Review: Kenraali ja Casanova

General and Casanova – the reputation of a ladies’ man is shattered

The play begins like a triple drama: there are two grown men and a younger woman. However, General and Casanova do not fall into the ordinary, as its characters were not Matthews in their time.

General Yrjö Maunu Sprengtporten was a controversial figure in the 18th century. He is credited with the fact that Russia won the Finnish War.

Giacomo Casanova is no less than Sprengtporten. He has remained in the history books as a ladies’ man: he is said to have charmed more than 200 women.

The two met in the spa town of Tepliz in Bohemia in the 1790s. At that time, Casanova was living his last years in the city as a librarian for a rich count. The general, in turn, arrived in the city to heal his war wounds.

A Finnish novelty play

The delicious, historical starting point creates a good foundation for the play. On top of that, Pasi Lampela has built a fictional story about the friendship between the general and Casanova. The play had its world premiere on the Pengerkatu stage of the Helsinki City Theatre at the end of August. The great story has got the actors it deserves. The main roles of the general and Casanova are played by Santeri Kinnunen and Pekka Laiho.

The Marquise de Bois (Saija Lentonen) is also in the spa town at the same time. An unmarried blueblood seeks the company of men. The woman’s story is very sad: she has been raised to be afraid. It is only through life experiences that he has gained some self-confidence. The general falls in love with the Marquise and would like her to be his wife. However, the Marquise is very insecure about her feelings.

Casanova would have been proud too

Beautiful harpsichord music complements the actors’ long dialogues. To modern people, the sound of the instrument sounds very exotic: it has a completely different softness than the piano. The playing doesn’t even come from a tape, but a genuine instrument expert has been brought on stage.

The bright spot of the play is Jouko Klemettilä, who plays a small supporting role. His character, Herman Götz, is an opera singer and an eye-catcher. Klemettilä has made his character full of emotion: Götz is a pompous performer, but ultimately a crooked man who pursues his own interests.

Pekka Laiho also shines in the role of Casanova. The actor, who has been in theatre for more than 50 years, draws his skills from all his previous roles.

Casanova himself would certainly have been proud of the end result. Laiho Casanova is not an empty-headed womanizer, but intelligent and social.