Review: Troikka
The Marshal as a prisoner of his image
The Marshal of Finland, Baron C. G. E. Mannerheim has inspired writers and filmmakers to such an extent that people have begun to talk about Mannerheim fiction.
The Helsinki City Theatre brings to the stage a charming Mannerheim, who lives as a prisoner of his own public image. Troikka, which premiered at Teatteristudio Pasila, is based on Jari Tervo’s novel, which has been dramatised into a play by Sami Keski-Vähälä.
It has been typical of the postmodern treatment of notable historical figures that they have been lowered from the closet so that the dust just flies. Tervo’s ironically pungent narrative approach has been somewhat toned down in the play adaptation now being seen. It only does good for the whole.
In the play directed by Marshal Kari Rentola, who is guarding his reputation, Mannerheim (Carl-Kristian Rundman) is seen as a human and lonely character who is racingly flattered by military servants.
The aging field marshal is well aware that to Finns, he appears not only as a Swede but also as a Russian because of his origin, education and mother tongue. The spiritual leader of the nation tries to take care of the public image, among other things, by being careful about the angle from which he can be photographed.
In the story of the play, we are in a train carriage where the marshal is on his way to the 2nd anniversary of the occupation of Tampere. He is accompanied by the elegant Master of Laws Ellen Kataja (Sanna-June Hyde), who has arrived to warn Mannerheim of an assassination project that awaits him.
At the same time, Red Guard member Eljas Rossi (Rauno Ahonen), sent by Red Officer Eino Rahja, and his comrades are also on their way to Tampere. The trio’s mission is to murder Mannerheim.
However, Rossi has sworn to his mother that he would never kill anyone and is thus in a serious moral conflict. The jovial Ignatius (Eero Saarinen) tries to keep discipline on the train. Hyde’s brilliant Ellen Kataja occasionally silences both of her male companions with her snappy remarks.
Risto Kaskilahti does a commendable job in his various supporting roles. Leena Rapola is convincing not only as Rahja, but also in her other supporting female and male roles.
History bends into fiction
What is interesting about Tervo’s novel and the play based on it is how history bends into fiction in the hands of a skilled writer. The challenging task of a writer of a historical novel is to balance between fact and fiction. Describing reality as it is or was is not only dramatically boring, but also impossible. On the other hand, the author wants to remain as faithful to reality as possible within the framework of the story.
According to the rules of novel art, the story must look like it could have happened. Humour and irony are alienating in nature. Making satirical characters is easier than being serious.
The strength of the play Troika lies in the fact that, although its basic approach is humorous and entertaining, it manages to depict its historical characters, from Mannerheim to Eljas Ross, as very human beings. In addition, the arrangement is stylish. The love affair between the Marshal and Ellen Kataja is imaginatively executed with textual means.
At the heart of the controversy
The Marshal’s publicity torment still continues. Mannerheim has been at the centre of controversy even in recent years. The Marshal of Finland project, funded by Yle, aimed to shake up hero myths in 2012 by presenting a Kenyan short film in which the Marshal was played by local actor Telley Savalas Otieno.
The campaign made impressive headlines. Before that, there was a stir about the 2008 animation The Ural Butterfly, directed by Katarina Lillqvist and co-written with Hannu Salama. The reason for the controversy was the short film’s references to homosexuality.
Hanna Kuusela, who has studied the relationship between fiction and society, says in an interview with Yle’s Reading Lamp (13.11.2014) that readers should interpret historical novels first and foremost as speeches about the time of their publication.
The more the reader knows about the historical background of the events, the more he or she can interpret the book as the author’s view. A more ignorant reader may unconsciously adopt the concepts of the novel as they are.
On the other hand, historiography is also about storytelling and from whose perspective it is told. The controversy caused by fiction about historical figures indicates that the author has succeeded so well in creating the illusion of realism that readers interpret the end result as if it were a documentary.
Troika is a stylish, entertaining and interesting play due to its historical-political theme. Just a few years ago, a marshal who indulges in a female adventure on stage and guards his reputation might have caused some kind of controversy. In the auditorium, however, there are a lot of empty seats. Perhaps this time it says the most about our time.