Review: Porvari aatelismiehenä

The City Theatre’s The Bourgeois as a Nobleman
is a bloody fast-paced farce

Helsinki City Theatre: Main stage: Moliére: The Bourgeois as a Nobleman. Translated by Arto af Hällström. Director: Arto af Hällström. Set design: Metti Nordin. Costumes: Sari Salmela. Music: Toni Edelman. Choreographer: Javier Torres. Cast: Martti Suosalo, Heidi Herala, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Carl-Kristian Rundman, Jonna Järnefelt, Jari Pehkonen, Miina Turunen, Pekka Huotari, Jyrki Kovaleff, Jyrki Nousiainen, Kristo Salminen, Jouko Klemettilä, Joose Ylianttila, Jukka Juolahti, Sami Hiltunen. dancers. Orchestra: Mari Kätkä, Ilari Hämäläinen, Pekka Nylund, Hannu Saarinen, Markus Helander, Kaisu Kurki.
At the Helsinki City Theatre, Molière’s The Bourgeois as a Nobleman has been turned into a ragged farce. As a ragged farce, it is a work of pure style.

Of course, the play The Bourgeois as a Nobleman could have been made into a satire. You could have ridiculed e.g. celebrity worship, fake artistry, courting IT millionaires… That was not the case, a farce was made under the direction of Arto af Hällström, and in the most silly genre possible.
 The bourgeois is excellently acted, everyone has internalized the demands of the farce. On the other hand, Martti Suosalo as the bourgeois Jourdain is already a jerk to a farce. Jyrki Kovaleff, Jyrki Nousianen and Jouko Klemettilä as the money-savvy teachers of the bourgeoisie are delicacies. Heidi Herala is flamboyant as usual, this time as Mrs. Jourdan.

Jari Pehkonen is an excellent nobleman who speaks superbly, and it seems that Jonna Järnefelt, who will soon become a mother, is a fierce picky marquise.
Primary
Musical
The Bourgeois as a Nobleman is a musical in the style of the 17th century. Molière wanted a lot of music and dance in his plays to keep the courtiers awake in the king’s theater, and there is more music and dance in The Bourgeoisie than Moliér in general.

Toni Edelmann has composed the music for today’s Porvari, and it fits perfectly with the nature of the play. The musicians are part of the story, as are the dancers.

The dance numbers in Porvari are overflowing. Turkish dancing is far from good taste, but as I understand it, in a snotty farce, good taste is thrown overboard. The farce is about exaggeration and tearing.
 The bourgeoisie as a nobleman was written in 1670 at the request (order) of King Louis XIV. The intention was to mock the Turks, because the ambassador of the Turkish Sultan did not think that his splendid court was appreciated enough.

In his play, Molière made the Turks ridiculous and certainly trampled on the so-called “Turks”. good taste in its own time.
Full presentation
based on exaggeration
The disparagement of the Turks certainly received applause from the Sun King, but otherwise the play was not to the liking of the court. The nobles felt their honour in the form of the insulted Lord Jourdain. On the second performance of the play, Louis XIV noticed that if the story mocked the nobles, he himself would be left out, and gave praise. After that, even the court did not dare to disapprove of Porvari as a nobleman. And when the common people were allowed into the King’s Theatre, they liked the performance immensely.

I also think that the City Theatre’s The Bourgeois as a Nobleman is a fast-paced, boisterous and entertaining performance. At the premiere, the audience had a great time (except for the critic of Helsingin Sanomat).

The set design and, above all, the costumes are overkill, but when the look of the whole performance is exaggerated, they are part of the matter.

The Turkish dance is too long, and so is the dance in the final scene. There is certainly a tart on top of the tart.

But otherwise; The bourgeois as a nobleman works well in his own stylized world.