Review: GYPSY CAMP GOES TO HEAVEN at Summer Theatre Of Vuohensaari

Emil Lotianun ja Maksim Gorkin mukaan näytelmäksi kirjoittanut: Martti Pulakka, Musiikki: Yevgeny Doga ja Jyrki Heikkilä, Ohjaus: Peter Nyberg, Musiikin sovitus ja laulujen harjoitus: Outi Ollila, Orkestrointi ja äänisuunnittelu: Pasi Ketola, Koreografia: Venla Viisanen, Pukusuunnittelu: Marjo Haapasalo, Maskeeraus: Anni Salomaa, Lavastus: Timo A. Aalto, Nuketuksen opetus ja ohjaus: Aati Hanikka

I went to see the Gypsy camp goes to Heaven at Vuohensaari's Summer theatre. First I have to say that the promo pictures by Mikko Pääkkönen are really good and present the atmosphere of the show quite well. I love the hues and some what dreamy atmosphere they have.

The ensemble consist of nearly 30 performers and Marjo Haapasalo's costume design is very colorful on each of them. The elderly wear darker colors and the younger wear brighter ones. Shades get dark and so do thoughts and clothes as time attaches onto them.

I loved the very beginning where the two of the elderlies discuss about time and living. It was well written and delivered: "Death is good. In its own time ",

"A child doesn't choose their parents, nor chooses a man their life"

The show was very touching from many places, though unfortunately to my taste the romantic scenes were too much emphasized with music: as if the music told us what to feel.

The show is spread on the rocks and on the tiny entry hill, left and right, and characters come and go from the road ahead, which is as it should be: great. I would have just wanted to see something done in the forest ahead, which thus left to be somewhat a background in spite of otherwise good usage of the area around.

Sound mixing was a little off at times and some romantic lines were delivered too lightly. Some sound effects, like the eagle or some other ones were really loud compared to the basic dialogue, though it should be other way.

The ensemble had really rehearsed their songs and I very much enjoyed listening to the different tones and seeing the gentle choreographies. Kudos to Outi Ollila and Venla Viisanen ( - great alliterations!)

There rising of the house scenery/prop was well thought out but there could have been some more sharpening to its usage: our gypsy guys were stock up to the door vertically, though they should have been horizontally so that they don't show their backs to the leftmost audience where I sat for example.

Also I would have loved to see the guests that made their visit at the end of the scene way earlier! Audience's imaginations could have formed walls around the house, though it wasn't lined with any props.

It would have been great to see how they react to the noises they hear from the hustle that was going on outside.

To top this: when the drunken officers come out and dance and thus the wall prop goes down for another scene, they could have fallen against it a little and so bumped it down and thus smoothly transition to the next scene. In theatre it's important to mix reality and imagination especially through transitions! As I saw, for example, in the scene where spoons were given as "proposal gift" but was then mocked as rattles. That wasn't a transition, but the symbolism hit hard!

All the actors did fairly good work but to my eyes Riku Ekman as Butsa stood out the most: he didn't fear the audience, but enjoyed on stage and had an excellent vocal skills, reacted in the moment. Well done, Riku! He was also the comic character in the mids of drama.

All in all the gypsy camp goes to Heaven was fairly good show - with a real horse at one point, eek! Especially its music and interesting characters and their build up brought my interest, though the plot itself I didn't that fully grasp. Perhaps it was a little too fully packed with different kinds of stories, meanings and focuses for a two hour show. Nonetheless I managed to get joyed while they sung and teared up just before the intermission. Oh dear.

My sincerest apologies of the article coming near ending of the season, I had some technical issues while making this article.

Article: Rosanna Liuski
Photos: Mikko Pääkkönen

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