Review: Ihmisen osa
The star comedian is oozing with sorrows
Ritva Valkama conveys the life story of Salme Malmikunnas with long monologues, few movements and short steps of an old man.
A star actor is a star actor. Ritva Valkama shines in the role of a human at the Helsinki City Theatre. She gives spirit, soul and character to Salme Malmikunnas, the main character of the play dramatised from Kari Hotakainen’s bestselling novel.
Valkama, 78, supports the reputation of one of Finland’s most popular comedians. Salmi also has comedy: he is a real person living in the wrong time. Salmi’s monotonous remarks about truth, lies, literature and sometimes anything else elicit many good laughs. Still, the former yarn merchant, dripping with sorrows, is more of a tragic figure and has no hint of the show’s spinner.
Salme Malmikunnas promises to tell the author her life story. In the performance built by Raila Leppäkoski , this means that Valkama carries history with long monologues, few movements and short steps of an old man. There are other things happening on stage, sometimes other people show the light of the cross.
The performance highlights the theme of human loneliness. Salme does not know how her children are doing. The person who demands the truth believes in his false beliefs in this matter. The man stops talking. People work alone, and if someone happens to have colleagues, there is no community or camaraderie.
On stage, you often don’t get the answer line until the next scene, when the words of the first one are already aside.
Antti Mattila’s set design repeats desolation. Someone taps the words “bread” and “money” on the bare walls of impersonal places. To underline them a little, they refer to a world where the good is distributed like in a lottery.
The most hilarious is deeply hurting. Pekka first hatches from the Peruvian street musician’s cloak, and from Pekka’s clothes, a naked, timid man who has to play rooster. It is a response to the wish of Mirjam, who lives in the misery of loneliness and useless money. The scene between Jaakko Saariluoma and Leena Uotila makes you wonder who is the most humiliated.
There are many roles, and at most, the actor changes into the clothes of ten characters. You can wonder if all the characters and plot twists are necessary. I don’t think so.
The biggest changes within the role are those of Sanna-Kaisa Palo’s Helena. A successful, frustrated businesswoman flashes many sides of herself. When Helena is faced with the most horrible, it is difficult to recognize Palo as the same actor as she was a moment before.
The human part is a multi-referential play, absurd and reflecting reality, sometimes hilariously funny and then overwhelming – and leaving hope alive.