Review: Pullo cavaa ja aurinkoa
A bottle of cava and sun
When the title of a theatre piece is A Bottle of Cava and Sunshine, it brings a smile to your face with its very name. That’s exactly what I need right now and in the moment. So is the theatre performance itself. Smiles, joy and the turmoil of emotions. The Helsinki City Theatre has once again been able to pull the right strings.
Four friends have a habit of making an art trip every year. No men, no children, only women. However, women do not have relationships or unions with men or have them very rarely. On the other hand, there is plenty of talk about men. The women are elderly, and Inka (Heidi Herala), the organiser of this year’s art trip, has come up with a brilliant idea. The destination is in an idyllic Portuguese pottery village. The apartment is made for making art. Inka has decided that the house will be turned into a retirement home, which her friends will start keeping. The only thing missing is money and the approval of other women.
Absolutely amazing actors on stage. At the beginning of the play, I was a little startled when I didn’t see Heidi Herala, Jaana Saarinen, Aino Seppo and Eija Vilpanen on stage. On stage were Sanna-June Hyde and Sauli Suonpää. A young couple who are trying to get their life together rolling. Sanna-June Hyde was an excellent fit for her role as Laura. A beautiful and young blonde in love with the Portuguese handsome Carlos. Sauli Suonpää’s double casting in the roles of Carlos and Oula was hilarious. A Portuguese man whose concern for the financial situation of his small family is palpable. Oulana Suonpää, on the other hand, was just such a basic Finland junkie. There is money to spend. In addition, it is nice to make women laugh and even tickle a little. Phew.
The play’s friends played great roles. Heidi Herala as Inkana tries to create a good team spirit and convince her friend of the wisdom of the retirement home. Jaana Saarinen, who played the role of Yvonne, or more familiarly Vonne, is a real vamp. Yes, I was allowed to laugh at this woman. Aino Seppo in the role of Tuulia, on the other hand, is sensitive and easily vulnerable. A woman for whom family values are important, but who charms any man at every moment. What about Eija Vilpas as Anita? Oh, the small, and maybe not even the smallest, devious trickery that the former insurance clerk had done.
A bottle of cava and sun is bursting with friendship and love. Even though you may get a little angry at times, it’s always a good idea to have a glass of bubbly and talk things through and through. Let’s not leave rumination in the tooth. Sometimes you can also cry and laugh at them. Friends know what you’re like. It’s wonderful to see old friends and reminisce about the past. You can have a glass of cava on it again. The play also makes it clear that one for all and all for one. Friendship carries on.
I have to mention the wonderful set design and lighting, which really remind me of the warmth of the south. I especially liked how one side had a view of the terrace. Beautiful. The set design was by Katariina Kirjavainen and the lighting design by Kari Leppälä. Special thanks must also be given to Sanna Levo’s costume design. Lovely floral dresses and linen outfits. Just the kind of women’s outfits that are good enough to show off in the alleys and streets of Portugal.
Milko Lehto has directed a thrilling play. A play suitable for women, women and women. Admittedly, there were men at the same show I went to. Maybe one man per row of seats. From that, you can calculate a little bit what kind of walking in the foyer and theater hall took place before the performance, during the intermission of the performance and after the performance. The man who lives here wouldn’t have been able to endure such a walk. Luckily it wasn’t my husband who was with me, but my own mother. We didn’t mind the walking, because surely we walked too. A Bottle of Cava and the Sun is a play that is especially suitable for groups of women, girlfriends, sisters. It’s wonderful to have a women’s play like this for the dark autumn evenings.