Review: Komisario Palmun erehdys

The rebirth of Inspector Palmu

If anyone had to bring the character of the legendary Inspector Palmu to life, it would be Mikko Kivinen. All comparisons to Matti Kassila’s excellent Palm films should be left out of your mind when you sit down in the auditorium of the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. There, Palmu and his young colleagues Virta and Kokki solve the death of the wealthy hustler Bruno Rygseck, which turns out to be a murder, of course.

The satirical crime novel Inspector Palmu’s Error, written by Mika Waltari, is the first Palmu made for the stage. The performance rights are supervised by the estate of author Mika Waltari, and the performance has been directed by the author’s grandson, experienced theatre man Joel Elstelä. The dramaturgy of the play is by Raila Leppäkoski.

Mikko Kivinen makes his Palmu just the right amount of grumpy and self-sufficient inspector, with a twinkle in his eye. Iikka Forss’s Virta stumbles in his enthusiasm and expresses flashes of intelligence with his eyes. In the Palm films, the role of the Chef is emphasised more than in the play, but Risto Kaskilahti does sing the song in the legendary Kämp scene Dark Eyes Like an Autumn Night – just as boisterously as one can imagine. That is, inspired by a moist and long lunch!

Jari Pehkonen is the unbeatable brawler Bruno Rygseck and pulls his role suitably to the edge of macabre. Eero Saarinen reveals completely new dimensions in the role of a submissive butler, Leena Uotila as Bruno’s aunt Amalia is an unbeatable strict beanie and the moral guardian of others, and Aino Seppo as Bruno’s wife Alli is convincingly hysterical. The young actor Antti Peltola plays Bruno’s neurotic, alcoholic-prone cousin Aimo in such a thrilling way that I immediately declare myself a fan of him. Even though I’ve seen the film based on the novel many times, I didn’t remember the solution to the murder mystery. Like the best crime novels, the solution is of course surprising.

Katariina Kirjavainen has staged the small stage of the Arena into a real miracle of space. Joel Elstelä was already thinking about the transfer of the play’s scenes from one place to another at the beginning of the year, when he opened the door to his grandparents’ home on Tunturikatu thirteen for the Apu magazine. The home and its memories, which were presented to the public for the first time, can be found here.