Review: Kuninkaan puhe
Carl-Kristian Rundman’s King captivated the audience
Lauttasaari is home to many fine artists, you could say, culture from every area. One of these things we are proud of is actor Carl-Kristian Rundman, whose great performance in the new production of The King’s Speech on the main stage of the Helsinki City Theatre is definitely worth seeing. The play is suitable for everyone, including those who have already seen the story as an Oscar-winning film.
The King’s Speech tells the true story of how George VI came to power. The background is the turbulent Europe of the 1930s and the creaking of the boundaries of England’s powerful class society. The play brings out the political background of the time better than the film. National Socialism was on the rise, war was coming, and a counterforce was needed for Hitler and Stalin , who were strong advocates of the word.
We have been told the story of how King Edward VIII , who came to power in 1936, abdicates for love. Wallis Simpson , an American who had been divorced twice, was not fit to be the queen of the British Empire.
The play also gives other hints about relinquishing power. The king was not even particularly persuaded to stay on the throne, because perhaps the couple was too inclined towards Nazi ideology. By giving the kingship to his younger brother, Prince Albert, who was fleeing from publicity and stuttering, it was originally only a temporary solution. With Hitler’s support, he intended to return to power handsomely with Mrs. Simpson by his side.
But things turned out differently. With the warm support of his wife Queen Elisabeth (Vuokko Huovatta), the stuttering king found a qualified speech therapist, Australian Lionel Lougue (Pertti Sveholm). Speaking to the nation had to be made smooth, and the microphone noise had to be eliminated. Prime Minister Winston Churchill also understood that the King needed his full support.
The speech therapist didn’t care about royal etiquette, he wanted to dispel the tension that stiffens the king’s throat. The king had to learn to sing, shout and swear, relax and trust himself. It was by no means easy for the young man, who had fallen ill as a child and had grown up at the English court. This reminds me of the TV series Downton Abbey, which shows how it is difficult but not impossible to break down the concrete wall of class differences.
George VI, too, finally finds a friend in his straightforward and unbowing therapist. Raised in rigid court etiquette, the person who covers his emotions even learns to laugh.
As king, Albert learned to give speeches, but publicity was always a nightmare for him. She went to speech therapy for the rest of her life. As king, he became a figurehead in Britain’s fight against Nazism in World War II. Perhaps surprisingly, the people found him the inspiration they were looking for, and the whole empire stands as a united front.
George VI found his role so tiring that he died in 1952. However, there was more gunpowder in the women of the family. The daughter who inherited power, 25-year-old Elisabeth, is still in power, and his wife, Elisabeth, known as the Queen Mother, lived to be 104 years old.
How wonderfully this story is created on the stage of the City Theatre! Carl-Kristian Rundman, who has learned to stutter, gives a believable and touching performance, which was given resounding applause by the packed hall of the theatre.