Review: Porvari aatelismiehenä
CLOTHES ARE MY IDEAS?
Molière: The Bourgeois as a Nobleman
Translated and directed by Arto af Hällström
Music: Toni Edelmann
Choreography: Javier Torres
Set design: Metti Nordin
Costumes: Sari Salmela
Lighting design: Kari Leppälä
Sound design: Mauri Siirala
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, Heikki Sankari, Joose Ylianttila, Jukka Juolahti, Sami Hiltunen.
Dancers: Sofia Hilli, Kirsi Karlenius, Tiina Peltonen, Samuli
Roininen, Inka Tiitinen, Sami Vartiainen
Orchestra: Mari Kätkä/Merja Ikkelä, Ilari Hämäläinen, Pekka Nylund,
Hannu Saarinen, Markus Helander/Antti Riikonen
Vocals: Kaisu Kurki
Premiere on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre 14.3.
“What’s the matter?” says Jari Pehkonen’s Count Dorante as he drops in
Mr. Jourdain, dressed in a peacock feather by Martti Suosalo,
. It’s great when Vieno plays the little one!
That is, that the desire to be “fancier” people makes people mirror
332 years after Molière’s baroque court fun,
claims the “comédie-ballet” directed by Arto af Hällström. He has directed
Molière often, this play at the Theatre Academy for 16 years
ago.
Metti Nordin has erected a giant castle on the big stage,
ironic cardboard backdrop with a false perspective. The surface of the walls is formed
from the pages of a newspaper.
There are almost 30 people on stage. There has been no skimping on the music and music
dance performances: Toni Edelmann’s pleasantly rich music has
anything from gavot to drinking songs, and the lively orchestra has
In addition to the accordion and violin, there are also exotic instruments (uod-lute? zurna?).
Sari Salmela has contracted a huge amount of eye-candy clothing for Mr.
Jourdain’s absurdly tasteless rhymes and glitters
enigmatic final scene, in which the undressed,
The ensemble, dressed in masks and newsprint suits, dances.
***
What about the content?
Molière wrote his harmless ballet comedy Louis XIV
to Versailles. The great classics were still
unwritten: Hypochondriac, Tartuffe, Misanthrope, Saituri. Their
The satire made those in power nervous.
Mr. Jourdain is not a giant of intellect, but there is money like a lucky one
IT investor. Since Lamborghinis have not yet been invented, he says
in the most ostentatious costumes, trying to buy education in music,
philosophy and fencing teachers and pours his money on his admiration
to the Marquis. And since status is always up for grabs, she’s going to marry
daughter at least to the count.
But Mrs. Jourdain has common sense, and the resourceful servants
With the help of the Lord, the lord is supposedly fooled by the proposal of the son of the Sultan of Turkey.
The Bourgeois as a Nobleman can also be seen at the National Theatre
Willensauna, starring Pekka Autiovuori. There seemed to be a rise in
the main thing is just those clothes. There aren’t many ideas in the play, though
– but even if you don’t compare the characteristics of the space, the set and the ensemble
differences in scale, the City Theatre’s grandiose interpretation has the advantage that
that it does not compromise on the peculiar quality of the actor Molière’s text.
Under af Hällström’s direction, the actors get a full, undisturbed
time and space for their lines. Molière was an actor: his dialogue
only comes to life if each role is done as if it were big.
The still amusing nuances of the 300-year-old guys
Of course, also each actor’s personal intellect and humor
scale.
***
Still, there are some stops in the three-hour detachment
moments. Scenes in the play – especially the aerobic
Turkish dance number – seem to take way too long:
Back to the main point! We are not in Louis’s court now, but
theatre evening.
Heidi Herala’s comedic talents come into their own again; Mrs. Jourdain
can’t stand her husband’s boundless prowess without getting hot; Lush farce
is created by restrained means.
Carl-Kristian Rundman trained in the role of a suitor already in 1986 and
throws his giggling tricks away from Cléonte’s serious eyes. Pekka Huotari
is his wonderfully down-to-earth and cool servant. Miina Turunen
The nimble maid is always there in a flash. Jonna Järnefelt is self-confident
a callous blonde countess, Jari Pehkonen a rancid nobleman.
Jouko Klemettilä’s philosophy teacher is no longer in a constant state of
gas as in the same role in 1986, but to teach
self-aware, reminiscent of Esa Saarinen, to Mr. Jourdain.
And so on: the whole ensemble seems to enjoy the dialogue, which
For a reason, the audience is also having a good time.
Martti Suosalo’s stupid novel, the tireless climber Jourdain
The tantrum comedy works, although perhaps not particularly surprising.
At times, his level of education reminds me of Uuno Turhapuro.
***
On the stage, the spotlight is left standing on a piece made of newsprint
dress. Suosalo in a paper suit takes a peek at it: where is the content?
I guess we will be left wondering about the relationship between ideas and clothes.