Review: Kiertopalkinto

Every bear
Can be floated

Big emotions are often quite comical from the sidelines, love and hate, passion and jealousy, jealousy, even sadness exaggerated. Of course, you don’t laugh when you’re in the center, you can be both amused and ashamed afterwards. In the Circulating Prize, author and sociologist Esther Vilar takes such a firm grip on the problem of jealousy that she sometimes goes as if she were on a wrestling mat, rolling her shoulders on the mat.

And that’s the way it goes, in Vilar’s opinion, that women exploit men. Of course, an allegation is nothing until it is proven. But don’t doubt it at all, a wise story will make sure that there is evidence.

Raila Leppäkoski’s direction leaves no room for improvement. His trio is tuned to comedy as sharp as it is revealing. These smart, academically educated women all suffer from jealousy, in turn. Believably, with the same type of symptoms, although with different degrees. From anger to rage, from the first shock to the blackest depression and self-pity. And since it’s the same man as the object of love/possession, the fight also uses the catch-what-you-get-technique, i.e. insulting or blackmailing without hesitation.

But enemies can always plot and form alliances. Then the other party, in this case the buzzer, starts to be weak.

The play is structured in such a way that the exchange of ideas does not take place directly, but Helen, Yana and Iiris are in contact with each other by fax. However, the characters are two or three on stage at the same time, in which case the replication is dialogue. This is skilfully realised, without the narrative getting bogged down.

The role of Helen, the number one betrayed wife, is played by Leena Uotila, the younger one meets Jonna Järnefelt, and the youngster, a student girl, is played by Cecilia Paul.

Uotila is an excellent comedy and does not disappoint even now. He shoots his words sharply and spices up his expression sometimes with consternation, sometimes with irony or amusement. Obviously,
He is the most dominant character in the story.

Järnefelt surprises by giving a very nuanced role that moves on a wide range of emotions – at times even crazy funny. He also shows most clearly what happens to a person externally when his mind is down, how he pulls his legs behind him, how he hangs his head and doesn’t care about what he wears.

Yoga teacher Iiris, who goes a long way with the philosophy of light and joy, is a fresh and interesting acquaintance as interpreted by Cecilia Pauli. The actress expresses the young woman’s naivety and tolerant worldview in a subtle and appealing way, which only lasts as far as injustice hits her own ankle.

Undeniably. This is how sexist things can be seen. That the order of priorities between desire and control is not necessarily always clear, nor that they go hand in hand.