Review: Humiseva harju
The Humming Ridge, directed by Lauri Maijala, is a touching and emotional
Humming Ridge is a story that I became acquainted with as a young student, in the 1970s at a boarding school. It was exam season and I had promised myself that as soon as all the exams were passed, I would be able to read something that didn’t need to be examined. When that moment came, the first book I got my hands on was The Humming Ridge and how it tasted good.
I immersed myself in the story and it was etched into me. Despite the fact that I had already seen a few film versions, I was absolutely overjoyed when this interesting story was included in the repertoire of the Helsinki City Theatre. Lauri Maijala has made a humming direction!
My favorite actress Oona Airola is Catherine and how, so much so that I was completely dumbfounded. It was so wonderful to follow that skilful interpretation. The female lead of the humming ridge is demanding and how it is served, with such a setting that it was really enjoyable, every drop.
Heathcliff, Catherine’s fierce lover, Markus Järvenpää shines in the role. At first, almost a forest dweller, and then something completely different. I didn’t even remember what he might be like at his worst or right now. Unbelievable dedication.
Hindley, Catherine’s brother, what a role, when first you are such a stubborn brother and then you become jealous and then a husband and finally you lose your mind. Quite an arc that is executed extremely well by Markku Haussila. The role of his wife Frances is played by Vuokko Hovatta.
All of these are faithfully served by Nelly. A servant who sees and hears everything and seems to be the voice of reason, but does anyone listen to him? Leena Rapola is believable in her role, even to the point of gathering sympathy. He is the one who calls the doctor and the doctor comes. But what kind of a doctor, in all its creepiness at times comical, is the character who has been planted with a hint of humour. He is so well dressed up that you don’t recognize him, but he is Rauno Ahonen and manages to make the audience laugh.
Mr. Earnshaw, the father of the children is kind to take you to Hetcliff, but is there otherwise… Matti Olavi Ranin plays the role of the father in such a way that it was really scary of what mood he was in at any given time. An aging man with dependents. Not easy, but you can always die off.
The Linton family is a whole other story, because they are in a completely different class. Mr. Linton, played by Matti Rasila, is fair or is he? Daughter Isabella is a little gig. Sonja Pajunoja plays a great role and knows how to tell the whole audience what a woman in love looks like. In the role of his brother Edgar, Martti Manninen does his best. It’s a wonderful job to be so kind and kind again until you just can’t take it anymore. The scene in which he felt unwell was dumbfounding. How can someone throw themselves into it? I was almost scared of how it could fall like that, first forward and then backward.
The musician in the background is Mikko Helenius, sometimes with which instrument. It’s interesting that without a different role and still suitably infiltrated into the story.
The whole play was touching, thought-provoking, how the human mind is strange, how it mobilizes all emotions and how it can be behaved in different situations. The humming ridge is still alive and I hope that as many people as possible could see how the old classic story lives on and still tells about us.
The Helsinki City Theatre has been able to tell us an old story with all its skills, its brilliant creators, in a very understandable way. Thank you for that ! It was worth coming from a little further away because of it. All the settings were so well thought out!