Review: Kiertopalkinto
You took my sanity away and you made me a slave
Throughout September, Studio Elsa at the Helsinki City Theatre will air jealousy and the twists and turns of the relationship market in the fresh three-woman comedy Kiertodíj. The performance is a functional, polished and finished package already at its premiere.
And no wonder, as the play was performed last autumn at Lilla Teatern in the same guise, but in Swedish under the name Svartsjuka. However, the performance does not feel like a repetition of the old, but Kiertodíj tastes fresh and alive.
German-Argentine Esther Vilar’s play premiered in Paris in 2001 and has since been performed extensively all over Europe. Vilar angered many feminists with his provocative works on the status of men and women’s (sexual) power in the 1970s. In his play, he manages to deal with endlessly rehearsed topics in a funny and insightful way.
The War of the Faxes
The tour prize is a well-written and concise whole. Three women of different ages and temperaments live in the same skyscraper. In a housing company of 600 people, you only get to know each other by chance, but everyone manages to fall in love with the same man. The husband of one and the lover of the others, Laszlo, is not seen in the performance, even though everything revolves around the man.
The women do not meet each other, but communicate via faxes. The text consists of monologues that intertwine with each other and create a witty and fiery dialogue. Director Raila Leppäkoski sets the pace of the performance skilfully. At the same time, there is interaction between the women on stage of many shades and levels.
Laszlo’s wife Helen, a 55-year-old lawyer deliciously portrayed by Leena Uotila , gets a taste of jealousy when the architect Yana (Jonna Järnefelt ), who is 15 years younger, grabs this man.
The struggle between these women and the jealousy that leads to madness and twisted deeds give rise to the most exhilarating scenes of the performance.
But the cycle doesn’t end there, as 25-year-old Iiris (Cecilia Paul), who seeks peace of mind from yoga and Buddhism, enters the game. Even the peace that embraces the worlds of an Indology student is shaken when jealousy creeps into the picture.
The women are absolutely gorgeous. At the same time, the roles have skilful precision and airiness, not forgetting sensitivity.
The actors let the audience get close to the subjects that are familiar to everyone. At times, it feels like the women are laughing at the painful but comically presented fates together with the audience.
Fresh love is wonderful and jealousy is harrowing, but it also has its own charm and hook.
The plot revolving around the man’s hunt is not surprising in itself, but the tensions remain and the show stays on the air from start to finish.
The format of the performance is simple and concise. The same clearly and simplified line is also followed by the costumes and sets. Iiro Rantala’s piano rhythms the changes of scenes aptly and funnily.