Review: Fingerpori

Helsinki City Theatre: Fingerpori

Your cheek muscles will get sore from laughing in this performance, if the Fingerpori pun catches you. I’m hooked – and sometimes I thought my friend next to me was going to fall off the chair when he giggled. The answer to the question “does comics work on stage” is therefore an absolute yes. Works great!

Petja Lähde wrote – apparently in good collaboration with Pertti Jarla, the creator of Fingerpori – which premiered in Turku in 2017. In it, the small town of Fingerpori was threatened with a municipal merger with Turku. In Helsinki, the text has been updated and localized: forced annexation is now threatening with Helsinki, and topical topics have been brought in, starting with elderly care (or was it already in the Turku version?). The people of Fingerpori are trying to prevent the merger by making a video that would highlight, among other things, the city’s “rich culture and colorful infrastructure” and make decision-makers understand that that uniqueness must be preserved. What will happen – in the end, Sauli Niinistö will have to take a stand on the matter. In addition to solving a social challenge, we will hear many stories, such as the birth of the main character, Heimo Vesa.

According to director Pertti Sveholm, there is no topic in Fingerpori that cannot be discussed. “We walk on the borders all the time, sometimes it goes over the top and sometimes it hits the spot. Fresh and snappy.” That’s right, says the viewer!

The actors give top performances. Jari Pehkonen, who plays Heimo Vesa, is more tribal than the cartoon Heimo himself, down to the thin legs! Sanna Saarijärvi shines as Rivo-Riitta, and the other five actors also do their job brilliantly. It was hard to believe that there really are only seven actors: in total, there is an entire city of more than 70 different characters on stage! And as I said, wonderfully presented: for example, the presidential couple’s facial expressions and gestures are perfectly similar to their role models, and Jouko Turkka is recognizable from the first second. I feel a bit sorry for poor Mikko Alatalo: he would have wanted to pull the song so badly. Transitions from one day to the next are also presented in an interestingly relaxed way.

The setting is thoughtfully simple and functional. In addition to cartoonish sets, video and still images, sound and light effects, and brisk music suitable for the spirit are used. There is plenty of speed like in an action movie, scenes and situations change at a rapid pace and the main thing, puns, is at the center. Beforehand, I wondered if I might have time to understand the jokes that often require a moment’s thought in the drama, but they were performed so clearly that almost nothing was missed. (I only didn’t understand one point, but I had time to think about it afterwards.) It was also easier to understand that most of the stories are already familiar to those who have followed the comic for years.

Great theatre entertainment. At least this performance was sold out, so you should book your tickets soon.