Review: Nainen ja anjovis

I’M GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A FUSS ABOUT THIS

If there is an interesting combination of a woman and anchovies, then the same can be said about Nopola and Herala, i.e. Heidi interpreting Sinikka’s text, and on the other hand, Herala and Maijala, i.e. Laurinen, participating in her mother’s theater evening.

Sinikka Nopola has a dedicated and undoubtedly ever-growing readership, and so the kind of admiration shown by the premiere audience is sure to be repeated many times over.
Nopola’s uniqueness can be seen to rest on sharp observations and value assumptions by which we Finns recognize ourselves, regardless of where we come from or, like all self-deprecating people, “from nowhere”.
The bitterness of everyday life and its most delicate glow colour this author’s texts, starting from the roots of the grass and radiating to the entire plant. As a gifted wordsmith and a fan of the Häme dialect, he instills an astonishing amount of comedy in even the smallest remark.

Even good texts don’t necessarily live on stage. These are alive. Heidi Herala seems to have internalized Nopola’s serious humour.
She feels at home on a tiny stage as an ordinary housewife, moves smoothly with her lines in recent history, philosophizes so that the relationships between big and small things are mixed and boldly makes dreams come true.
As a flexible – both literally and metaphorically – actor, he also manages to develop a stone-faced, stagnant expression that causes almost uncontrollable bursts of laughter in the audience.
Stories such as The Time of the Hose Mouthpiece, I’m Not Heard in Finland, Minnekä rientä ihmishenki and Mää ostin kumianka (I’m buying a rubber duck) are among the most joyful.
The title story The Woman and the Anchovies is a wistful story in which the basic thread is the connection between the mother and the chick that has already flown out of the nest, the warmth associated with it and the necessity of giving up.
The execution is beautiful, and it is given an exceptional and moving tone by the fact that Herala’s own son, a descendant of a theatre family and family, is involved in the performance with his music. Lauri Maijala has composed for this production and performs as a soloist both as a singer and pianist.

The Woman and the Anchovies is the Helsinki City Theatre’s first own production in the foyer of its studio in Pasila. The opening has been successful, even though the space does not easily become a stand. Visibility leaves something to be desired. However, the performance works and would work elsewhere as well, perhaps on tour someday.