Theater Review Middle-aged man repeats his routines as if he were living in a laboratory, but small signs reveal grief

Culture|Theater review

Eternal return to the National Theater’s Omapohja. Performer Petri Manninen, musician Alvar af Schultén, directed by Janne Reinikainen. ★★★★

Eternal return one cannot help but be a detached actor Petri Mannisen from previous actors. He is known for his physically and mentally unrestrained and almost limitless role-plays. The wildest of them have been left to circle my mind in space as cross-border revelations of role.

Eternal return introduces a middle-aged cultured and neat man. Kati Lukan in hyper-realistic home staging, a man living behind glasses that perfectly delimits repeats his routines as if he were living in a laboratory. Brushes teeth, brews morning coffee, sits in a remote meeting. Small signs suggest greater sorrow.

Janne Reinikainen directing In eternal return Manninen’s acting gets its pulse from the American composer Terry Rileyn In C of the song. The work consists of 53 parts that the player can play for as long as they want. It’s about pleasure. The same goes for Manninen’s unpressurized performance.

A caller living next door (Alvar af Schultén) songs lead to film music, jazz, and he scatters scales. The moods from fate to humor change drastically.

Eternal return presents an actor present, but above all anchored in depth, philosophy and lightness. Instead of a sense of infinity, emphasis and sensitivity are emphasized. Everyday life reminds Pina Bauschin choreography. Music provides resistance and background.

At its best Reinikainen’s control has a similar sensitivity as Alvis Hermaniksen in works about everyday people. In them, reconstructions of the life lived help to structure the world.

Reinikainen’s work includes references to different art forms, narrative methods and philosophy of art. They can be left to ponder, or just let them flow. At some points, the presentation is more responsive than creating a new expression. Of course, that too is a picture of the life lived under the horrors of the news.

At the time of the loss, human fuss seems like an absurd torment and a safe lifeline. Manninen is able to make the end uplifting. In the midst of grief, revelations may appear, at least in art.

Stage design Kati Lukka, costume design Heli Hynynen, lighting design Matti Tiilama, sound design Jani Peltola, video design Reinikainen and Petri Tarkiainen, choreography Lotta Suomi.