Red Nose Company feat. Avanti!: Aleksis kivi

Red Nose Company and Chamber Orchestra Avanti! bring the life and works of Aleksis Kivi to the stage in one package. In a heartfelt and intelligent cavalcade, the phenomenal acting duo of Timo Ruuskanen and Tuukka Vasama, haitarist Niko Kumpuvaara and the Avanti String Quartet take the audience on a flighty journey through the life and works of Aleksis Kivi. The words ring out and the music plays! Marzi Nyman’s stunning arrangements create sibelian echoes in a work that combines classical and light music.

Aleksis Kivi is a comedy about a man who became a monument. The play explores themes related to the national writer, from love to death, from existentialism to money, and from nature to the problems of the modern world. It also highlights the lesser-known aspects of the writer and the people who helped Kivi become the artist he wanted to be.

Of course, the Seven Brothers and Esko of the Nummisutarians will be on stage. Kivi’s strong female roles, such as Lea, whose eponymous play (1869) is considered to be the beginning of Finnish theatre, will also have their rightful place.

The exhilarating performance is directed together with the actors by Linda Wallgren, whose Kivi interpretations have been seen in Turku and Lahti, for example. The performance, which radiates humour and playfulness, highlights Kivi’s versatility as a user of language and a master of style. The script was created in collaboration with Eva Buchwald, dramaturg at the National Theatre. Actors Timo Ruuskanen and Tuukka Vasama are known for their insightful interpretations of classics and seamless interplay. Their clown interpretations of works by Kari Hotakainen, Ilmari Kianno and Miguel de Cervantes have reached over 40 000 Finns.

The Ministry of Education and Culture awarded Timo Ruuskanen, Tuukka Vasama, Linda Wallgren and Eva Buchwald with the State Prize for Information Disclosure on 13.9.2022.The directors Timo Ruuskanen, Tuukka Vasama and Linda Wallgren were awarded the “Eino Kalima” prize on 17.4.2024. The Red Nose Company was “Theatre of the Year” 2023.