Review: Tenorit liemessä

LAUGHTER PROLONGS LIFE – TENORS IN THE BROTH!

When was the last time you laughed with tears in your eyes? Hmmm….totally…. Here’s the solution: go see Tenors in the Broth, you’ll remember laughing!

Laughter at the premiere of the farce Tenors in the Broth. What a refreshing experience!

Ken Ludwig’s comedy hit A Comedy of Tenors (2015), set in the world of opera, had its European premiere on the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre on 8 February 2017. In the hands of Jaakko Saariluoma, who directed the play, the smooth collaboration between the top actors literally flows into the theatre auditorium. The play is pure laughter from start to finish. And the best thing is that you don’t have to think about anything else for a moment during the play. Tenors in the Broth takes you completely away!

And what else do we busy, exhausted by everyday life and living in rush years need but “a moment of forgetfulness” – time for ourselves, a moment when no one asks or demands anything at all. Theatre is just that when it succeeds. What an insane break such a two-hour burst of laughter is! After a long day (and a theatre performance), you feel like you have been reborn. Really! Just try it.

Tenors in the Broth is set in Paris in the 1930s, where a big stadium gig by three tenors is just about to begin. The singers’ snappy manager does his best to keep the schedule under control. It’s not that simple, as a number of wives and girlfriends also pop into the tenors’ hotel suites. Misunderstandings and jealousy cannot be avoided. And who is that surprisingly familiar looking “picco” of the hotel? There is plenty of courtesy, but in a good way –  and there is no lack of laughter, music and hot love.

The roles are brilliant Riitta Havukainen, Jonna Järnefelt, Oona Airola, Taneli Mäkelä, Iikka Forss, Eero Saarinen and Santeri Kinnunen. The sets are faithful to the style of the play. Since the Arena building was completed in 1929 and the play is set in the 1930s, set designer Katariina Kirjavainen’s stage design also blends into the world of the same era.  The costumes were designed by Sari Salmela. The make-up and hairstyles are by Jutta Kainulainen and Taina Tervo. The world of lights was designed by Kari Leppälä and the sounds by Eradj Nazimov. The play has been translated into Finnish by Reita Lounatvuori.

Jaakko Saariluoma, known as a stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, director and presenter, is a true all-rounder! This is her first time as a guest director at the Helsinki City Theatre. Hopefully, Saariluoma will guide HKT in the future as well!

Go and laugh people! This is where the joy would be offered.

Tenors in the Broth premieres on 8.2.2017 and performances until 13.5.2017 on the Arena stage in Helsinki.