Review: Vielä ehtii

There’s still plenty of power

Old age does not mean the loss of friendship and joy of life.

Old age does not come alone, they say. With it comes all the ailments of the world, hand in hand with memory problems and loneliness. A life that used to be full of activity, energy and joy is fading away inconsolably.

Wait a minute! The above is a cliché – at least if we are to believe Carin Mannheimer’s play Still Has Time. The performance depicts old age, but does not indulge in moaning, but tries to use humour and comedy to instill faith in the belief that old people are no more pitiful than others.

Helsinki City Theatre knows what to pull the string on. The time is ripe for plays about old age that give the audience strength and hope: the old people are still in action. There is still time, as long as you don’t become a prisoner of self-pity.

Helsinki City Theatre’s super-popular Ronald Harwood’s play The Quartet has been removed from the repertoire. The theatre’s management hopes that the play Still Has Time will be a similar hit. Time will tell how the performance directed by Pertti Sveholm will turn out in the end – there are ingredients and the cast is top notch.

The central character of the play is Marianne (Leena Uotila), a former cultural journalist, in whose home the stage events take place. A bridge crew gathers at her house, one of whose members has died. Unexpectedly, he is replaced by a man (Vesa Vierikko).

A chain of events begins, the outcome of which is a little anarchic but all the more hopeful. Marianne’s friends move into her large apartment, and one of the daughters also comes to run the block. In addition to the man invited to the bridge crew, there is a maintenance man (Jukka Rasila) to confuse the pattern.

After the ailments and problems, Marianne’s apartment is filled with happy talk and the slapping of cards. There is still time when you get a grip on life.

Carin Mannheimer is Swedish, which can be seen in the world of the play. The old people depicted in it have been freer when they were younger than the Finns of the same age in Härmälandia.

There is still time to reflect a broader trend in plays and films, which tells the story of elderly people who have fallen asleep and their nursing homes. Maybe relationships are still sparking.

According to a recent survey, the majority of Finns want culture to bring entertainment and comfort to everyday life. Still Time, which can be seen on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre, is sure to answer both wishes.

There is plenty of speed and good wording, but there is a serious undertone in the background. Who wouldn’t want to grow old in the middle of a lively circle of friends? Old friends forgive both the weaknesses of your character and the tricks played by your memory.