Review: Kolmen kimppa
In the theatre: Threesome
How would it sound if your wing’s best friend moved in with you? Not nice, because you have to have some privacy and your own space. Sometimes, however, circumstances require flexibility, as in the case of The Threesome performed by the Helsinki City Theatre. Life is not always simple.
Pauli (Jarkko Niemi) and Sofia (Elina Hietala) have been living together for a few months. At this point, love should still be blooming and kisses should be flying, but Paul’s situation is different. He can’t stand Sofia anymore, but he can’t tell her about it. Sofia, who is in love, still wants to kiss and be close to a man. However, Pauli has an idea. He asks his best friend Martin (Olli Rahkonen) to move in with them until Sofia gets tired of living together and disappears from the scene. Of course, Martin does not want to do this. However, situations develop in a surprising direction, and it doesn’t take long for Martin to live under the same roof with the young couple.
Already at the premiere, you could feel how well the actors played together. No one acted above the others and did not try to get more space for themselves on the stage. Jarkko Niemi is actually an incredible pig in the role of Paul. The man is so full of himself and his suffering that he doesn’t listen to what others say. Elina Hietala draws the beautiful and sympathetic Sofia into the role in a way that you would think all men would fall in love with. Olli Rahkonen in the role of Martin, on the other hand, is wonderful in some way. The man seems to be a bit lost and doesn’t always know which way to go because he doesn’t want to go against his own principles. I have to thank director Liisa Mustonen for how excellently she has made the palette work.
The stage of Studio Pasila has been skilfully staged as a home. Thanks to Tellervo Syrjäkari, who is responsible for the set design. Even before the performance, I paid attention to the spiral staircase, which took me to the magnificent bookshelf. The stairs were used extensively as the play progressed. At times, I was dizzying at how fit actors need to be to be able to run back and forth up the stairs without getting out of breath. My own condition would not last. There was also one juicy scene on the stairs, where the fine use of lights created the right atmosphere. Behind the lighting design is Teppo Saarinen. A small, but all the more effective detail is the drinking glasses that break in the hand. That could be a pretty fun thing for myself sometimes, too.
When I went to the theatre, I was pretty much convinced that it would be a very ordinary comedy, but oh how surprised I was. The Threesome is a hilarious and perhaps even slightly different comedy. In principle, we are dealing with serious issues, but one small misunderstanding can create uncontrollably hilarious moments for the viewer. You could laugh with tears in your eyes. I enjoy watching shows like this. A couple of hours and you can totally throw your brain into the cloakroom. After the performance, I feel relaxed when I have laughed really hard. So it’s a proper laughter therapy.
Threesome is a performance that I warmly recommend to anyone who visits the theatre less. The play is easy to watch. Just let the actors take you along. By the way, this is also a play that is suitable for groups of friends.