Charlie and Jake, Martti Suosalo and Mika Nuojua, go through the lives of many men in the play Stones in the Pocket . In Pentti Kotkaniemi’s direction, the history of Ireland is also intertwined with human destinies and experiences. Stones in Your Pocket is a phenomenon in the Finnish theatre scene – it has been performed sold-out since 2002.

The director praises the idea of the play: “I am amazed that it is only now that a contemporary writer has used the mystery buffo method, known from the Middle Ages, i.e. the actor moves to another role only by changing the rhythm and emphasis.” This hat-changing technique is achieved by Suosalo and Nuojua. They perform a total of 15 roles. “The changes are lightning fast, and the range of characters ranges from a glamorous American beauty to a 75-year-old country guy,” Kotkaniemi says.

Still, the story is not a two-man joke night. “No, Stones in Your Pocket is a tragic comedy and a challenging two-man play,” says Mika Nuojua. The story begins when 35-year-old losers Charlie and Jake go to work as assistants on the set of an American film and are forced to do something completely different than they anticipated.

Director Kotkaniemi says that the play is typical actors’ theatre. “That’s why both gentlemen have to be virtuosos. Luckily they are, and it’s a lottery win for the director.”

Read Ilkka Pernu’s Stones in Your Pocket article in Image from 2013.

 

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