A perfect Saturday turns into a disaster in the farce comedy on the Arena stage

The French farce Perfect Saturday , which opens the autumn season on the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre, depicts in an uncontrollably recognizable way a day when everything goes so completely wrong that even a burst pipe feels like a minor concern. The play, written by Florian Zeller, is directed by the multi-talented comedy Jaakko Saariluoma and the main role is played by the amazing Pekka Strang.

One of France’s most interesting contemporary playwrights, Florian Zeller’s Une heure de tranquillité (2013) will have its Finnish premiere on the Arena stage on 5 September. The French farce is directed by actor and stand-up comedian Jaakko Saariluoma, who also directed the successful Swedish-language version of the play last season at Lilla Teatern.

Markus has planned to spend a quiet morning at home alone, enjoying and listening to the new jazz album of his dreams, which he has been searching for for years and finally found at a flea market. The rest of the world just seems to be against the plan. He would only like to have an hour of alone time, but that’s when his wife, son and mistress, a handyman and a tenacious neighbour all need attention. A quiet morning threatens to turn into a nightmare or at least a plumbing renovation.

“A Perfect Saturday is an excellently written comedy. Its starting point is fresh and fresh, a small thing that grows to enormous dimensions. Its characters are believable and the situations are surprising and, of course, extremely comical, but recognizable to all of us,” says director Jaakko Saariluoma.

The role of Markus is played by the amazing Pekka Strang, and the other roles in the fast-paced farce are played by Vuokko Hovatta, Arttu Kapulainen, Jouko Klemettilä, Sixten Lundberg, Vappu Nalbantoglu and Matti Rasila.

A perfect Saturday translated into Finnish by Reita Lounatvuori. The set design was designed by Antti Mattila and the costumes by Maria Rosenqvist. Paavo Kykkänen for lighting design and Antero Mansikka for sound design. The camouflage and hairstyles were designed by Maija Sillanpää.

Zeller’s play is inspired by Simon Gray’s play Otherwise Engaged (1975).

A perfect Saturday premiere 5.9.2019 at 7 p.m. on the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Hämeentie 2)
Tickets: 21,50 – 43 € (incl. pm)

Helsinki City Theatre ticket office, First Line 2, Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Eläintarhantie 5 Sat 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) 
www.hkt.fi 

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests: Helsinki City Theatre, Communications Officer Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788

Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki