Review: Ilon aika
Time of Joy – Helsinki City Theatre’s play is bursting with delightful little surprises
The Time of Joy offers outspoken people and genuine caring. From the audience’s individual bursts of laughter, it is possible to follow in real time which family phenomenon seemed familiar to whom.
How much can you tell about the play Time of Joy on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre without revealing too much? There are a lot of delightful little surprises in it. Since one visual surprise is also revealed in the images of the play directed by Tatu Hämäläinen, it can perhaps be told: All the characters in the play look the same. Everyone wears the same clothes and wigs. It’s a funny little detail that immediately makes the viewer think about the significance of the matter.
The play, written by Norwegian Arne Lygre (translated by Ari-Pekka Lahti), focuses on Aksle and David, Me and the Other Me, (both played by Rasmus Slätis). Not because they are constantly vocal, but as people who motivate the actions and conversations of others. That is why other characters have also been named in connection with them, for example, mother, sister or neighbor. The double casting and the similarity of the characters bring a refreshing brain exercise, although the characters also helpfully introduce themselves by telling who is talking.
The mother (Heidi Herala) meets her daughter, Sisko (Mitra Matouf), who is visiting Finland, and Mina, aksle, is also expected to attend. The milieu is obviously a cemetery. Family dynamics begin to be revealed quickly. The sister has moved away from Finland with a foreign man, and the spouse is not to the liking of the outspoken Mother. From the audience’s individual bursts of laughter, it is possible to follow in real time which family phenomenon seemed familiar to whom.
The humor screw starts to twist when a group of bizarre supporting characters with their own dramas come to mess up the meeting. Eventually, Aksle also arrives and tells the rest of the family the shocking news.
As the name suggests, the play revolves around joy, although of course there are also more unpleasant emotions. The characters openly tell each other how important they are to them. Joy can be found in the beautiful and peaceful local nature, in love, in a long friendship. Everyone is welcome to the party, and new people are also welcome to join the group of friends. There is a certain atmosphere of acceptance hovering over everything, even though there are occasional arguments.
In addition to the main trio, the supporting cast includes Jouko Klemettilä, Rauno Ahonen, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Ursula Salo and Sauli Suonpää. The entire ensemble’s physical immersion and bodily humour deserve a special mention. Composer-musician Islaja’s beautiful voice and music fit into the play’s realistic, yet slightly twisted world.
Chrisander Brun designed the sets, lights and costumes, and they all played an important role. I admired the use of light a couple of times, but the show was stolen by the set. The first act was dominated by a huge pink canvas that moved like the dunes of the Sahara. Sometimes someone even ended up under it, like the sandworm from the Dune movies. At the premiere, the actors still stumbled a bit on the bundles of fabric, but as a visual device it is effective.
What about the characters’ style and wigs? There may be a small revelation here, so stop reading here if you are afraid of them.
During the first act, I thought that it could be related to the fact that Sisko came to visit her native country. There is a certain similarity (and even homogeneity in Finland). Although the life and experiences of an individual are unique, as a nation, Finns are all in the same context. Certain things are clear and understandable, and people are united by certain common national experiences and knowledge, whether it is an event, culture or even design. The feeling of easy comprehension and homeliness that many returnees who have lived abroad will undoubtedly recognize when they suddenly have access to the whole picture and not just parts of it. Removing differences in appearance also emphasizes how similar we humans are under the surface, with our hopes, fears and goals.
In the second act of the play, it becomes clear, at least in a way, how wrong the conclusion went.