Greta Tuotanto: Ilta Rivieralla Olavi Paavolaisen kanssa

Ilta Rivieralla Olavi Paavolaisen kanssa (‘An Evening on the Riviera with Olavi Paavolainen’) transports the audience to the warmth of the Mediterranean The performance combines poetry, music, dramatic scenes and cultural history.

The narrator (Anna Kortelainen) introduces the audience to the story. The performance features the lively letters and rapturous poems of Olavi Paavolainen (Joel Mäkinen), brought to life by stories and enchanting French music. It also features dramatic scenes constructed between the owner of a fictional boarding house (Reetta Ristimäki) and Paavolainen.

The music consists of art music from the beginning of the century and hit songs of the era (such as Poulenc, Debussy, Fauré and Maurice Chevalier). Joel Mäkinen has also composed music to accompany Paavolainen’s poems.

The young dandy Paavolainen travelled to Nice in 1927. He sent his friends letters that alternated between boisterous and candid, and sought to capture the intense spirit of the present day. He also wrote the essays in the book Nykyaikaa etsimässä while travelling. Paavolainen found the bittersweet preciousness of the modern day on the French Riviera.

Creative team:
Script, graphic design, narrator: Anna Kortelainen
Olavi Paavolainen: Joel Mäkinen
Madame Notorjeva: Reetta Ristimäki
Costumes: Riitta Röpelinen
Visualisation: Elle Mikkola
Seamstress: Sarita Vepsäläinen
Implementation of the visualisation: Aniisia Kronidova
Image processing: Elle Mikkola, Veera Paija

Duration: roughly 1 h 10 min, no intermission