntaa V

At the theatre: Stage shooting V

On Monday last week, I went to the theatre again for a change. This time, the programme included Lava-ammuntaa V, a one-woman performance written by Raila Leppäkoski and Ulla Tapaninen, on the Pengerkatu stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. Leppäkoski has directed a performance that Tapaninen will carry through from start to finish with the confident grip brought by his 40-year artistic journey. I’m still confused. Tapaninen is a star.

Stage Shooting V is the independent fifth sequel to the Stage Shooting series. Tapaninen has previously performed stand-up, sit down, stay home, and lay down comedy. The fifth Lava Shooting, on the other hand, is comeback comedy. That’s exactly why Tapaninen had to enter the stage with his back first, because come is coming and back is back. Very simple and very sensible with women’s logic.

Ulla Tapaninen’s performance delves into publicity, sexuality, illnesses and the final; death. None of the areas left the audience cold. Tapaninen managed to get bursts of laughter at regular intervals, even though sometimes the topics were anything but amusing. Death was discussed for quite a long time, but even on a dark topic, Tapaninen was able to bring out comical sides that made me laugh.

As an actress, Ulla Tapaninen is first and foremost a sound professional. One can only wonder how Tapaninen manages to put on almost two-hour performances alone in a short intermission, night after night. A woman is required to have skill and physique. Personally, I would be completely exhausted after such a job. I also like Tapaninen’s way of taking the show forward. Tapaninen is one of the pioneers of Finnish stand-up performers. The woman is bubbling with a serious face, even though the audience bursts into laughter. It is also professionalism to just continue in the same way and not join the crowd’s hustle and bustle.

The stage on Pengerkatu is perfect for this kind of intimate performance, where the audience and the actors, or in this case the actor, are almost attached to each other. There is hardly any set design, and Lava-shooting V does not need it, because the focus is on the words that Ulla Tapaninen lets out of her mouth. Or maybe it’s the staging. A milk tonka and the coloured columns of the stage. I won’t tell you what color you’re dying, because it’s related to one of the funny opening lines of the performance.

I haven’t seen the previous parts of the Lava-shooting series, so there is no point of comparison, and maybe that’s a good thing. Stage Shooting V is a brilliant and cohesive ensemble that really makes you laugh. I also liked the freshness of the performance. The comic highlights of the performance were not already laughed at, but new and fresh. The performance also does not embarrass anyone. Personally, I especially enjoyed the good feeling brought by the performance, which allowed me to pull off the rest of the week with a good workout.

The premiere of Stage Shooting V was on 6.9.2016. The performances will continue until the beginning of December. In my opinion, the proposal is well suited for example as a companies’ Christmas party, so employers wink wink.