Review: Herra Puntila ja hänen renkinsä Matti

Before World War II, the German playwright Bertolt Brecht fled Germany. In the summer of 1940, he lived in Finland. He was accommodated by playwright Hella Wuolijoki.

Brecht and Wuolijoki collaborated on the play Mr. Puntila and his servant Matti. The title of the work varies in different contexts, but it premiered under this name at the Helsinki City Theatre on Thursday.

The play tells the story of the owner of a farm in Häme, who is ruthless when sober but most human when drunk.

Driver Matti drives his drunken host around the province. Puntila’s daughter Eeva is supposed to get engaged to the embassy secretary.

But what happens when Eeva is in love with Matti?

If there are those memorable roles in an actor’s career, Pertti Sveholm is doing one now. He rages on stage like a raging bull as the drunken Mr. Puntila. The powerfully impulsive acting leaves the others on stage completely second.

Antti Peltola, who plays the role of Matti, gives a cool-headed performance. Eeva, played by Anna-Riikka Rajanen, has electricity.

Otherwise, the cast doesn’t really get a taste of raucousness in Kari Heiskanen’s direction. However, Antti Timonen’s embassy secretary is amusing with his easy-going nature.

Although Thanks to Wuolijoki, the play has a Finnish context, so we follow Brecht’s steps.

His epic theatre includes alienation. To put it simply, it means reminding the audience that they are watching the play. Thanks to the reminders, the viewer should relate the work to the reality of the moment and learn.

This interpretation does not skimp on the elements of alienation. The stage is revealed in all its barrenness, the audience is spoken to directly and the lights are turned on in the auditorium in the middle of everything.

One problem is that the big stage turns out to be a bit too big for this show. It’s hard to try to alienate the viewer when they aren’t even allowed to get close at all.

But why are we actually alienating now? Just because of Brecht? What can we learn from this interpretation of the City Theatre?

Puntila’s behavior makes me think about the arbitrariness of the gentlemen. His power over subordinates, heirs and even other masters.

The interpretation of power could have gone deeper. Now we are mainly left at the level of entertainment, where Puntila is reveling and the workers are laughing next to him.

Fortunately , there have been subtle attempts to update the play. The modernities that have slipped into the text even work.

The costumes and set design are beautiful to look at thanks to their colours. At times, however, the set design, with its palm trees and cabinet clocks, seems ill-advised.

At the premiere, Mongo Aaltonen’s band of one musician created a great atmosphere on stage, and the actors also got to show off their musical skills. The sing-alongs and recitations echo briskly.