Review: Ei kiitos
In the theatre: No thanks
On Wednesday I headed towards Pasila and the Helsinki City Theatre’s Studio Pasila. The premiere of the play No Thank You was announced. A play based on the novel of the same name by Anna-Leena Härkönen. A novel that I’m not sure if I’ve read or maybe seen a movie based on the book. In any case, after the evening, I was sure that I was already familiar with the story of the play.
Heli (Vappu Nalbantoglu) is a middle-aged German teacher. In principle, everything is fine in life, but it is not. Something is missing. Heli’s husband Matti (Antti Timonen) has become a stingy nerd who is most comfortable in the world of computer games. Where is the passion and sex in the relationship? Heli would like to. Matti didn’t. Heli’s friend Manna (Leenamari Unho) gives good advice, but is it worth following them? However, life is the sum of coincidences. In German class, Heli gets to know 28-year-old Jarno (Pyry Äikää). The young man seems interesting, and it doesn’t take long for the teacher and the student to have a hot sexual relationship. Heli has received first aid for her desperate situation, but is everything as it should be?
It was a wild and intense performance. Vappu Nalbantoglu does an incredible job in the play. The spectrum of a woman’s emotions is something insane to watch. Women live in the here and now, and so should others. Absolutely amazing. Antti Timonen’s role as the husband is sad to watch. A man who curls up in himself and perhaps pretends to be a little hypochondriac, who doesn’t notice that things are somehow wrong. A perfect pair for this play.
Leenamari Unho has many roles in the play. I don’t know how Unho does it, but every role is funny in some way. Forgetfulness goes a little over the top in his roles, which brings to the play exactly the sparkling absurdity that life must always have. Pyry Äikää also has quite a big role in the play. Maybe I’m biased now, because infidelity is never the solution to marital problems, but Äikää makes his role disgusting. Skillful acting, too. A young man who can get a middle-aged woman to agree to pretty much anything. Phew. The play also features Aksinja Lommi in many different roles. By far the best roles were the family’s daughter Sissi, who grew up attached to a mobile phone, and Jorgos from Greece. By the way, Jorgos is known to everyone who has ever been on a trip to the south.
No Thanks is a play that is certainly commonplace in more marriages than people think. There are secret affairs and infidelity. They are looking for excitement in life when nothing feels like anything at home anymore. The play is also obscene, rough and violent. The dialogues in the play are not always the most beautiful to listen to, but they are as direct quotes from real life as can be. Heli’s pain also reminded me of women’s menopause, even though this was clearly about a midlife crisis and searching for oneself. As a person’s life progresses, there will be situations that are new to the person himself. How can you cope with such situations in the first place? In fact, life is all about survival, and in difficult situations, you should get support from where it is closest. In Heli’s case, of course, from her own husband, but if the other person is in the same vacuum, the equation is more difficult to solve than you can understand right away. Quite a few thoughts No thanks sparks.
Mira Kivilä has directed the play, and she has been able to fit the pieces into place nicely. One thing I particularly liked about the play was the videos projected on the wall. Great work from Toni Haaranen, who is in charge of video design. Tuomas Lampinen’s set design was clear but peculiar. The set design has clear references to eroticism and passion, and it really works in this play.
No Thank You is not necessarily the easiest play, but the play has been executed with excellent tools. There is also comedy in the play, but I don’t think it’s pure comedy in any case. No thanks, it’s definitely worth going to see if you want to see a play where real-life realities are brought to the stage.