| Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...Klemola's script and Bergman's 13-member ensemble both find some felicitous moments of communion amid the myriad humiliations brought on by the familiar mixture of booze, romantic obsession, isolation and the random appearance of harbor seals. (OK, that last one isn't so familiar.) And really, how often does one see contemporary Finnish comedies?"
Read Full Review
Chicago Reader - Somewhat Recommended
"...The calculated oddness piles up indiscriminately for two and half hours in Leea Klemola's 2004 play, evoking little, and the mostly impressive performances in Akvavit Theatre's ingeniously designed production can't generate much resonance either."
Read Full Review
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...In performing “Kokkola” in an English translation by Nina Sallinen, director and company member Chad Eric Bergman sets out to evoke the deadpan macabre humor and vernacular of “Fargo” with what he describes in a program note as “a Northern Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula” dialect “that sounds as absurd to our Chicago ears as a Kokkola dialect sounds to Helsinki ears.” A fair enough and effective evocation, to be sure, although more effectively and consistently employed by some cast members than others. It is also interesting that some American transliterations are present, including Walmart as a shopping destination of choice in a country where the chain does not exist, and seeming inconsistencies such as references to English as the language employed, sometimes Finnish, all in English, unless it is being suggested that the characters are bilingual, in which case the other common language would be Swedish."
Read Full Review
|
