Review: Mulle kaikki heti
Sketches were torn up
the songs were moody,
in dances both and
Everything for me right away. A revue on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. Authors Claes Andersson, Neil Hardwick, Henri Kapulainen, Tiina Lepistö, H. Miettinen, Outi Popp. Directed by Neil Hardwick, music by Iiro Rantala, set design and costumes by Ralf Forsström, choreography by Nigel Charnock, lighting by Markku Penttilä, sound by Harri Ahponen. Actors Riitta Havukainen, Pekka Huotari, Maija Kalaoja, Risto Kaskilahti, Mikko Kivinen, Esko Roine, Ulla Tapaninen, Antti Timonen, Leena Uotila. Dancers: theatre dance group.
Revue is a light-hearted and fast-paced form of theatre that, at its best, bites into large crowds and becomes relaxing entertainment. In that case, it is a seriously made, insightful, ear-pleasing and visual amusement. I want to compare the revue to the circus. The skills are often so advanced that the viewer doesn’t even understand to wonder about them, they just enjoy it. But help me, if the tricks fail in some part – not to mention the whole – then the audience’s tolerance is tested.
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I’m guessing that the Helsinki City Theatre’s revue flower Everything Immediately will endure the autumn storm. Its creators have not had a tight beanie, but the bar has been set high. Iiro Rantala’s compositions are glowingly vigorous, and the excellent orchestra he conducts, the composer himself as a pianist, is the dynamo of the evening. Ralf Forsström’s set design is stunning: the façade of the Helsinki railway station is gigantic and majestic, and examined in detail.
The City Theatre’s dance troupe, which is known to be strong, is literally flying at times, and Nigel Charnock’s inventive and passionate choreography guarantees it great places to perform.
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The group of writers has taken a closer look at modern people, and a close look is not necessarily a credit to the subject. But of course it makes me laugh. Even though the body is constantly on the move, the brain does not ventilate. You have to travel only for the sake of traveling, and often and far away. Predation and greed are all well and good, but the happiness lurking next to us is not noticed until it is gone forever. The school no longer secures the child’s mental growth, but burns out its teaching staff prematurely. And then there is the idea that in the end everything is replaceable, even the head.
Clichés are not avoided, but there are also countless proper themes for satire, and under Neil Hardwick’s direction, they also find their way into the air with excellent interpretations. Quite a few contrasts arise from the fact that even though the sketches cultivate under-the-belt comedy and smut humour at times too much, the lyrics of the songs can be as delicate as a butterfly’s wing.
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Perhaps the most incisive interpretation at the press premiere was Pekka Huotari’s empathy for Claes Andersson’s Nostalgic Song, for which Iiro Rantala has composed a heart-wrenching melody. Huotari brings out the sadness and authenticity that arises from the text with a rough and clean simplification.
The duet of the young singers, Maija Kalaoja and Antti Timonen, One-sided Love for Henri Kapulainen’s Words, also silenced the theatre hall; The beautiful, nuanced sounds held me in their grip for a long time.
Bureaucracy was the snappy speech of a Roma woman written by Tiina Lepistö, to which Ulla Tapaninen gave a handsome comic expression with her admirable voice.
Outi Poppi’s Tough Guerrillas was also an exhilarating performance, which was the responsibility of the “racial women”, Ulla Tapaninen and Riitta Havukainen.
Esko Roine, as the country’s leading comedian, performed his roles both in line and singing, and the strong team also included Leena Uotila, Mikko Kivinen and Risto Kaskilahti.