Review: “Baskin” traces Eino Baskin’s life in jagged strokes

ERR theatre critic Pille-Riin Purje writes that the summer production “Baskin” portrays actor and comedian Eino Baskin with elegance, while its rapidly shifting scenes form a colourful, jagged kaleidoscope.

The production premiered on July 25 in Kiidjärve Park in Põlva County. Purje, who has previously watched the summer productions “Ada” and “Green Meadows” there, says the venue’s large-scale productions follow a familiar pattern. However, “Baskin” felt more personal because the theatre world is familiar to her and she had the pleasure and honour of meeting several of the people portrayed.

Eino Baskin’s varied life and talent do not easily fit into a single production. Purje recalls that Tartu New Theatre staged Ivar Põllu’s “Baskin, or The Basic Forms of Humour” in 2105. In that intimate production, Katrin Pärn and Janek Joost created an impressive gallery of characters that has remained vivid in her memory.

Pärn also becomes a powerful framing figure in the Kiidjärve production. In her performance, the song “Send in the Clowns” becomes the quintessence of the actor’s fate. Her rendition of Baskin’s well-known interlude “At the Art Gallery” is especially refined, precise and wide-ranging in its imitation.

When Mait Malmsten performs the variety number “The Age of Technology”, Baskin’s intonations again come clearly to mind. At times, Baskin’s vocal colour seems to break through Malmsten’s own voice. Purje says this is not a criticism, but rather broadens the parody.

Sepo Seeman and Malmsten deserve recognition for their portrayals of Baskin. Both create their roles with effortless elegance, presenting him as a charming gentleman without a trace of vulgarity. By contrast, some of the supporting performances occasionally become overly broad.

Kalle Sepp’s portrayal of Ilmar Tammur and Marko Matvere’s portrayal of Egon Rannet remain relatively one-dimensional, Purje writes. She suggests that the production could have included a few more lines about Rannet’s unusual play “The Lost Son”, which is mentioned in the performance.

As a counterpoint, the women sing “Criminal Tango” during Baskin’s trial. The song’s title is also the title of Rannet’s play, creating a double image. The caricature of Ervin Abel also feels oddly out of place. Purje stresses that this is not a criticism of actor Priit Strandberg, but says the choice raises questions about why Abel is equated with and flattened into a variety-show manner.

One of the funniest moments comes when Seeman, playing the older Baskin, stages his own life in a scene involving an unpleasant informer, played by Jan Uuspõld, and the fictional comrade Mihhail Unn, played by Peeter Oja. The scene reflects Baskin’s contempt for the stupidity of the era. A similar quality appears in Malmsten’s aristocratic gaze during a foolish court hearing, which carries a shade of Baskin’s weariness.

Baskin’s fondness for women is marked by the recurring motif of tango dancing throughout his life. Ties are repeated in the visual design, while another reference points to Baskin’s production of “The Government Inspector”, which featured guest artist Sergei Tjunin at Vanalinnastuudio in 1987.

One of the strongest elements of the video design appears in the second act. Against the background of Baskin’s work, the audience sees a jagged electrocardiogram, suggesting the worsening of his heart condition.

The jaggedness can also be extended into a metaphor for the production as a whole, as moments and characters change rapidly in a colourful kaleidoscope. Matvere’s direction is distinctly musical: the songs do not function as separate numbers, but intensify the contrasting moments of Baskin’s life.