Review: Suomen hauskin mies
In the theatre: The funniest man in Finland
On Thursday, I was at the Helsinki City Theatre to see the premiere of Finland’s Funniest Man. The performances of the play, written by Mikko Reitala and Heikki Kujanpää, are almost sold out, at least for this autumn. Probably quite a lot because of the play’s main character, Martti Suosalo, but now I have to say right away that this is not a traditional comedy. Not even there, but something completely different and thought-provoking.
It is August 1918 after the Civil War. The Reds have been locked up in prison camps and on the prison camp island of Iso-Mjölö, and the director of the Workers’ Theatre, Toivo Parikka (Martti Suosalo), is also imprisoned. On the island, Parikka meets his surviving fellow actors. The theatre people are going to be killed for the murder of the vicar of Helsinki. Parikka jokes to Commandant Captain Kalmi (Rauno Ahonen) about the course of events. The commandant makes a proposal to Parikka. The theatre crew would have to put on an amusement play for Svinhufvud, a distinguished guest arriving on the island, which should make the audience laugh. If there were no laughter, the theatre people would be doomed. A performance that would make people laugh, on the other hand, would pardon the theatre people.
How does Parikka cope with a task like this, where the pressure is enormous? Martti Suosalo in Parikka’s ragged clothes does not immediately win over the theatre people. Gradually, however, one after the other, they move on to perform Parikka’s play, except for one. The evening actor Johansson (Jari Pehkonen) is against everything and does not participate in such a game. Pehkonen plays the role of a stubborn man who does not bow down to butchers. The loud discussion between Suosalo and Pehkonen is great to watch from the bench. In my opinion, this was also a great example of Suosalo’s virtuosity. Suosalo’s role does not go beyond the other roles, even though he leads the main role. The progress of the completion of the play is closely monitored by the island’s military corps. The commandant repeats his orders and shouts. Rauno Ahonen as captain Kalmina is cold and tough. I have to admit that Ahonen has been a good choice for the captain’s role.
The captain’s wife Helen (Vappu Nalbantoglu) is also interested in Parikka’s play. A woman knows how to be cold, but gradually under the cold shell she finds a warm and thoughtful woman, whose life is overshadowed by great sadness. The character traits of the theatre people are well highlighted in the play, but I would like to highlight one theatre person in particular. Hannula (Pekka Huotari) is one of a kind, and Huotari brings it out well on stage. The man dares to be himself, even though he is in a dreaded prison camp where being different is not an asset.
Heikki Kujanpää has done a tremendous job as a director. Adapting a play like this to the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre has certainly not been an easy task. However, the play works well. I also liked how the play makes good use of the revolving stage. Sari Salmela’s costumes deserve special thanks. From the shocking rags of the prisoners, through military uniforms, to Helen’s gorgeous outfits.
The Funniest Man in Finland is a tragic story in which satire speaks sharply. The play evokes a lot of thoughts. How could the nation have been divided in two in this way? It also occurred to me, are we close to such a situation today? There are many funny passages in the play, but at the same time, the intensity of the play creates a strange state of being. Can I laugh because there is a lot of tension and fear of being killed?
I can describe the feelings of the performance as perhaps a bit ambivalent. I liked the play very much, even though I was sad about the history of Finland. The civil war is something completely incomprehensible. At the premiere, I think the performance was already very ready and the actors played well together professionally. I also liked the idea of having a play within a play. The final enthusiasm of the actors who were afraid of death for the saving play was great to watch. If someone is looking for comedy experience in the play, they may be disappointed. Even though you can laugh, it may hurt a little somewhere in your gut.
It should also be mentioned that a film of the same name was shot in the summer, in which Martti Suosalo plays the main role of Parikka. Of course, the film must be seen when it reaches cinemas someday.