Review: Egenmäktigt förfarande
When the book is harrowing, the play is also funny in many ways. We didn’t laugh at Ester, but at the hits we recognized. Been there, done that.
“Never has any outsider understood me so deeply and with such precision.”
This is what the man in the play Egenmäktigt menetlus , visual artist Hugo Rask, says in his opening sentence to the woman in the play, the poet Ester Nilsson. Ester had been asked to give a lecture on Hugo Rask and when she had delved into Hugo’s art, texts and everything that had been written about him, she was enchanted. She had begun to miss a man she had never even met.
When they meet, it is immediately clear in the audience what Ester and Hugo have in common, they both love Hugo, they both have the energy to talk about Hugo night after night.
Why on earth does a sensible woman throw herself into a state of complete lack of judgment, where happiness hangs on small crumbs thrown by a man? How can she build hope for a future together, when the man clearly does not hint in that direction in any way? The Friends Choir try to open Ester’s eyes, but Ester’s hope for a life together is strong and clings to Hugo’s every touch and text message.
The play is based on Lena Andersson’s August Prize-winning novel Egenmäktigt menetlus, which has been published in Finnish under the title Omavaltaista menettelyä (Siltala, 2015). The work has already been adapted for a couple of stage versions in Sweden, of which Karin Parrot-Jonzon’s version will be seen in Lillan, which she will dramatize for the Uppsala Theatre.
The evening before the premiere of the play, the Swedish Embassy organized a reception where Philip Teir interviewed Lena Andersson. I’ve listened to Lena many times before, at the Turku, Helsinki and Gothenburg Book Fairs, and I admit that I’m completely fascinated by her way of expressing herself in precise sentences, whether she’s talking about cross-country skiing, Swedish society or love. Lena said that she has practiced writing clearly, translating into words what it means. This, of course, requires that there is an unusually clear and wide-ranging thinking behind the expression. And that’s what Lena has!
Lena said that many people think Ester is crazy, but she is not. Many also say that no one hangs on so desperately, even if they have been watching their phone or doing just like Ester’s. Lena admits that the story has similarities with her own life, but so do the lives of many of her acquaintances. “This and the sequel about Ester’s next relationship, Without Personal Responsibility , are fiction, a common story about fictional characters,” Lena said emphatically.
Lena also stated that she believes in the timeless person. We don’t change, even though time changes, so this love story is also timeless. A timeless person. It has a power that leaves its expression vague.
From Kirsi’s Book Club, the premiere was Airi, Marja, Minna and me, Kirsi. We had all read both books about Ester’s life. A little beforehand, I wondered how the play has been constructed, as the perspective of the books is so strongly in Ester’s thoughts. But the text transferred nicely to the stage!
Airi stated that Egenmäktigt menetlus is a “pure” ancient tragedy: the protagonist faces adversity through no fault of his own. They are supported by a choir of girlfriends, who sing and dance as they did in ancient tragedies.
I wondered how Lena Andersson, who was sitting in the audience, felt to watch such a personal story. Minna said that the great thing about the performance lies in the fact that it has been able to make the very intimate and personal universal and very recognizable.
When the book is harrowing, the play is also funny in many ways. We didn’t laugh at Ester, but at the hits we recognized. Been there, done that.
In the choir, we praised the implementation. Ann-Luise Bertelli’s direction gave room for the text, but also air for the actors’ interpretation. The small blind spot at the end of the first half was forgotten as the second half was a pure tragedy! The actors did a great job from any angle. Linda Zilliacus, who played Ester Nilsson, breathed life into the role. She was Esther, just as the book and the play begin:
And the friendship of two women, Anja Bargum and Emilia Nyman, who transformed into other roles when necessary, was downright exhilarating. Johan Fagerudd, who played Hugo Rask, was just as slick a culture man as the role required. A handsome man who, in his self-love, became repulsive even to the viewer.
Let’s also praise the ensemble’s energy, clear and functional set design and the music’s suitability for the play’s mental landscape.
Of course, the book is more profound and brings out Ester’s pain and Hugo’s narcissistic traits better. It is easier to understand Ester when the book takes her head inside, as Marja said. But the stage adaptation is very functional and super recommended to anyone who has ever waited for the phone to ring! A strong recommendation from our entire circle!