Review: Väärennetty morsian

JOYFUL TRADITIONAL THEATRE

Chinese and Finnish theatrical expression meet in the City Theatre’s new play, which explores difficult marriages.


When Chinese theatre tells the story of young people who fall in love against their parents’ marriage plans, we are far from the love games of A Midsummer Night’s Dream . Based on an old Chinese story and a play based on it, The Fake Bride is a story in which the main role is not played by couples in love, but by parents who plot to get their heads around and a married woman who can go everywhere.

The Fake Bride is a comedy of manners, which at the time of its creation also contained sharp social criticism of the greed of parents. It tells the story of shopkeeper Pei (Pekka Huotari) and doctor Ping (Seppo Maijala), who both have their own reasons for getting their son married quickly. In practice, this means that the time has come to enforce the marriage contracts made long ago for the children.

However, there are many twists and turns in the matter, and the families hire the wife Zhang (Risto Kaskilahti in a brilliant female role) to circumvent them. Doctor Ping does not want to marry his daughter to Pei’s son yet, because he thinks he is too young and because he must first marry his own son. Widow Sun (Eija Vilpas), on the other hand, does not want to give her daughter to Ping’s son, because she suspects that there is something shady behind the rush of fire. Trying to find a solution to all these problems is the resourceful but gullible Zhang, whose wit is boosted by the generous reward that comes from the wedding.

GLOW OF COLOUR

The Fake Bride is directed by Chinese director Kong Xinyuan, who has had a long career in Chinese Peking opera. According to the traditions of Chinese art, the events of the play are told metaphorically, i.e. The expression is deliberately exaggerated and stylized, not realistic. The end result is a hilarious combination of one’s own and the stranger. For example, the use of voice with its polite cursing and scolding appeals in an atavistic way across national borders. In Finland, children would also be a suitable target audience for the play, for whom this kind of humour is just right. The gorgeous costumes are made in China, and their splendor of color and sparkle are a feast for the eyes. The staging is vividly reminiscent of Chinese paintings in its still life.

Finnish actors have bravely accepted the challenge of diving into the forms of expression of a completely different cultural circle. Some performances definitely rise above others. Eija Vilpas, the widow Sunina, is unsurpassed in her expressiveness. Risto Kaskilahti’s charming rogue character Zhang is the heart and primus motor of the play, winning the audience’s sympathies. Reetta Honkakoski and Tuukka Leppänen also succeed excellently as lovers who change roles.


Fake Brides is an entertaining feel-good play that surprises with its simple freshness. It is a case that is definitely worth seeing.