Review: Lempi

My love disappeared, but where?

When there is a good feeling on stage, you can feel it all the way to the bottom of the viewer’s stomach. And when the actors have internalized their characters perfectly, you can’t imagine anyone else in their place.

I thought about such things after seeing the charming play Lempi directed by Miika Muranen at the Helsinki City Theatre. Vappu Nalbantoglu, Ursula Salo and Sauli Suonpää do a fine and touching job in the roles of the maid Elli, Lemppi’s sister and Lemppi’s husband, who was chosen by chance and is deeply in love with her.

The strong voice of Lemppi is Krista Kosonen, but on stage Lempi only appears in dresses.

In the story, the enigmatic, overpowering and luminous Lempi disappears when the Lapland War drives the people of the small village to flee. Where did he go and why did he leave others, including his children?

The viewing experience was certainly also affected by the fact that I had not previously read Minna Rytisalo’s acclaimed debut book, on which the play is based. The suspense over the cause of Lempi’s disappearance remained until the end.