Review: Terrorismi

EVERYDAY OPPRESSORS

Russian play examines terror on a small scale and with the help of humour

There is a lonely suitcase at the airport, which is why the special forces close the airport and the passengers’ plans are changed.

That is the actual terrorism part of the play by the Russians Oleg and Vladimir Presnyakov . The rest are everyday situations where people terrorize each other in homes, parks and workplaces.

The internationally successful play deals with the subject on a scale that is easy for an individual viewer to perceive. There are many types of terror. It can be approached from many directions, targeted differently and make the victim unexpectedly involved. Terror can be accepted, submitted to and provoked. Terror is also easy to recycle.

The Presnyakov brothers’ Terrorism follows a pattern that became popular in the West more than a decade ago through films. The play is made up of six separate scenes, which gradually reveal similarities and overlaps. The situations are simultaneous and there are common people in them.

Viktor Drevitsky’s direction focuses on extracting humour from the play’s lush cast of characters, and for this he has a truly exemplary cast at his disposal.

Santeri Kinnunen is so brilliant in his central role as a business traveler that I would have liked the director to start playing more with the layered structure of the play. The starting point is delicious, as Kinnunen performs so many roles in the performance that the audience is happily excited about it alone.

Marjatta Raita and Eija Vilpas are in good shape as both the “girls” of the office and the old ladies who look after the children. Experienced comedians do precision work with a fresh touch.
Markku Huhtamo and Pekka Huotari are also quite villains in their many different roles.

The young reinforcements of the Swedish-speaking side, Sampo Sarkola and Pekka Strang , clearly represent a different tradition, but they slip flexibly into the motley ensemble, bringing their own antics to it.

Vappu Nalbantoglu has physical flexibility in particular.

Oskari Torvinen’s airport set design is unnecessarily heavy, both visually and in relation to the subject of the play. The fact that the audience is burdened with smoke machines and music that shakes the auditorium structures does not add any value to the performance.

Studio Pasila is obviously a difficult space, even though the same group of people seems to have specialised in its visualisation. The original adaptability of the hall does not seem to work in practice.