Review: Sylvi ja Anita

Kekkonen’s women

The theme of the play Sylvi and Anita is intriguing, because the main characters represent our recent history and the pinnacle of power.


The spouse of Jaakko Hallama, a civil servant at the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and later a long-time ambassador to Moscow, was assigned to accompany Sylvi Kekkonen to President Urho Kekkonen’s visit to Yugoslavia in 1963. During the trip, a passionate love affair between the president and Anita Hallama was ignited, which lasted for years.

So did the friendship between Sylvi Kekkonen and Anita Hallama, even though the drama involving four people was complex and extremely sensitive. The relationship was once an open secret.


Panu Rajala has written a play on the subject, Sylvi and Anita, for the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. The role of Sylvi Kekkonen is interpreted wisely and sensitively by her niece, actress Eeva-Liisa Haimelin.

You couldn’t imagine a better interpreter for the role of the bloody and strong-willed Anita Hallama than Heidi Herala. She makes one of the most impressive roles of her career as the woman who ran both Kekkonen and the embassy in Moscow.

Kari Rentola’s direction skillfully shifts the spotlight from Sylvi to Anita, and only Ville Sormunen, who plays several minor roles in addition to them, is seen on stage.