Review: Liliom

Liliom and the girls

Liliom is the author of the popular Hungarian writer of the early 1900s, Ferenc
Molnár’s play, which the author himself has stated to be
“suburban legend”. The play was premiered in Hungary in 1909.
In Finland, it premiered in Swedish at the Swedish Theatre in 1926 and
in Finnish, the predecessor of the Helsinki City Theatre, the People’s Theatre,
on stage in 1936. In the meantime, it has also been proposed in the Tampere Workers’ Association.
At the theatre in 1945 and at the Kouvola Theatre in 1990. The play has also been filmed
twice, directed by Fritz Lang in 1933 and Henry King in 1956,
has been used in Rogers and Hammerstein’s musical Carousel, which
is currently being performed at the Kouvola Theatre.

Liliom’s latest arrival at the Helsinki City Theatre’s
stage, directed by the Hungarian Tamás Ascher. Ascher is well-known
In Finland, for his previous guest directing at the Finnish National Theatre, for example.

Set designer Zsolt Khell, who works with the director, has built on a great
stage, or actually two. Second
is the backyard of the amusement park, a wasteland dominated by large pipe structures
and a train track speeding up in the air. The other is a shabby courtyard with a
in the courtyard building, the charmer Liliom and his youngsters are allowed to live
Liliom’s relatives. Costumes designed by Györgyi Szakács
The image of the time vaguely refers to somewhere in the 1930s and 40s.

Among poor people, even those in a weaker position than workers,
So here we are. However, this is not a naturalistic depiction of misery.
Molnár’s approach is – especially in Ascher’s treatment – more ironic
humorous, but on the other hand, also pessimistic in the sense that it is not
A play about faith in development. The carousel doesn’t move forward, it just rotates
around.

Urban girl culture

The play begins in the backyard of the amusement park, where the young maids, Mari (Miina
Turunen) and Juli (Jonna Järnefelt) come from the carnival. Carousel Attendant
Liliom fascinates the minds of the maidens. One of the girls has just come from the countryside,
one already knows how to live in the city and knows the important aspects of maid culture
i.e. the rank scale of soldiers, at least approximately. Turunen and
Järnefelt plays well together and rhythms the action to make it appealing.
Riitta Havukainen as the hostess of the carousel brings a lush,
mature and temperamental female figure.

When Martti Suosalo’s Liliom takes the stage, the atmosphere becomes even more dense.
The rough and hoarse Liliom is of interest not only to the women on stage, but also to the
theatre spectators. What happens to a man and what happens to women
in their company? Suosalo has acting virtuosity in a wide range of
scale and Liliom plays an excellent role in using the skills.
Competence fully serves the problems of the role and does not remain just a part of the performance.
decoration.

However, after a snappy start, the scenes stagnate. Jari
Pehkonen as Liliom’s vague friend and Kristiina Elstelä as the house’s
do a good and sympathetic job, as well as
Petri Johansson as Mari’s fiancé, but despite that, the pace slows down.

Even though a hundred years between the time the play was written and the present,
has faded the images of people – Liliom and the girls who fall in love with her and
Women can still be found in any suburb – feel the effect
in the rhythm of the drama: Molnár slows down just as
contemporary dramaturgy would become more frequent.

New kick from legend material

After the intermission, however, the drama manages to surprise with a new
with a fresh angle when moving on to the afterlife. Directed by Khellin and
The harsh view conjured up by Kari Leppälä’s lighting is pleasing to the eye and
Antti Litja as Liliom’s notary gets the stage again
to ignite. At this point, Suosalo brings up Liliomen
ruthless view that it doesn’t matter better. After all, a man
However, I feel sorry for him.

It is worth noting that Liliom’s acting is dominated by the
the scale of the stage. Suosalo’s, Järnefelt’s and others’ bodies
positions, movements and pauses are skilfully scaled to tell
from the moods and states of the people to the back of the wide auditorium
until then. Suosalo’s gestures, in particular, are capable of
even convey nuances.

The soundscape built by Kirsi Peter fits perfectly with the mild
ironic undertone and manages to bring life to the
for the duration of the stage changes.

Ferenc Molnár: Liliom, translated by Juhani Huotari, directed by Tamás Ascher,
set design by Zsolt Khell, costumes by Györgyi Szakács, lighting by Kari Leppälä, sound
Kirsi Peteri. Premiere at the Helsinki City Theatre’s
on stage 28.10.2004.