When a sloppy charlatan of a bank is given the task of looking after a very precious diamond belonging to a Hungarian prince, the table is set for farce. At Rogaland Teater, they are now playing a bank robbery comedy in the run-up to Christmas – a time when more people than before are aware of a slightly too thin wallet. If you want to get ideas on how to get quick cash in the run-up to Christmas, you will in any case get a flood of tips on what not to do if you go to see “The art of robbing a bank”. But one gets a good laugh and two. BEHIND LOCK AND STRAW: It starts with trickery in the prison, where employees are exposed to the inmates, and power is turned on its head. Until now, everything is going according to the plan of the chief villain Mitch (Espen Reboli Bjerke, rear right). Photo: Stig Håvard Dirdal The shabby bank, which has been tasked with looking after the valuable and tempting gemstone, is located in Minneapolis, USA. The action is set in the 1950s. The comedy, on the other hand, is quite new, the British The Mischief Company has been very successful with the original versions of both this and “Kollaps i kullisene”, which toured with the Riksteatret in 2017. the play was on tour.) Comedy in everyday life It all starts in a prison where criminal Mitch Ruscitti (Espen Reboli Bjerke) is visited by the prison director. Ruscitti has read about the Hungarian diamond, and has a plan. FUN: Intricacies at a high level when disguises are drawn into use. Who is the bank director – actually? And why are the trousers down? Such scenes arouse great laughter in “The art of robbing a bank”. From left: Anders Dale, Matias Kuoppala, Ingrid Rusten, Øystein Martinsen and Leo Magnus de la Nuez. Photo: Stig Håvard Dirdal He has allied himself with prison officer Neil Krabb (Øystein Martinsen) – and after a lot of looting and brawling, he gets free and heads for the Minneapolis City Bank. There are, of course, several people who have thought about this. From the start, the comedy seems a bit confusing and heavy, and I wondered a little about what director Bartek Kaminiski had in mind with the presentation. But then something strange appears. Kaminiski has himself translated the comedy from English, and it is clear that he has had a good time at work when he plays with the language. What are initially clumsy and unimaginative lines are repeated so many times and added with so much situational comedy that it really becomes amusing. The comedy lies in the everyday, in the completely ordinary that one is tempted to turn into something great. Laughter-inducing It’s not actually the diamond that is central to this vision. What counts is the dream of a better life. The dream of being free, living as you want with who you want. The drive towards this is great among all the characters, and they are willing to sacrifice a lot for wealth, love and a carefree life. Øystein Martinsen is the great comedy hero at Rogaland Theatre. He has shown several times that this is a subject he can master. Here he plays a prison officer with amateur theater experience, and it’s hilarious. HYSTERICAL: The play’s funniest scene is a hit-in-the-head scene that takes a toll on trainee bank clerk Warren (Even Stormoen). From left: Anders Dahle, Stormoen, Espen Reboli Bjerke. Photo: Stig Håvard Dirdal But the most laugh-out-loud scene in the screening is intern clerk Even Stormoen and bank director Anders Dale standing behind together with villain Espen Reboli Bjerke. In a classic punch-each-other-in-the-head scene, a lot of laughter is provided. It strikes me that the surest humor cards are still these traditional farce elements – complications where the characters go in and out of the wrong doors at the wrong time, where you joke around with words so much that it becomes hysterical, and where you punch each other in the face the head with things, gets a door in the face, is caught with his pants down. There are several good scenes like this in “The art of robbing a bank”, but there could be many more. The performance lasts for two and a half hours, and some of the scenes feel too slow-paced. TAKEN TO BED: There is no comedy without bed humor – this is also the case in “Kunsten å rane en bank”. Not all amusement parks are equally good. Top: Leo Magnus de la Nuez, in the middle Espen Reboli Bjerke, bottom Ingrid Rusten. Photo: STIG HÅVARD DIRDAL A bit too long script Kaminiski tries, among other things, to tilt an office desk in the best Team Antonsen style (similar to how Atle Antonsen and Kristopher Schau tried to cook sideways, only less fun) while the frogs tempt the crab through the ventilation system. Here there are too many strange levels at the same time, and none of it is important for the play itself. Such passages almost slow down the pace of the comedy. They could cut the comedy down. But there is plenty of entertainment here – a bed that takes on a life of its own, particularly amusing telephone conversations between a CIA agent (Matias Kuoppala) and a series of superiors with ever-growing moustaches. The scenography is inventive, especially when they use vehicles to escape. ENTERTAINING: Inventive escape vehicles do the trick in “The art of robbing a bank” at Rogaland theatre. From left: Espen Reboli Bjerke, Leo Magnus de la Nuez and Øystein Martinsen. Photo: STIG HÅVARD DIRDAL The ensemble sings well (they could sing more), the choreography is fine (more of that too). An example is a meeting in a church that the CIA agent attends. Here they sing a gospel song that takes off a little too quickly. If the song had lasted two minutes longer, the dramaturgy would have been noticeably better. Another matter is why the agent went to the church in the first place. It has nothing to do with the plot as a whole – but it appeals to the audience. Nevertheless: It would have been more fun if they had stitched the vision closer together. It is primarily in the situation comedy that “The art of robbing a bank” really takes off. Good actors cannot completely make up for a slightly too long script that gives the farce too little momentum. news reports Title: “The art of robbing a bank” City: Rogaland Theater By: Jonathan Sayer, Henry Shields, Henry Lewis Original title: “The Play About A Bank Robbery” Translated by: Bartek Kaminski Director: Bartek Kaminski Scenographer and costume designer: Bård Lie Thorbjørnsen Choreography: Belinda Braza Lighting design: Børe Noer Borrevik Mask designer: Jill Tonje Holter Dramaturg: Carl Jørn Johansen Cast: Leo Magnus De La Nuez, Espen Reboli Bjerke, Ingrid Rusten, Anders Dalen, Even Stormoen, Ragnhild Arnestad Mønness, Matias Kuoppala, Øystein Martinsen, Kim Fairchild, Cato Skimten Storengen Norwegian premiere at Rogaland December 2021, new premiere 30 November 2022 – played until 22 December 2022 Duration: Approx. 2:30 incl. break Hi! I review theatre, performing arts and dance for news as a freelancer. Also read my reviews of “Kristin Lavransdotter” at Det Norske Teatret, of the play “Don Juan” at Trøndelag Teater or “Snøsøstera” at Det Norske Teateret.
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“The art of robbing a bank” at Rogaland Theater – Reviews and recommendations
