The multidisciplinary art musicians of the music theatre group Fabulous Bäckström Brothers Petri and Jouni Bäckström, and Jukka Nykänen bring their musical comedy show The Fabulous Bäckström Brothers to Brighton Fringe Festival. Petri, Jouni and their manager Hannele Eklund tell us what to expect.
What made you to take part in Brighton Fringe?
Jouni: “We started rehearsing this show four years ago in Brighton during the Fringe. We also saw many shows that time. In addition, our director is from Brighton. For many years we have talked about how great it would be to perform there.”
How would you describe your show?
Jouni: “It is a full evening show with a continuous storyline. It includes classical music, popular music, and physical comedy. Me and Petri have backgrounds in opera, Petri has done comic shows, and I have studied composition and physical theatre. Jukka Nykänen is an extremely brilliant piano virtuoso.”
Hannele: “This performance is musical theatre at its best. The performers are all multidisciplinary, very talented theatre musicians. One of the main themes of the performance is the relationship between two brothers.”
What inspired you to create your performance?
Jouni: “The ideas for the show have developed along the way. In the mid 1990s, we were very inspired by the movie The Fabulous Bakers Boys. I was ten years old back then, and me and Petri both played piano. We got this idea, that it would be great to do something with two pianos. Later on, we thought it would be fun to crack jokes between the pieces. We have also been inspired by Spy Monkeys, Victor Borge, and Dudley Moore.”
What kind of routines do you have before a show?
Jouni: “We throw a ball and try keep in the air, while multiplying numbers by five and seven. It’s an energy level test. If we manage to keep the ball up for long, we need more energy. If we drop it quite soon, it means that we’re restless and need to focus on technique.”
What do you expect on Brighton Fringe Festival?
Hannele: “The show is kind of returns where it was born, which is very interesting. It’ll be great to see, how the audience finds this British-Finnish collaboration.”
Fabulous Bäckström Brothers: The Fabulous Bäckström Brothers. Address: The Old Market,
11a Upper Market Street, Hove, BN3 1AS. Performances: 31/05 19:00, 01/06 19:00, 02/06 14:00, 02/06 19:00. Admission: £0.00–£15.00.
Interview: Veera Heinonen
Photo: Alejandro Lorenzo
