Laponia, a play directed by Nelson Valente at the Picadero. Photo: print.
Cultural crossroads are always rewarding and even more so if the protagonists act on stage with all their resources. In Laplanddirected by Nelson Valente at the Picadero theater, it has that happy coincidence, with a well-rounded and friendly story traversed with humor and emotion.
Mónica, Germán and their five-year-old son Martín travel to Finland to visit Ana, his sister who has lived there for ten years. Ana is married to Olave, from Finland, and has a girlfriend of almost the same age as Martín. The reunion also coincides with the Christmas holidays, a not just detail in the plot.
In one of the coldest areas in the world, the meeting of the two couples begins with the warmth of the fireplace at home, with the evocation of the wonderful northern lights that can only be seen in that geography but, soon, everything will become tense and the temperature it will increase and not really because of the logs in the fireplace.
Laponia, with Jorge Suárez, Paula Ransenberg, Laura Oliva and Héctor Díaz, directed by Nelson Valente al Picadero. Photo; To press.
The fact of being right in the land of Santa Claus promises a unique Christmas, but in the evening the pending accounts and cultural differences between the protagonists will prevail, with pure tension and debate.
a culture shock
The work, written by the Catalans Cristina Clemente and Marc Angelet, is adapted, in the local version, by Ignacio Gómez Bustamante. Beyond a few details, the Latin lifestyle in contact with Scandinavian philosophy inevitably generates a culture shock. As the director assures, in this sense the story has something very universal that does not fail.
In Lapland, the land of Santa Claus, the existence or not of the old Santa Claus and what derives from that position in the education of children, is another theme that animates the meeting and feeds the (verbal) fire.
And this is where the characteristics of the characters come into play, deepening their contrasts. The way of speaking, the expressiveness and the extroverted ways of the Argentine visitors are more evident than the Finnish ways, although the comedy does not remain only in the forms. Either way, the game of opposites brings its share of humor and is effective.
An impeccable cast
The quartet that embodies the characters of Lapland it’s flawless. Guests arriving from Argentina Mónica and Germán are played by Laura Oliva and Héctor Díaz while the hosts in frozen Lapland are led by Jorge Suárez as Olave and Paul Ransenberg as Ana.
Lapland, a clash of cultures in an emotional comedy, directed by Nelson Valente al Picadero. Photo: print.
Each of them finds the right tone to give credibility to these nice and nice creatures, and to contribute with what is necessary to spice up the meeting. In an ideal balance, the ball is passed and every time more and more themes, conflicts, intimacy, secrets and fears are revealed that emerge unstoppable.
Suárez surprises, once again, with his Olave and Finnish accent and shows that any character can be endured. But her castmates are no less: Oliva and Ransenberg form some sisters who, despite some old grudges, keep their love intact. And Díaz, another actor who always gets the most out of his roles, here is Germán, disoriented, only in appearance.
Beyond the harshness of culture shock, there is another theme in this work that adds emotion to the comedy and that is illusion. That magic we resort to in the small events of everyday life and which makes existence more pleasant, with or without the Northern Lights.
Review: Very good
Lapland. Shows: Fridays and Saturdays at 10:15 pm and Sundays at 8:30 pm, at the Picadero Theater, Pje Enrique Santos Discépolo 1857. Seating: $ 2,800.
Source: Clarin
