Review: Beljakovin talvi
CAN PEACE BE DEFENDED WITH VIOLENCE?
On the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre, the premiere of 1.
November Ilpo Tuomarila’s play Beljakov’s Winter, written about the political history of Finland.
The play is based on the book The Ghost of the Revolution by Kimmo Rentola, Professor of Political History at the University of Turku. Last year, the book was chosen as the Science Book of the Year.
The starting point of the play is the political crisis in Finland at the turn of the 1960s and 70s. The Soviet Union has a strong grip on Finland, which is going through a period of transition.
Migration from the countryside to the city and abroad is strong. The share of young people in the population is at its highest. The rise of the youth movement and its politicisation into a mass force offers young people ideals and an inspiring ideology.
A new ideology, Taistoism, the internal opposition of the Communist Party of Finland, is rising in the political sky of Finland.
Finland is drifting closer and closer to the Soviet Union, revolution and socialism are closer than ever since 1917. Events come to a head when Alexei Belyakov, who has a solid party background, is appointed ambassador of the Soviet Union to Finland.
The struggle for power
There are indications and circumstantial evidence of Belyakov’s actions, but no conclusive evidence. The view that Belyakov really pushed for revolution and the transition to socialism is emerging at the top.
He carried out this mission by inciting trade unions to a general strike and leaning on the minority wing of the Communist Party of Finland, as well as by supporting the strongly rising shift of students and cultural workers to the far left.
” Belyakov’s Winter is a play about a phase in Finland’s political history, which is still debated and kept silent,” said the play’s scriptwriter and writer Ilpo Tuomarila , shedding light on the background of the play’s creation.
– The play has elements of a political thriller. It is also a treatise on the morality of the revolution: Can peace be defended through violence? Can individuals be sacrificed when they possess the so-called objective truth and an unwavering belief in the fall of the system of exploitation? What can mass power be ethically and morally used for, Tuomarila pondered.
President Urho Kekkonen ( Antti Litja) got Aleksei Belyakov (Pekka
Laiho) from the Finnish Security Intelligence Service and unofficial information agencies. At that time, Finland’s foreign minister was Väinö Leskinen (Pertti Koivula), who was a great player. A power struggle began between these trio, which is well illustrated in the play.
Belyakov’s Winter is a thriller-like, comedic and political play about an impossible mission, and it contains gentle melancholy and nostalgic liturgy of power.
An interesting role
The role of Väinö Leskinen is played by actor Pertti Koivula from Kerava.
– Due to my age, I have no personal experiences from the time that the play depicts. It’s been really interesting to throw myself into the middle of that intense time as a character. Of course, I have read about the events of that time, but through the play, many of the events of that time have opened up to me.
Beljakov’s Winter is directed by Milko Lehto, who has also become familiar to theatre lovers in Central Uusimaa from his many productions at the Krapi Summer Theatre.
In his direction, Lehto has succeeded in producing a performance that keeps the audience in their grip throughout the play. Milko Lehto has done a particularly commendable job in his performance Young Yearners of the Revolution to bring out the intense fervor with which they reacted to Belyakov and his aspirations.
The songs resound in quite a frenzy.
Antti Litja (Kekkonen), Pekka Laiho (Beljakov) and Pertti Koivula (Leskinen), who played key roles, took their roles to an amazing level. They found the essence of the characters they portrayed meticulously, down to many small nuances.
The other roles in the play are played by Aarno Sulkanen (Vuorineuvos), Vuokko Hovatta, Niko Saarela, Marja Salo, Hannes Suominen and Sami Uotila (youth), who can be very satisfied with their successes in their roles.