Review: Lempi
The frenzied skill of three actors
Author Minna Rytisalo’s debut novel Lempi will be given a worthy interpretation on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre. The play, dramatised by Sinikka Sanelma and Miika Muranen and directed by Muranen, tells the story of the mysteriously missing Lemppi and his twin sister Sisko.
The grip of Lemppi’s story holds. Although nothing dramatic seems to be happening on stage at first, Lempi is only visible on stage for the duration of a skirt, creating a strong, tragic framework for wartime-ravaged distorted relationships.
In Northern Finland, in 1944, they still live a brotherhood in arms with the Germans, and the merchant’s daughters, twin sisters Lempi and Sisko, drift apart. Love, a dream of something greater, leads to a life that they did not dream of as young girls.
There are only three actors in the play, and no more is needed.
Ursula Salo has lost her sister Lemppi. He believes in the promises of Max from Germany. Salo’s acting quality is fast, explosive, full of love and a frenzy of hatred. She is once again strong in her role – I was reminded of a play I saw in 2016 at the Group Theatre, in which she played the daughter of artist Tyko Sallinen. What a gesture and power of expression Ursula Salo has!
Vappu Nalbantoglu is the second woman in the drama, the family’s maid Elli. He easily interprets Elli’s longing for love, the eternal woman who comes second. His sacrifices, his willingness to serve, not the fact that he, if anyone, deserves love, do not help. In her role, Nalbantoglu is a threatening woman who seeks her happiness as a vulnerable.
The only man in the play, actor Sauli Suonpää , plays an impressive role as Viljami, the husband of the mysteriously disappeared Lemppi. Underneath masculinity and strength, sensitivity is revealed, and it is a pleasure to watch an actor whose expression has nothing mannered, not too familiar and often seen.
The voice role of Lemppi is played by Krista Kosonen. There are also other voice actors in Lempi, but Kosonen is overwhelmingly convincing in his role.
Miika Muranen’s direction does not add anything extra to Rytisalo’s novel. The way sound designer Aleksi Saura influences the arc of the drama shows once again how the best teamwork on stage works. After all the premiere experiences in the autumn, I have to say that theatre is alive and influential!
Review in the Alice’s Adventures blog.