Finnish Musicals: Broadway for Finns

The Life and Times of Musical Theatre in Finland, part 3/4. Read this part in Finnish here.

Certain musicals are especially loved by younger theatregoers. Many generations of Finnish teenagers and young adults have enjoyed Broadway shows. In this part of the series, we’ll take a look at how Finnish audiences of both past and present have received hit musicals such as Hair, Rent and Wicked.

Adults don’t sing or dance on the west side of Manhattan. Or in Tampere, Finland, either.

West Side Story, the classic musical about gang wars and young love, premiered on Broadway in 1957. The groundbreaking musical showed fighting as dancing. The world West Side Story’s young characters live in is a dark one, but the musical also portrays adults’ society as distant and unfair.

The Romeo and Juliet remake arrived to Finland rather rapidly. West Side Story’s Nordic premiere took place in Tampereen Teatteri in 1963.

The production was a success and ran for three seasons. Both the audience and the critics fell in love, in Finland and elsewhere – when the production visited Vienna, the local audience applauded it for 18 minutes. In Finland, West Side Story was also quickly produced in many other theatres, including The Finnish National Opera.

“Yeah, it’s worth watching”, one of the teenagers who saw the musical in The National Opera commented (Helsingin Sanomat, 19.11.1965).

A couple of years after West Side Story, Tampere was again the Finnish capital for musicals aimed at young adults. Only two years after its 1967 Broadway premiere, in the summer of 1969, the hippie musical Hair was featured in Tampere Theatre Festival’s repertoire.

West Side Story is one of Finland's most popular Broadway musicals.
Here's how the show looked like in Lahden kaupunginteatteri in 2013.
Photo: Lauri Rotko.

Long, Beautiful Hair

Hair became a musical phenomenon.

The first theatre festival performances sold so well that more performances were scheduled and the ticket prices were raised. The production, featuring a cast of amateur actors, toured Finland for two years and also visited Sweden. The cast recording topped the charts.

Teen magazines wrote about Hair and tried to build a rivalry in between the touring production and a Swedish-speaking version that was staged in Helsinki’s Svenska Teatern at the same time. In real life, the two productions were on good terms.

The hippie musical formed bonds all over the globe, too. The Paris, San Fransisco, London and Australian productions of Hair all telegraphed their best wishes to the touring Finnish production’s premiere.

All feedback wasn’t quite as positive. The featured nudity and the musical’s general display of hippie lifestyle hurt some feelings along the way.

“What the theatre management was thinking, letting that porn theatre visit our city?” pen name “Appalled” wondered in the local newspaper Turun Sanomat when the Hair tour visited the city of Turku in late 1969.

“Please at least cancel the upcoming performances.”

The Tribe from Åbo Svenska Teater's 2012 production of Hair.
Photo: Robert Seger.

The Age of Aquarius, Continued

After the summer of ‘69, the hippie musical has had multiple new Finnish productions.

Nowadays, the show is associated with a fair amount of nostalgia. Turku, Finland’s medieval capital and nowadays the country’s 6th biggest city, was the European Capital of Culture in 2011. One of the year’s special events was a new production of Hair cast with middle-aged amateurs.

In 2012, Hair was produced professionally both in Turku’s Swedish-speaking Åbo Svenska Teater, and in Lahden kaupunginteatteri in southern Finland.

“The themes of Hair are still current”, director Maarit Pyökäri says. Pyökäri directed the show for Lahden kaupunginteatteri.

”Of course, some of the things have dated. Onstage nudity, for example, has lost its shock appeal. Other themes, however, are still as current as ever. The United States is still engaged in warfare on another continent, young people still use drugs...”

Pyökäri says that Hair isn’t an easy musical to stage. She describes the script that consists of a string of individual scenes instead of a traditional plot as chaotic, and mentions that translating the lyrics to Finnish also proved challenging. The musical’s music, then, was the reason to bring the show to Lahden kaupunginteatteri. The songs were performed on concert volume.

“Young people fell in love with the show, while their parents knew the songs by heart. The production reached all ages”, Pyökäri says.

The Lahti Tribe. Photo: Tarmo Valmela.

Arts and AIDS

Worldwide, Jonathan Larson’s Rent can be called one of the most important musicals of the 90s. After premiering in New York in 1994, international productions of the musical soon popped up all over the world, Finland included.

Adapted from Giacomo Puccini’s opera La bohème, Rent shows a year in life of a group of young artists. The setting has been changed from Paris to New York, and the tuberculosis that threatened the artists’ lives in the original opera has been updated to HIV.

Audiences, especially people in their twenties and thirties, fell in love with the musical. It ran on Broadway for 12 years and was adapted for film.

“When I saw Rent in New York for the second time, I hardly found my way out of the auditorium. I was crying so hard”, director Marco Bjurström tells. Bjurström directed the musical in Helsinki.

In Finland, Rent was first seen in Tampereen Teatteri in 1998. The Finnish interest towards the musical was strong before the premiere: some of Finland’s biggest theatres, such as the national Swedish-speaking scene Svenska Teatern and Helsinki’s big musical stage Helsingin kaupunginteatteri, also wanted to stage the Finnish premiere.

Despite the initial interest, there were no productions of Rent in Finland for over a decade after the 1998 production. But in the 2010s, the musical has returned on Finnish stages. It hasn’t been produced in government-supported municipal theatres, but amateurs and professional have both been staging their own, independent productions.

The latest professional Finnish Rent was produced in Helsinki in 2012. Marco Bjurström directed the musical and produced the show without financial help from outside backers. The director says he dreamed of producing the musical for years.

“As a portrait of its own time, Rent left a lasting impression on me. It tells stories of the world we really lived in during the time musical takes place”, Bjurström describes.

A scene from the Helsinki production. Photo: Lasse Lindqvist.

Taking Risks

When Tampereen Teatteri staged Rent’s Finnish premiere in 1998, a musical featuring sexual minorities, drug abuse and AIDS was seen as both a financial and an artistic risk for the theatre. It ran for one season.

The Helsinki production was also a risk for its producer. The proceeds weren’t enough to make up for the original investment.

“I understood that Rent would probably never return to the government-supported big theatres’ repertoires. Some theatre managers still think it’s too wild. So, I thought I have to take the risk and do it myself, no matter what’ll happen. Otherwise I’ll never forgive myself for not doing it!” Bjurström explains his decision to produce the show.

Bjurström says the musical, set in early 90s New York, still touches people. The Helsinki production’s audience consisted of people of all ages, from school kids to senior citizens.

“Rent tells a certain tale to those of us who have been young in the 80s and 90s. The story itself, however, has not dated in any way. It was fantastic to hear comments from the audience members. Whether they were pensioners or young students, the musical was a strong experience for all. Many got new hope, faith and power from watching it.”

A moment from Suomen Musiikkiteatteriensemble's 2011 production.
Photo: Suomen Musiikkiteatteriensemble ry.

A Journey to a Wonderful World

The fantasy musical Wicked premiered in Helsingin kaupunginteatteri in 2010, seven years after its Broadway premiere. The musical has plenty of young fans all over the world – also in Helsinki.

The story of Wicked is based on L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and its classic movie adaptation. In Finland, the world of Oz isn’t nearly as well-known as in the USA.

Despite the relative obscurity of the source material, Helsingin kaupunginteatteri decided to stage the Wicked Witch of the West’s story. Theatre manager Asko Sarkola says that composer Stephen Schwartz was worried about Finns’ distant relationship with the original story.

“He often asked me if Finnish audiences know The Wizard of Oz. The musical after all features characters and plot points from the original story. I answered that not really, no, but the music is going to charm the audience in any case.”

Wicked is a story about being different, and about friendship. Riikka Kiviaho, the president of Wicked Fanclub Finland, says that knowing The Land of Oz gives Wicked’s world more depth. According to her, the show can nevertheless also be enjoyed without any prior knowledge of the story.

“Wicked’s music is so impressive, you can really feel it resonating through your body. My mouth fell open during the first song already”, Sofia Sarkava says. Sarkava, a member of Wicked Fanclub Finland, saw the show five times.

The composer’s worries were indeed lessened with time.

“In the end, Schwartz was very happy with the way Helsingin kaupunginteatteri told the story of the different girl seeking for acceptance”, Sarkola says.

A scene from Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's Wicked.
Photo: Tapio Vanhatalo.

Fanclub Still Going Strong

The witches of Oz enchanted the Finnish audience. The musical was seen by over 65 000 people, and many saw the production more than once.

“I could relate with the musical’s themes and the relationships featured in the story. My situation in life was just right for Wicked”, Riikka Kiviaho describes the musical’s charm. She saw the production 16 times.

During the production’s run, Kiviaho founded a club for the musical’s fans. Helsingin kaupunginteatteri also joined the club activities. While the musical was in the theatre’s repertoire, the club and theatre joined forces to arrange cast meetups for the fans.

“The club turned into something special. The cast and the fans interacted with each other, and the feeling was good all around”, Kiviaho says.

Wicked’s Finnish run ended over three years ago, but the musical is still important to many fans. The members of the fan club still meet each other.

“I’m maybe the most impressed by how many people have found new friends via the fan club. I didn’t expect that when I founded the club. It still makes me teary-eyed”, Kiviaho summarises her feelings.

Witches and fans. Photo: Riikka Kiviaho.

Sources used: Mikko-Olavi Seppälä & Katri Tanskanen: Suomen teatteri ja draama, Reijo Paukku: Hippimusikaali HAIR ja Tampereen Popteatterin tarina, Taloussanomat 19.9.1998: Menestys tai tappio.

Top 5: Favourite Musical Scenes (of this moment)

Tonight, I'll tell you about my current top five musical theatre scenes. They'll chance tomorrow, I'm sure, but here's today's top five.
I know it's a really broad range to choose from. By saying "scenes", I can feature just about whatever: solos, duets, counterpoints, dance, dialogue... I may do specified lists later on (if you've an interesting top five list in mind, do comment and I shall consider!), but let's start with simply scenes. I'm going to be purely feeling-based and, instead of featuring stuff that's grand or looks stunning, feature moments I always enjoy watching.


#5: A Weekend in the Country from A Little Night Music

What can I even say about this?
A Little Night Music is, in my opinion, an excellent musical, as those who read my review some months back might remember. And this scene has it all. I love counterpoint, so I'm pretty much quaranteed to like the song just because of that... And, acting-wise, it has moments for every actor to show their chops. It's a good song and a hilarious scene, all in one.
I don't have much more to say, actually, besides repeating that I adore this moment. One of the greatest first-act finales of all time, leaving the audience really excited to see the events unfold in the second half.


#4: Le Val d'Amour from Notre Dame de Paris

 You probably don't want to watch this one with your boss/parents/little kids around - it's nothing too graphic, but blunt enough to get uncomfortable.

I'd like to open this explanation by confessing something.
I don't like watching the Notre Dame de Paris DVD performance one bit.
I know the performers are talented. I know the story is amazing, I think the book by Victor Hugo is really touching. I know the music is beautiful, I simply love the CD! But I can't get into the DVD. It, quite simply, bores me. I sometimes watch it for the music, but I always have a sketchpad and some pencils at hand because I can't help dozing off when trying to concentrate on the show itself. I can't understand why I can't like it!

The notable exception is this scene.
I don't like it because of the risque dance moves, and even the song, even though it's really good, is not the best of the show. But I think this scene the best showcases the biggest reason I think the DVD is worth checking out: Bruno Pelletier as Gringoire.
Gringoire, as you may know, is a bit of a creep in the novel. He's an unlucky, moneyless poet who, at first, is into Esmeralda like every other guy in the book - so far, so good. But as the story progresses, he loses his interest towards her and instead starts obsessing about her goat instead, to the point where he can't decide whether Esmeralda or the animal is more worth rescuing. If I recall correctly, he chooses the goat and leaves the young lady in the hands of a potential murderer-rapist. Um. Yeah.
But the musical's Gringoire is something else. He has style. I think a Youtube commentor has it down pretty nicely: "I love this guy too-Bruno -the voice, the attitude, the looks, the movements, the presence, the artistic.... WOW!!!!!"

Take a look and see for yourself.


#3: Tonight Quintet from West Side Story

This song has an example of every aspect of musical music I adore the most. Let's count... A big group number. Counterpoint. Fast tempo. Male choirs. Getting bigger and bigger towards the end. Intense emotions. Fun to belt along. Yep, this has it all. This is the moment I look forward to whenever seeing West Side Story, it's all downhill from here...
As with A Weekend in the Country, I've a hard time expanding my opinion much further, it's too feeling-based. This scene is so good it doesn't much need explaining. It works exactly as it should in the context of the show, and - when done right! I don't think I'll ever understand why the production of WSS I last saw had cut the male choirs to only Riff and Bernardo! - it looks and sounds nothing short of pure awesome.


#2: Hot Honey Rag from Chicago

Start at around 4:00!

Besides being my second favourite musical scene, this moment is the reason I'm unable of forgiving the current Finnish production of Chicago its minor mistakes. I don't mind messing with the script a bit, but removing Hot Honey Rag is quite unexcusable to me...
In all seriousness, though, I've always had a bit of a hard time understanding dancing as an art form. I don't mean I don't appreciate it - I took jazz dance lessons for years as a kid (though I always was the clumsiest student in the class), so I've some faint firsthand experience about how hard a thing to master dancing really must be...
But still, I often feel a little awkward when seeing dance numbers. I don't know why. I think I just need training to learn to really "see" the things the dance tries to convey to me. Before that realisation, expect me to keep staring at dancers with an adoring but yet confused look on my face.

That being said, Hot Honey Rag is a dance scene, and a great one at that.
First of all, I love the piece of music that goes along with it. It's just full of joy and lust for life, and, currently, it's the number one most played song in my iTunes. I can't get enough of it.
And then, of course, there's the dance itself, and for once I don't feel I'm not understanding something. With talented performers, it's simply a joy to watch. Like the song, it's amazing, really fun and energetic, so I don't think I'll get bored of the choreography anytime soon. You really believe the whole Chicago would rush to see these ladies perform!


And my number one favourite musical scene is...
#1: The Audition Scene/Haben Sie Gehört Das Deutche Band? from The Producers

Now, this is a silly one.
I've never seen The Producers live. I kind of faintly wish to, and there's going to be a production about 250 kilometers from where I live, but I'm not sure at all if the trip is worth the trouble. While I do like the original movie the musical is based on, I don't enjoy the movie of the musical. Well, sure, some parts are good, but, in general, it's quite unpleasant. The music isn't catchy in the least, and, for the most part, it's simply not that funny.
Maybe seeing it live would chance my mind, but as far as musical movies go, The Producers isn't among my favourites.

The one expection is the Audition Scene.
It's simply the most hilarious scene I've ever seen. In a musical full of pretty bored jokes and bland tunes, it's got both real, laugh-out-loud good comedy and a really, really catchy tune. It showcases everything that's good and funny about The Producers in five minutes, with a clever joke after another. It's yet to fail to make me laugh.

The first performance I've chosen to feature, up there, is from a high school production. Not a trace of the awkwardness that too often, understandably, characterises high school shows - this performance by Summit High School in New Jersey is much better than the many versions by professional actors I've seen in Youtube. Amazing energy.

And what's the last amazing thing with this scene is how it allows different, hilarious interpretations. Again, many productions do what the movie did, and so does the featured performance, to some extent... But there are non-replica jewels here and there. Just check out the following version of the No No Nietzsche guy!

My Finnish Musical Year 2010-11

A Retrospect of Musical Theatre in Finland, 2010-2011

The first musical I saw the last fall - or actually, summer, it was still August - was Titanic in Ypäjä Music Theatre, an amateur theatre company that puts up plays with music. It was also my first closing night, even though I didn't know that at the time. I saw the show with my ever-so-loyal theatre-going friend Sara and her mother.
The musical Titanic isn't great material to work with, I think. I'm endlessly fascinated by the ship, its passengers and the disaster, and I love the movie - it captures the panic onboard very well. Sadly, this musical doesn't. The composer, Maury Yeston, had the chance to make all the noisy, epic tunes he wanted, but he wasted that opportunity. The music is, in my opinion, a bit too calm and pretty.
Luckily the plot only twists a couple historical facts, most notably by making Bruce Ismay a speed-obsessed jerk... But what I think is the story's greatest fault is having no clear main characters. In some instances that works, but not here, I'm afraid. It's hard to feel bad for a collection of characters you know hardly anything about.
All that said, the production was still great. You wouldn't have believed it's an amateur theatre! Most of the actors did great job with their roles, the set was really inventive and even the costumes were beautiful. A huge thumbs up to Ypäjä Music Theatre! When you guys do your next show, I'll try my best to be there!

In August it was also time for Wicked's Finnish premiere in Helsinki City Theatre, a premiere which I attended with my friend Tiia. (Such sneaky birthday gift to give to your friend, musical tickets! That's practically forcing her to keep you company in theatre!) I've talked about Wicked here a couple times already, most notably at here, at my response to one especially sour critic. I don't claim Wicked is a perfect musical by any means, but it has good tunes and will surely entertain you - so I still think badmouthing everything it has to offer is a bit of an overkill.
I don't have much to add to what's been said before, but Wicked, besides being my first premiere, also marks my first time seeing a musical composer, this time Stephen Schwartz, live. Too bad they kept him hidden during the intermission, I'd have loved to shake hands with him!

In September I saw Chicago in Tampereen Työväen Teatteri with Sara.
I like Chicago a lot, but as I've said before, this production was a disappointment. I've talked about it here, and while I've learned to see good in it in retrospect and don't dislike it particularly strongly anymore, I don't really like it either. I can't bring myself to like stealing ideas from movies, and even though the leads did, mostly, an amazing job, I think the show would've needed more ensemble members and even more glitz and glamour to really take flight.

In October I had my first chance to see my favourite musical, Les Misérables, in Finland. Oddly enough, the first time visiting Åbo Svenska Teater - again with Sara - didn't really feel that epic. It was great, but I didn't feel as extatic as you'd suspect. It felt just great. Little did I know how epic my feelings would become later on...

In October I also saw Rebecca in Kouvola Theatre, once again with Sara.
The more I think about Rebecca, the more I dislike it, surprisingly. Maybe some of that's to do with the CD I bought, which has the whole show, dialogue included, in German - it's annoying to listen to, not understanding the language. But I also find the music a little bit underwhelming at parts, and the whole story, while it was really interesting to see it unfold, doesn't really fit well for repeated viewings in my opinion. I thought it was great when I left the theatre, now I mainly think "meh" when it comes to my mind. But maybe seeing it again would change my mind, after all...
However, as with Titanic, the production was surprisingly superb. Kouvola Theatre is a small one, and therefore I was amazed at the quality of their cast. Some of the sets were a little set-looking as opposed to realistic, and the big scene in the end could've been grander, but for the theatre's size and my expectations, I was positively surprised.
Bonus points to the lovely ladies of The Senior Teacher Club of Kouvola for making me smile with their wisdom, heard in the theatre foyer: "I really disliked the play. It should've been two or three hours shorter."

I saw Les Mis again in November, with my dad and a couple of my family's Åbo-based friends, and this time the epicness really got me. The next day I wrote one of the hugest rambles of the history of all my blogs - and, suprisingly, also my blog's most popular text -, a review at here. As I wrote back then: "I had seen the show once before this. I had a really good time back then and thought it was an awesome production. But for some reason just after this time it hit me how great this production of Les Misérables actually is."
I had found a new favourite musical production. Cats, Lahti City Theatre 2008-2009, you were amazing, but sorry...

I saw nothing in December, but 2011 started nicely with Next to Normal in Helsinki City Theatre.
I had managed to get a bunch of friends to come along: Sara, as usual, but also Tiia (a Christmas gift this time), Ulla and Mimmi. We had a blast, I don't remember ever laughing so much during an intermission!
And the show was amazing. I think it's one of the best scores I've ever heard in theatre, and the subject matter is very touching. When the big twist happened my jaw really dropped, extremely clever!
This was also a great time for me and Tiia to fangirl over our favourite actor, Tuukka Leppänen. I had been a fan ever since the aforementioned Cats, and Tiia, being introduced to him as Wicked's Fiyero, quickly developed a fangirl crush on him, too. I think Mimmi, Ulla and Sara were quite embarrassed of us two the way home, when we couldn't stop gushing and giggling in the train station... If you, for a reason or another, are interested in my Tuukka Leppänen fangirling, do see this link.

I and Sara saw West Side Story in Tampere in February. It was a student production, and Sara wasn't exactly excited about it, but I really liked it. The actors, still studying to be trained singers and actors, weren't always perfect of course, and the director had made some bad choices (why no male ensemble in Tonight Quintet, just Riff and Bernardo? Why?), but the production had a huge orchestra and sounded as good as it gets.
Here I found out that I actually love West Side Story. I had seen it on Broadway, and, while I dislike the movie, had liked it, but here I started to love the show. It's a compact package of strong emotions, great tunes, serious issues and, to put it bluntly, shit hitting the fan. There's nothing to add and nothing to take away, it has all the elements you need for a good musical. 
If some Finnish theatre decides to do West Side Story again, though, I've a word of advice: get a new translation. The current one, from the 60's or so, is the most horrible one I've ever had to listen to. Using lots and lots of bad puns doesn't equal Sondheim in any way.

In February I also left for Athens with my dad, and we had the chance to see a Greek production of RENT - but that's besides the point here. So, jumping to March, and to Les Mis once again, and again with my dad (he's becoming quite a fan, I believe). It felt even epic-er, and I was really amused to notice my dad's an Eponine fanboy: "I think that Cosette was a bit of a jerk, Marius should've gone with Eponine instead. She was a nice girl."

March continued with Wicked again, and boy, was that one of the most exciting nights of my life.
As I've told you before, I and Tiia, who had become a fan of the show since the premiere, had decided to make little plushies for the three main actors of Wicked. I admit my motivations had a little bit more to do with meeting a certain actor than complimenting the leading ladies for their good work (not that I wouldn't have honestly wanted to do that too, though!)...
Our friend Mimmi joined us to see the show, and I'm glad she was there - we were so nervous, Tiia and I, that it was good to have someone in her right mind around... We almost fainted just because we were so nervous before meeting the actors to give them our gifts. Luckily they turned out to be lovely people and everything went as well as it could, after all. It was great meeting all three, and, after two years of fangirling, I could check "hug Tuukka Leppänen" off my to do list! As I figured at here back then, I smile because it happened, still. So much that my face hurts.

March was a good month for seeing shows. We celebrated Sara's birthday by going to see RENT's Finnish premiere. Sara, Ulla and Mimmi all enjoyed the show greatly, only Suski thought Wicked was better... To each her own. I'm more with Sara's team here - I thought Suomen Musiikkiteatteriensemble ry, a newly-found group composed of young actors, did an amazing job with one of my favourite shows of all time.
I've talked a lot about this, and the Greek RENT, at here - I might just add that Sara and I loved the show so much we, besides giggling, screaming and making a general scene of ourselves in the night of Lahti after the show, rushed to see the closing night two weeks later. It's very sad the show's run was so minimal, but I've heard the cast didn't get paid, and the show didn't have a huge budget to begin with, so I can understand their decision. Still wishing for a quick revival, though!

In April we saw A Little Night Music in Turku City Theatre with Sara. She didn't like it, I loved it. Pretty much all has been said at my extensive review at here already, moving on...

The last day of April was also the last day of Les Mis for this spring, and I had to see it. I know this blog seems to be mainly about the aforementioned show already, but maybe I could add a couple of words...
This was the best time I've ever had in a theatre. I went alone, but had a truely amazing time. And not just me, the whole audience's mood was fantastic! It was May Day, so I don't know if everyone had already drank their first glass of champagne before entering the theatre or if it was just general party mood... But it was fantastic nevertheless.
Hearing the cast rehearsing One Day More before the show begun... Alexander Lycke, ÅST's Valjean, staring me directly in the eyes during one of his songs (or so it seemed to me. He probably just wondered why I was smiling so widely at his character's pain)... The longest applause I've ever heard, the most enthusiastic standing ovation... The party blowers and streamers the cast had at the curtain call... The "We will Mis you, Marius" sign some fellow fans waved at Glenn Nilsson since it was his last night in the role (I agree with them - Nilsson's Marius had the perfect mix of emotion, good looks and social awkwardness for two women to be fighting over his heart)... The director Georg Malvius coming onstage to take his bow... Me explaining Javert's motivations to an English-speaking couple in the foyer...
It was perfect. I felt like home there. The best May Day I could imagine.

The year's last show for me was Helsinki City Theatre's Next to Normal again, and again with Sara and her mother. Right after seeing it I was quite sure twice is enough, but now I don't know anymore... Maybe third time tells the truth next fall after all?

I of course didn't see every show in Finland, not at all. Some are too far for my time and funds, and some I skipped because I know I don't like them, or, as with Helsinki Svenska Teatern's Cabaret, because I know a Finnish production is coming up soon and would see that rather than the Swedish one. But what I saw didn't disappoint me - I'm constantly amazed at the quality of this country's theatres!

The next season holds a lot of goodies in store, too. Jesus Christ Superstar in concert, Tanz der Vampire, a new Finnish musical called Anna Liisa (about a young lady in the 19th century who is forced to kill her baby), the closing night of Les Mis, Kristina från Duvemåla, and lots of others...
I can't wait for the 2011-12 season to get started!

Pictures from the theatres' websites.