Next Door is the latest production by award-winning, international theatre ensemble Out of Balanz and tells the true story of Ivan Hansen, a Danish man whose elderly neighbour passes away. Ivan finds out a month later and he soon realises that he knows nothing about his late neighbour’s life. Inspired by the 20-year anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall this performance is a testament to the way that interactions across borders and countries is expanding and champions being open, making friends and simply, introducing yourself to others.
As we enter the upstairs theatre at The MAC, two figures Ivan Hansen and Pekka Räikkonen are frozen in a tableau on stage, a spotlight trained on each. Surrounded by IKEA boxes, Ivan stands up and with an excited ‘thumbs up’ to the sound desk says “I think we’re ready to begin now” with a distinct Scandinavian accent.
Ivan, in his own way, tells us about the death of his neighbour whilst Pekka (his good friend from Finland) acts out the various actions behind him, then he begins to tell us about his own life. As Ivan narrates, Pekka acts it out with great zeal, using props hidden in the Ikea boxes scattered around the stage. The delivery is quirky, innovative and non-stop.
As Ivan tells us about where he grew up, Pekka produces a large picture of the apartment building, then a sort of lego diagram of the layout which he alters as Ivan speaks. It’s a very unusual way of explaining, but it’s very entertaining and very effective. Intimate and high-octane is how the performance has been described and this sums it up perfectly.
Pekka and Ivan act out being young kids running around the stage, playing Star Wars and shouting. They go through bike races and a particularly tricky incident with a boat back in 1988. The acting which is usually done through mime is superb. It’s spot on and they sometimes add their own sound effects using the props around them. The sound (M.L.Dogg) and lighting (Teemu Nurmelin) really make the show – the sound effects are some of the most realistic that I think I’ve ever heard and the nuances of the lighting are excellent. However, neither is overused.
The boat incident is especially entertaining, as both rock from side to side to mimic the effect of the swell. At one point Pekka throws a glass of water around them to bring the whole thing to life. It’s little touches like this that make this the charming and fascinating story that it is. A bowl of sweets is passed around the audience, we all have to introduce ourselves to each other and at the very end, the whole crowd is invited onto the stage to join in a toast of some Danish liquer with Ivan and Pekka, our new friends.
The whole 50 minutes is a little surreal, but very very lovely. That word is often bandied about, but the performance was just lovely and left you walking away with a huge smile on your face and a warm sensation all over (that wasn’t just from the little dram of alcohol).
If you have a spare evening tonight, I urge you to catch this heart warming show before it’s too late. Tickets and more information is available here.
