Ylen Puntari, 25.02.2011
Review
Jaana Semeri
The Human Part – and Ritva Valkama
You would think that a text as ingenious as Kari Hotakainen’s is easy to speak. That his diverse people, who use words that he understands and find themselves in situations that he recognizes, are ready for the stage. That you would take it and present it. But that’s not the case. Hotakainen’s world just cleverly sounds realistic and that’s why it’s so difficult to build. Having seen several Hotakainens in the theatre, I would say that Bronks (1994), mainly by the KOM Theatre and Juha Lehtola, has succeeded in transforming Hotakainen’s world into a sufficiently precise and at the same time lush enough for the stage. Or so it was before yesterday. Because this part of Raila Leppäkoski’s The Human Being, this is an absolutely excellent dramatization, direction, staging and performance. The City Theatre’s Human Part succeeds in the almost impossible. It is warm, humorous, harsh and simple at the same time. As a director, Leppäkoski has, in my opinion, found a warmth that has been lost for some time in his view of humanity. He still simplifies drastically and exaggerates, but on human terms. Thus, Hotakainen’s beautiful story of human courage and love is moving, laughing, startling – in a word, it speaks to us. Leppäkoski will not let us off the hook. Only people are on stage. Different spaces are created – functionally – with lights and a few utensils. The insightful costumes characterize people as if unnoticed. It is not possible to fill an empty stage space with just any text. But Hotakainen’s downright pressure-like concise expression gets air around it in this decision. The viewer can focus on the essentials, on what is at stake. In this story, it really doesn’t matter what colour Salmi’s overcoat is or what kind of curtains Helena’s workplace has. You would think that a text as ingenious as Kari Hotakainen’s is easy to speak. That his diverse people, who use words that he understands and find themselves in situations that he recognizes, are ready for the stage. That you would take it and present it. But that’s not the case. Hotakainen’s world just cleverly sounds realistic and that’s why it’s so difficult to build. Having seen several Hotakainens in the theatre, I would say that Bronks (1994), mainly by the KOM Theatre and Juha Lehtola, has succeeded in transforming Hotakainen’s world into a sufficiently precise and at the same time lush enough for the stage. Or so it was before yesterday. Because this part of Raila Leppäkoski’s The Human Being, this is an absolutely excellent dramatization, direction, staging and performance. The City Theatre’s Human Part succeeds in the almost impossible. It is warm, humorous, harsh and simple at the same time. As a director, Leppäkoski has, in my opinion, found a warmth that has been lost for some time in his view of humanity. He still simplifies drastically and exaggerates, but on human terms. Thus, Hotakainen’s beautiful story of human courage and love is moving, laughing, startling – in a word, it speaks to us. Leppäkoski will not let us off the hook. Only people are on stage. Different spaces are created – functionally – with lights and a few utensils. The insightful costumes characterize people as if unnoticed. It is not possible to fill an empty stage space with just any text. But Hotakainen’s downright pressure-like concise expression gets air around it in this decision. The viewer can focus on the essentials, on what is at stake. In this story, it really doesn’t matter what colour Salmi’s overcoat is or what kind of curtains Helena’s workplace has. Then, of course, there is Ritva Valkama. Nothing needs to be added, nothing needs to be taken away when this artist shapes the third world into his own under the eyes of another artist. The human part is Ritva Valkama’s part. But it is also the case for others. Almost unluckily, Kari-Pekka Toivonen, who plays the sturdy bastards so well, is in a key role; Leena Uotila typifies in such a way that she cries and laughs; Jaakko Saariluoma plays the sensitive Pekka, Sanna-Kaisa Palo the touching Helena. And the young Armi Toivanen, her rebellious Maija, is charming, the most supple performance of the premiere. All a person needs to succeed is the ability to concentrate and imagination. This is what the main character Salme says. It hit and sank into me, a bad focuser. Concentration and imagination. This ensemble has had plenty of them and the result is an enjoyable experience. Full surfaces of the implementation for the entire theatre. This kind of social discussion is also expected by your audience, who cheered and gave a standing ovation to the performance at the premiere. Then, of course, there is Ritva Valkama. Nothing needs to be added, nothing needs to be taken away when this artist shapes the third world into his own under the eyes of another artist. The human part is Ritva Valkama’s part. But it is also the case for others. Almost unluckily, Kari-Pekka Toivonen, who plays the sturdy bastards so well, is in a key role; Leena Uotila typifies in such a way that she cries and laughs; Jaakko Saariluoma plays the sensitive Pekka, Sanna-Kaisa Palo the touching Helena. And the young Armi Toivanen, her rebellious Maija, is charming, the most supple performance of the premiere. All a person needs to succeed is the ability to concentrate and imagination. This is what the main character Salme says. It hit and sank into me, a bad focuser. Concentration and imagination. This ensemble has had plenty of them and the result is an enjoyable experience. Full surfaces of the implementation for the entire theatre. This kind of social discussion is also expected by your audience, who cheered and gave a standing ovation to the performance at the premiere.
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