Review: Juoksuhaudantie

RedNoseClub’s charming red noses immediately set such a gear in your eye that you can’t help but hum contentedly in the stands. These guys seem to be able to do absolutely anything and you have no idea what will happen on stage. “Surprise me!” is the thought in mind, and that’s what Mike and Zin certainly do. With their appearance and funny sounds, they get sympathy on their side right away, even if the main character Matti Virtanen himself is a bit silly.

The original work is taken into consideration in a concrete way and facts are checked from there. Author Hotakainen’s solutions are also wondered at loudly, such as the fact that first Matti Virtanen sells all his possessions and after a while finds a massage table in the basement.

Sometimes we grab guitars and other instruments and grab some U2 production or Johnny Cash as starters. After the intermission, when the audience arrives in the hall, a member of the audience is eager to ask for an encore of “Bono’s song” and we get it, although for a small extra fee. The money collected will reportedly be used to buy new sleds for the children.

At the beginning, it was announced that “let’s see if we can make it to the end”.

In addition to clowning, what is fascinating about this is that in addition to the plot itself, the performance is also based on improvisation.

In the middle of everything, they may slip off the beaten track, retry the scene or woo more sympathy from the audience. Mike and Zin make delightful use of the viewers’ reactions without the structure suffering or getting stuck in place. We move forward and the home front man slowly hatches from there, although at times we ponder the huge housing costs, the audience’s party affiliations or the downsides of the film about the Trench Road.

The actual set is only curtains tuned in the background, behind which you sometimes slip in and peek through the folds. That’s all you need, because here, if anywhere, the viewer can also get into a “creative space” and use their imagination. An old man is waving his “stick”, help is needed in the kitchen to marinate chickens.

You don’t even need to know the original work (I’ve only seen the movie), because everything essential for the plot is told.

If we have time… To the beat of David Bowie’s “Heroes”, we get to the end. Thank you and bow, boisterous applause from the audience.

I have to say that this was one of the most exhilarating productions I’ve seen in a long time. I also thought a little about Thomas Monckton’s The Pianist, where I wasn’t at all sure what was going to happen next.

Skillful, mischievous acting, use of voice and body and what a great idea! I definitely want to see more of this kind of atmosphere and I definitely want to see this performance again. In addition to Helsinki, it is also possible to see Trench Road at the Lahti City Theatre and the Tampere Workers’ Theatre.