Dr. Zhivago

I wasn't planning to see this production until later in November - but when you get a premiere invitation from a friend who's gotten an invitation from the very lead of the show, you really can't say no... That being the case, I think I should include a disclaimer: in a way, I saw this production for free on the courtesy of Helsingin kaupunginteatteri.

Like last year's Fiddler on the Roof, Helsingin kaupunginteatteri is again doing a musical based on a classic Russian story. Doctor Zhivago the musical is, however, a bit fresher than last year's classic: this is the first production of the show in Europe!

I was quite excited about this production beforehand, but it's been difficult trying to shove my thoughts into a nutshell afterwards. This musical had many elements I liked and I left the theatre feeling quite impressed. But after the initial excitement about seeing one of my favourite actors in a leading role and getting to be a part of the fancy premiere audience wore off, I was left wondering if I was actually much touched by the show after all.

Let's see.

Anna-Maija Jalkanen and Tuukka Leppänen

Doctor Zhivago, based on Boris Pasternak's Nobel-winning novel, tells a story of one man's life in tumultuous beginning-of-the-20th-century Russia. Above all, however, it's a love story – a love triangle in between the titular doctor and the two important women of his life.

The show has been compared to Les Misérables multiple times, and having seen it now, I have to make that comparison once again. The similarities are striking: it tells the leading character's story from his prime to the end of his life, a revolution as a backdrop... I dare you to watch either of Doctor Zhivago's act endings without being reminded of Les Mis. Doctor Zhivago has a tad simpler story and less characters than its French counterpart, but it also lacks a certain epicness that makes Les Misérables memorable. 

Maybe that's to do with the music. Doctor Zhivago's music is quite nice and beautiful. But oftentimes, it's nice and beautiful even during intense scenes. To me, Lucy Simon's tunes were perfect for romantic moments but felt lackluster during the biggest scenes. I think the music could've been more bombastic in the war scenes, more chilling when the villain was singing... Still, it's a shame there is no cast recording of this musical. I've a feeling these songs might grow on me, and I'd also like to hear the original English lyrics.

The action, luckily, wasn't as mild as the songs. For example, I've never seen as disturbing an onstage death as one of the deaths in Doctor Zhivago. I felt freaked out, but in a good way.

Antti Timonen and Anna-Maija Tuokko

Tuukka Leppänen and Anna-Maija Tuokko were both quite intense in their leading roles as Yuri Zhivago and Lara, the forbidden love of Zhivago's life. I could listen to especially the former's singing for the whole night, and thankfully, he finally plays a part where he gets plenty of songs!

I'm afraid, however, that I have to agree with whichever review mentioned that the chemistry in between the two leads was still a bit lacking. Maybe that was just premiere nerves, though? I wouldn't be surprised to see the relationship in between Yuri and Lara developing to feel more and more natural in the upcoming performances.

My favourite character by far was Pasha Antipov, played by Antti Timonen. A truely evil musical villain, this one! You have all these antagonists, Javerts and Phantoms and Judases, who do awful things but who you are still expected to symphatise with... So, for once, I enjoyed this truely evil character. You can't even try excusing his actions, even when the motivations behind them are explained to you, and Timonen's take was chilling. I was impressed.

I was also rather impressed by the looks of Ralf Forsström's set. Steely, icy, and still strangely beautiful, it suited the musical perfectly. For once, Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's huge scene didn't look too big. Forsström's costumes didn't impress me in a similar way, I thought they were mostly nice but nothing especially memorable – but two thumbs up for the set!

All in all, I think Doctor Zhivago the musical is worth seeing... but.

You probably know the feeling. Sometimes, you see and acknowledge that there is a lot of good in a production, but you can't feel it in your heart. That is my relationship with Doctor Zhivago. I can't point out what is wrong exactly, but a certain flame is missing. The irrational part of my taste that arbitrarily decides which shows I love seems to crave for something else than what this musical delivers. I'll probably try seeing the show again in the winter for all the positive things I've mentioned here, but I doubt I'll be listing it as one of my personal favourites even then.

Photos by Charlotte Estman-Wennström.

Helsinki Season Starters

I attended two theatrical season opening events this week: Helsingin kaupunginteatteri and Svenska Teatern. They're two of the biggest theatres in the Finnish capital, one Finnish and the other Swedish-speaking.

Let's start with a video clip from the season opening:

The feeling persists that Tuukka Leppänen will be quite something as the title character of Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's upcoming production of Doctor Zhivago the musical.

Doctor Zhivago, a musical by Lucy Simon, Michael Korie, Amy Powers and Michael Weller, has only been produced three times before: a test run in a Californian theatre in 2006, then a revised production premiering in Australia in 2011 and a run in Korea in 2012. So, Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's production will not only be the Nordic premiere, it'll be the first production of the musical in the whole Europe!

After last year's Fiddler on the Roof, the king of all overdone classics, I'm glad Helsingin kaupunginteatteri is taking a chance with an unknown musical. Though, from what I saw and heard in the season opening, I feel a strange familiarity... The musical is based on Boris Pasternak's classic novel where the events are tied to a revolutionary movement. The director Hans Berndtsson told that the piece's central themes are love and pain. It was mentioned the musical is sung-through.

"Doctor Zhivago is a story is about love in all of its most difficult forms, but it's also describes the suffering of the Russian people in the beginning of the 20th century", Berndtsson described the musical's plot. "The original novel is one of the darkest in history, but the theme of love draws people to it."

Sounds rather familiar, right? The original Les Misérables premieres in Tampere this fall, so Finnish audiences can compare the two themselves. Or maybe Zhivago is Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's late answer to Svenska Teatern's Kristina från Duvemåla – yet another spectacle that strongly resembles Les Mis?

In any case, dramatic and pain-filled musicals are my favourites, so I'm excited! I like the songs already. And, as mentioned earlier, I don't think you can go wrong with Tuukka Leppänen... No complaints about the other leads, such as Anna-Maija Tuokko, Marika Westerling, Esko Roine and Antti Timonen, either.

The theatre also presented their other 13 premieres for the fall. Sadly, I don't think anyone over ten but under 40 years old would find the selection too interesting. Children's plays, parenting troubles, the struggles of the elderly... It was briefly mentioned how the theatre wants to work with young people and help them find an interest in theatre. More productions with themes people under forty can relate to could be one way to go.

More from the season opening

I visited Svenska Teatern's season opening event this week too, and just like with HKT, I was mainly interested in the new musical of the season. HKT is not the only theatre in Helsinki premiering an unknown musical this fall.

Svenska Teatern, Finland's biggest Swedish-speaking theatre, is premiering Djungelboken. Originally called A dzsungel könyve, it's a Hungarian family musical by László Dés, Péter Geszti and Pál Békés that's never been seen in Finland before. The Svenska Teatern production will be directed by Hungarian director György Böhm. Patrick Henriksen, Birthe Wingren (who stole my heart as Kristina från Duvemåla's Ulrika) and Arne Nylander, among others, will be playing the leads.

Maybe the theatre felt that after last year's no doubt expensive Kristina från Duvemåla (and possibly before next year's Mamma Mia!..?), something a little smaller on scale and for a different audience was needed for this season. This seems like quite a nice choice to fill that void. From the little previews we saw in the season opening, it seems Djungelboken is going to be a colourful and energetic musical.

Djungelboken is called a family show, so I might not be a part of its intended audience, exactly. Still, I'm thinking of taking a trip to Svenskan – if for nothing else, at least to see Simon Häger as the snake Kaa. Or what do you say about the following sneak peek from their season opening:

Still want to see more? Bonus videos: Doctor Zhivago, Djungelboken.

I'd love to write about other Finnish theatre season opening events too, but sadly,  I can't make it this year... For the next two weeks, I'll be visiting Washington, USA, you see! Talk to you when I'm back in Finland again!