Review: ECCENTRICS at The Kujawsko-Pomorski Music Theatre, Torun

It all starts with an old-fashioned welcome drink. I mean real old school, from 70 years ago. Vodka, lard spread on bread, and fermented cucumber in a vintage bar with all the newspapers and old songs performed. You're starting to get in the mood!

And then you just go with the flow and the old glow. The omnipresence of good live music was like diving underwater with fish lungs, freedom, and fun.

This show is super accessible and fun like a puppy video marathon when you should be working. Jakub Przebindowski, the director, made the sequence of scenes bringing to life the old Polish universe and the absurd reality in hotels, shops, and restaurants interspersed with a hilarious duo of sisters/snitches (Katarzyna Dmoch, Julia Turczynowicz-Suszycka).

The characters are very well designed and the fact that they play many roles is even more entertaining. Karol Kossakowski is great as Fabian Apanowicz. If the show is like a waterfall of music and pleasure, he is a rainbow in the mist. He has this incredible coolness (even when playing an imaginary trumpet) and a voice that is the pure definition of swing! When he sings, it's as if the water flows through the dam with a strong, crystal-clear current. Oh my, and when he hits the last song, it's just him, the light, his voice, and the sound of dropping jaws from the audience. Kamila Najduk, as her sister, is like a rainbow percussion

drill - full of grace and beauty, but don't be fooled, she can go deep with her voice to places you don't realize. A great role is also Katarzyna Jamroz who represents life in a mature and unyielding way which I am super fun! The others complete this theatre group: Kornelia Raniszewska is the femme fatale, Michal Zucharek plays the funny policeman, Artur Kujawa is a passionate art connoisseur and Krzysztof Godlewski has so many roles that he is like a chameleon.

It's one of those shows where nothing bothers you, not a small stage, a modest set design (I loved those lights installation!), lengthy video projections, or your neighbor tapping her foot throughout the show. It's an experience as a whole: pure entertainment with brilliant live music and beautiful costumes (by Iga Sylwestrzak) that perfectly match the atmosphere. It's coherent, the sounds are great, and the dynamics are good. If you want to have a good time in a swing atmosphere you have to see it! Swing Rules!

Photo: The Kujawsko-Pomorski Music Theatre, Torun

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