Review: Hansu ja Pirre – Mieleni minun tekevi

When you have that feeling of joy…

The joyful group of Loimaa Darts Club has been able to rent the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre for their art evenings. This is a great thing, because this way the people of Helsinki will also have the opportunity to celebrate its long-term activities with the darts club. There will be a patriotic programme in honour of Finland’s centenary of independence. The club’s chairperson Pirjo Talvikki Kaasinen aka Pirre (Eija Vilpas) and secretary Aila Hannele Kaakko aka Hansu (Riitta Havukainen) will host the evenings and lead the audience to a programme that tickles the nerves of laughter.

Of course, the ladies of Loimaa are still wearing the same pullers. Horrible trousers, a red windbreaker jacket and hairpins are with me as always. In other respects, too, the duo is the same. Pirre is still the same old, even more direct cleaning entrepreneur in her stories, and Hansu is a wanderer who talks with strange word emphases and sophisticated phrases.

The City Theatre’s Hansu ja Pirre – Mieleni minun tekevi consists mainly of programme numbers produced by the cultural section of the Loimaa Dart Club for the evenings of film maniacs and the theatre circle. It’s quite a cultural blast. Phew! The stage will feature both traditional folk dance by the dance circle Supikat and more modern popular dance. We will hear Kalevala-inspired poetry and, of course, sing together. The evening will be crowned by a raffle, to which the new director of the City Theatre, Kari Arffman, has “donated” as the main prize… painting. The works of the members of the Dart Club can also be seen in the foyer.

Hansu and Pirre’s humour is irresistible, the duo’s action on stage becomes hilarious. The performance is an absolute must for those who have followed the duo’s activities for decades. Once again, the ladies also ponder and reproach contemporary phenomena and sometimes find hilarious humour in surprising and even more painful topics. Havukainen and Vilpas have also written and directed the work.

The duo’s adaptable acting can only be watched with admiration. In addition to Hans and Pirre, a whole host of other hilarious characters are seen on stage and in video projections, and the duo’s ability to transform and throw themselves into different characters is phenomenal. During the evenings, a number of great women of Finnish history will be seen on stage, from Fredrika Runeberg to Alli Paasikivi. Havukainen’s interpretation of the controversial character of Mathilda Wrede, the prisoner’s helper, is hilarious.

The premiere audience clearly enjoys what they see. At times, the stands are literally tearing. Havukainen and Vilpas originally created their characters for the television series Fakta homma, the first episodes of which aired on television in 1986. The series was later continued and the creators have played their characters on many occasions over the years. Now the Helsinki City Theatre will see a cavalcade of other characters as well, but Hansu and Pirre with their own familiar, delightful and ever-so recognizable characteristics are fortunately still there. The audience also clearly enjoys their actions and words.

Also worth mentioning is the liver casserole hip-hop battle. A raisin-free (Vilpas) and a traditional raisin (Havukainen) liver casserole meet in an unbridled dance number. The liver casseroles show their skills and compete against each other. The main couple interpreting the movement language of Sari Haapamäki’s choreography on stage and the excellent lyrics open up the nerves of laughter in such a way that looking at the liver casseroles makes both the tongue and the eyes water.

Helsinki City Theatre’s Hansu ja Pirre – Mieleni minun tekevi is an apt and suitably hilarious art evening number to brighten up the darkening autumn evenings. Those stormy evenings when the late mother-in-law scratches the window panes…