Review: Kaktuksen kukka

When a cactus bursts into glowing bloom

I didn’t know that the French play The Cactus Flower has been performed no less than eighteen times in different theatres in Finland alone. This time, it is the turn of the Helsinki City Theatre. Set in Paris in the 1960s, the play has successfully retained its original atmosphere. I especially admired young Antonia’s selection of shoes.

The best part, however, is the main couple’s functional chemistry and skillful acting. Santeri Kinnunen plays a dentist and his reception assistant is played by Satu Silvo. Both succeed excellently in their roles.

The story is a light-hearted mess of relationships, in which a dentist gets caught in quite a net because of his seemingly innocent lie, when a young girlfriend demands to meet an ex-wife who doesn’t even exist.

Who suits whom in the end will soon become clear, but that’s okay. Laughter is guaranteed, and the play is really entertaining.