Mait Malmsten in “Phenomenon”
The Estonian Society of San Francisco recently welcomed fellow Estonian Mait Malmsten to the Latvian Lutheran Church in hilly Noe Valley, San Francisco, for a special performance of “Fenomen” featured in Estonian with English subtitles.
Authored by Bulgarian playwright Hristo Boychev, the play is a 64-minute monologue wherein a mysterious man (portrayed by Malmsten) shares his peculiar and extraordinary life experience and intuition with an anonymous panel of experts who try to gain insight into past events and foresee future events.
Malmsten delivered a remarkable performance, touching on a backward perception of time and sensitive cultural jokes, which seemed to combine the dystopian world of “1984” and the film, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” The play was produced by Märt Meos and inspired by his interpretation of the performance at his theatre “R.A.A.A.M. Ühendus in Estonia.
Andres Renss, an Estonian-American landscape designer who attended the performance, said he’s an active member of The Estonian Society of San Francisco and is very pleased by the frequency and selection of events that the society hosts and organizes, noting that it’s important to bring Estonians together in the Bay Area. “The play was an interesting theme, kind of like a satirical way to describe life,” Renss said. “I am now thinking about my life and sense of purpose.”
Similarly, Marit Davey, Vice President of The Estonian Society of San Francisco, said the performance, exceptionally well delivered by Malmsten, made her think about life overall and appreciate the unknown. “After a drive down history lane, the play brought me back to the present,” Davey said. She also added that the play raised several questions, for instance, “Was he {Malmsten} insane or just pretending?” She said the English subtitles helped a lot, as much of the audience was non-Estonian speaking, and that the society hopes to host similar events like the play in the future.
Kaisa Paluoja and Harriet Toompere, who traveled to the United States with Malmsten to produce the play in several cities, said they were happy with the performance and attendance, commenting on how receptive the audience was. “We made a few quick revisions before the performance {and didn’t include all of the lines}, but the audience laughed and smiled at all the right places,” Paluoja said. Two Estonian attendees, Julia Tuganova and Ivar Kruusenberg, agreed that the play’s humor was dark and prominent throughout the play. “The performance was deep and infinitive – you never know how much time you have,” said Tuganova.
Connect with the San Francisco Estonian community on Facebook or at http://eestibythebay.org/ to attend future events that celebrate Estonian culture, heritage, and language in the Bay Area.
by Heather Koski
