Review: Manillaköysi

THE LIVING WORD

The experience in the Helsinki City Theatre’s play Manilla Rope is a bit like in The Seven Brothers or The Unknown Soldier: was this saying here too, and this story too!


Directed by Petteri Sallinen and dramatised by Lauri Sipari, Manilla Rope is a living celebration of sayings and stories. Now we don’t writhe in family hell or get anxious about the pressures of being a father, mother or child, but there is still plenty to think about. For example, let’s think about what separates the crazy from the wise and what the starry sky looks like (literally) seen through the human eye.

Effort has been put into the adaptation. Even the young Veijo Meri has been brought along to write his classic, and the soldiers are not let go easily. The viewers also learn, among other things, how to survive the war.

The title character of Manilla Rope is Joose Keppilä (Pekka Huotari), who is puffing up inside the rope with a red face, but the master of the stage is the light-hearted and sloppy Jari Pehkonen, who has many roles.

The entertaining and, despite its warlike theme, light-hearted play lasts less than two hours (including intermissions). A concise and good package.

Plus points to the theatre for a well-made script, from which it is worth reviewing Veijo Meri’s abundant production and wise thoughts. At the premiere, author Meri took the stage with a final thank you, and it was a delicate moment.