Top-Class Comedy at Kouvola: TÄMÄ ON RYÖSTÖ, BWW Review

On 17.10. I went to see the very premiere of Tämä on ryöstö (Comedy about bank robbery - Play by Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer). It was my first visit to Kouvola Theatre and gosh was I delighted.

The play is full of good intertextuality. I was for example able to notice some Repomies energy from Pasila TV-series in one of the characters with similiar moustache. There is also a live-dubbed scene which reminds me of Vedetään Hatusta (Finnish version of Whose Line is it Anyway) and many, many others! The script is actually really, really good so the team had an excellent chance at making a wonderful performance, which they succeeded. Also the translation is exceptionally on point (thanks to Mikko Koivusalo) and thank God for the localization also: the robbery is set at Kouvola!

I've been busy with school and tests so unfortunately it's almost two weeks later I'm writing this review. But even so I get excited and gleeful when thinking of the show -- and it does tell of its quality: the costumes and hairs do take us back in time (thank you Satu Linerva) and the overall atmosphere and passion in doing radiates all the way to the audience.

The ways of scenography were just mesmerizing (dozen thanks to Jyrki Seppä, Antti Helineva and Kari Mitikka) and their imaginative ways did not stop surprising me and I wish not to spoil anything to you, dear reader. The stage formed into various settings and places and it seemed they used every inch of it, which is good. Even some simple things like waving a cloth, adding some sound and visual effects plus actor's work did make me believe the scene... Just go and see for yourself!

The director Mika Nuojua has done some very good job with the talented actors in terms of comedy acting and reacting: on stage reacting is acting and the bigger you react the more comedy elements it gets. The actors do react to each other for example when one character hid himself to be a lamp. It was as if others couldn't find him and when he said ta-da everyone else was like aah! not like oh you're there, okay.

There were only a few things I would have wanted to see done differently: the lights moving behind the car - now when I think of it it could have been a comedy effect but never the less I didn't enjoy so much when the lights ran in a diffrent way than the car, they weren't in alignment. The second thing was the promotion picture itself where I would have only wanted to see the diamond and perhaps some ropes hanging, not any people who just brought attention away from and visually almost blocked the keypoint of the play.

I'm quite a critical and keen eyed reviewer and do say aloud it if something bothers me but now I have to admit that this was one of the best comedies I've ever seen. All of the actors did an amazing job in their work and were full of joy of performing. As I listed above everything just worked together!

I can recommend this performance with all my heart.

Program-info in Finnish:

Käsikirjoitus Henry Lewis - Jonathan Sayer - Henry Shields: Komedia pankkiryöstöstä
Suomennos Mikko Koivusalo
Ohjaus Mika Nuojua
Lavastus ja pukusuunnittelu Jyrki Seppä
Valosuunnittelu Antti Helineva
Äänisuunnittelu Kari Mitikka
Musiikin sovitus ja toteutus Iikka Kahri
Kampaukset ja maskeeraus Satu Linerva
Koreografiat Annina Rubinstein
Musiikin sovitus ja toteutus Iikka Kahri
Rooleissa Tiina Winter, Markus Waara, Veli-Matti Karén, Sami Kosola, Tommi Kekarainen, Satu Lemola, Nina Petelius-Lehto, Annina Rubinstein ja Raimo Räty

Article: Rosanna Liuski

Photos: TAVATON media

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