Review: Aurinko ja minä

The Sun and Me

Anyone who has wanted to get to know the life of Sarah Bernhardt , perhaps the brightest star of the theatre world of the last century, has a great opportunity to do so at the Helsinki City Theatre. On the small stage, our own theatre diva Kyllikki Forssell shines in the lead role as Madame Bernhardt together with Santeri Kinnunen , who in turn plays the loyal but slightly squeamish secretary of an aging diva.

The events of the play take place in 1922 on the island of Belle-le-en-Mer off the coast of Brittany, where Bernhardt spends his last summer preparing to write the second part of his memoirs. It’s a hot scorching August, “the sun is angry”.

Forssell occasionally plunges into tricky situations with great power and intensity. Everything shows that the role has been a pleasant challenge. The actor duo keeps the audience in a good grip during the two-hour play, and the interest remains until the end. The concept of Sarah Bernhardt opens up to viewers on many interesting levels.