Review: Suomen hauskin mies
Over graves, but with empathy and skill
Especially in Finland’s centenary year, it is appropriate to remind ourselves of the number of victims of the war of 1918 and to say out loud that almost half of the victims of the Civil War died in prison camps. Most of them were men under the age of 30, about six hundred were under the age of 18. More than a thousand were shot and 13,446 Finns died of malnutrition and disease. In addition, hundreds perished after being released from the camps.
The prison camp is a rough subject for “comedy”. But the Helsinki City Theatre succeeds in the task. And brilliantly. The roles are done with heart’s blood, and the audience responds – they are so involved that they are careful not to give interjections even when they should definitely be. Martti Suosalo once again got a handsome feather in his hat, or two, one of them red. Just as clearly as the other is blue and white!
The stage work of two talented actors-director-screenwriter-writers Mikko Reitala and Heikki Kujanpää is so believable because it is true in its subject matter and because who better than artists as skiers after artists could interpret the theatrical acts and the feelings of the creators that have remained in history even in exceptional circumstances. The setting is the fortress of Iso-Mjölö, or Isosaari, one of the outer islands of the Helsinki region, where the actors of a small workers’ theatre, who are at the centre of the story, have also ended up, accused of homicide. The director of the theatre, Red Chief Toivo Parikka, is arrested only afterwards after being reported, and his own people do not welcome the man with joy. Parikka is considered a traitor to the group. But this surprises the whole camp with its reckless attitude and creativity. He sees ridiculousness in the tragic, and situational comedy in the opposite setting. The neighbors’ boys are ready for executions, how did this happen? Parikka throws his remarks in the air and makes both the good guys and the bad guys of the island laugh – with the definition in the eye of the beholder.
In any case, with these helps, the theatre man convinces the commandant of the prison camp, Captain Kalm, who is supposed to organize a program for the dignitaries. Both Parikka and his starving and sick fellow prisoners get their chance – if they succeed, their lives may be saved. The lovable comedy ladies do their best, even the female roles act… Even if it is crude in places, the audience sitting in the theatre hall knows that even the most vulgar play is nothing if it is mirrored to the real events of 1918.
The role of Captain Kalm is coolly played by the poker face Rauno Ahonen, the counterforce of the “funniest man”. However, Jaeger Lieutenant Alfred Nyborg, internalized by Heikki Ranta, comes to the fore – with the privilege granted by the text. This sensitive young man struggles with the cross-pressures of his conscience. He knows the prisoners from before and especially appreciates Parikka and his talents. Nyborg dares to secretly arrange food for the group and is ready to take the stage with the prison actors if necessary. Heikki Ranta gave a beautiful, hurtful performance. Vappu Nalbantoglu’s Mrs. Kalmina also draws a tenacious picture of a woman who has experienced a personal loss in this war, but in the end does not refuse to help the prisoners when she is invoked.
The cast as a whole has been successful, from Pekka Huotari to Pihla Pohjolainen, and the performances are cutting on a wild emotional scale. Special thanks are due to Pekka Korpiniitty for his transformable stage design, which has a sculptural touch, literally. Wood as a material is familiar and safe for Finns, and it carries the story in a marvellous way as a frame here as well. And live music, that’s the famous icing on the cake.
Historical figures linger on the stage, Regent P.E. Svinhufvud and the commander of the German Baltic Sea Division, Rüdiger von der Goltz. In this respect, the episodes are like a show piece, saturated with satire. The new stage work resolutely navigates towards the finish line, even though I may stay at a few checkpoints for an extra long time. It would be “too good” for a history lesson, but as a historical play it will proudly redeem its place. And what does Martti Suosalo do? He is a hero in the same way as an anti-hero. To the fullest.