The Prince of Egypt

You know what? After their earth-shatteringly amazing production of Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame the musical (two weeks to go and I'll finally see it again!), I didn't think the Danish Fredericia Teater could raise their own bar any higher.

Little did I know.

In April 2018, they're putting on the world premiere of Dreamworks' The Prince of Egypt the musical.

Diluckshan Jeyaratnam, who's going to play Moses, performing the song When You Believe (in the movie, Moses does not sing this one – but whatever, it's beautiful in any case)

The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 animated movie with music by Stephen Schwartz. It tells the story of Moses, from his childhood as the pharaoh's adopted son all the way to him receiving the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Sounds like heavy stuff, and it is – and at the same time, it's a beautiful movie with a gorgeous musical score.

Perfect stage musical material, that is.

Technically, the Danish production won't be the first time The Prince of Egypt is performed onstage. In the US, there have been readings already (including one that was cancelled, allegedly because the controversy that surrounded its casting – namely that they chose mostly white actors to read a story set in Africa), and in October 2017, previews of the musical will be staged in California. But the official world premiere is going to take place in Denmark.

The full cast and creative team have yet to be announced, but we know the musical is going to be directed by Scott Schwartz (who also consulted Fredericia Teater's production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame – and yes, he's the son of composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz). The leading role of Moses is going to be played by Diluckshan Jeyaratnam, who's currenly playing Clopin in The Hunchback. Interestingly, there are going to be both English and Danish performances of the new musical.

All in all, I am hyped about this.

I was never a big Disney or Dreamworks kid myself. I liked The Sleeping Beauty and The Goofy Movie, and that's about it – and I don't think the latter counts as any huge Disney classic anyway. But after a childhood relatively free of Disney and the likes (no Little Mermaid, no Lion King, no Beauty and the Beast), around the age of 18, I fell in love with two traditionally animated movies. One was Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the other Dreamworks' The Prince of Egypt.

What are the odds musical adaptations of both movies have their European premieres in Denmark less than two years apart from each other, and that I'll get to see both!

Having seen how video screens with a 3D animated cathedral mesh seamlessly with traditional, physical set pieces in Fredericia Teater's Hunchback, having heard flawlessly mixed music surround me, I have especially high hopes for the technical aspect of The Prince of Egypt. The burning bush? The plagues? The crossing of the Red Sea? This will be good.

Not to mention the music and the emotional impact. The Prince of Egypt is a gorgeous movie, and I'm sure it's going to make an equally beautiful musical.

The story of Moses is millenia old. I imagine that thousands of years ago, people shared it with each other by campfire under a vast starry sky, a storyteller painting impressive pictures using words only.

In our modern times, we cannot really go back to that earlier way of telling ageless tales. But an impressive musical spectacle with hundreds of people in the audience feeling for the characters and sharing the experience... It's not the same, but somehow, I have a feeling it has the potential to touch the audience in a rather similar manner.

Valjean!

Despite my recent fangirling about the manga adaptation being better than pretty much any other Les Mis adaptation out there, let's make one thing clear: I still love Les Misérables the musical. And, luckily for me, there are going to be three interesting new productions of the musical in Northern Europe later this year.

To no one's suprise, I've already bought tickets to all of them, so let's take a little look at each.

Smålands Musik & Teater // premiere September 9, 2017

I've known about this since last Christmas, and I'm still getting butterflies in my stomach every time I think about this. I have been waiting for this production for over five years.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Åbo Svenska Teater's 2010–2012 production of Les Misérables means more to me than any other musical. I loved it more than anything and saw it over a dozen times, and right after the production closed, I started wishing that Alexander Lycke would one day reprise his role as Jean Valjean.

I've indeed been excited since last Christmas – or, more accurately, since Åbo Svenska Teater's last Christmas concert. It was a lovely December evening filled with holiday songs and musical tunes, with Alex as one of the solists. I and a couple of other musical fans stayed behind after the concert to say hi to him. When I thanked him for his beautiful rendition of Bring Him Home, he just went, all nonchalantly, you should come to Jönköping next year then!

Such fantastic news shouldn't be shared without some sort of a forewarning. I almost keeled over from pure happiness. I have felt such a quick and genuine rush of joy maybe three, four times in my life in total.

There are many fantastic portrayals of Jean Valjean out there, but as far as I know, no one sings the part better than Alex. And now, as if getting to hear him in the role again wouldn't be good enough, this production is also going to be a replica of the Wermland Opera production I adored that made Valjean more three-dimensional and human than any other version of this musical I've ever seen.

Gosh.

Listen to Alex's version of Bring Him Home from the ÅST production.

Folketeateret // premiere September 8, 2017

The cast of Folketeateret's Les Mis. Photo from their website.

This is exciting for a different reason: I've never been to Oslo before, so I'm super glad I finally have a good excuse to visit (or two, since I'll also be seeing the upcoming Norwegian production of The Book of Mormon that weekend).

I know next to nothing about this production and its cast, but I think that's just as good. It's a nice feeling to be seeing your favourite musical yet not quite knowing what you're going to get. Let's hope Norway will be good to us.

Teater Vanemuine // premiere November 25, 2017

This one is so interesting that I'm taking some friends with me... Seven of them, to be exact, and we're all going to see the premiere!

The reason the new Estonian production of Les Misérables is of interest to us Finnish fans is that it'll be directed by Finnish Samuel Harjanne. In Finland, Harjanne has performed in three different productions of Les Mis (first as Gavroche, then as assorted barricade boys including Enjolras). Having seen him onstage in various Les Mises almost 20 times, I'm sure it'll be really interesting to see how he'll direct the show.

The cast seems strong, too. There are alternates, so I don't yet know who we are going to see – but in any case, I'm glad to know my favourites from the recent Estonian production of The Phantom of the Opera, Koit Toome (a sweet Raoul and a fantastic Phantom) and Maria Listra (the most independent, strong Christine I've ever seen), will play the roles of Jean Valjean and Cosette. It's also nice to see Ele Millistfer returning to the role of Fantine after having seen her touching portrayal in the 2013 Finnish production.

Most of all, though, I'm just excited I'll get to travel to Tartu with so many friends to see the premiere of this production. No matter what, it's going to be a Les Mis road trip – and, really, a Les Mis autumn – to remember.

Kotimainen kevätkertaus

Vaikka olenkin juossut esityksestä toiseen ihan entiseen malliin, en ole tämän kevään aikana juuri ehtinyt kirjoittaa näkemästäni. Niinpä nyt, kesäteatterikauden korvalla, ajattelin muistella muutamaa kevään parhaista kotimaisista kulttuurikokemuksista.

Kilpakosijat / Tampereen Työväen Teatteri 

 

Kuva: Kari Sunnari, Tampereen Työväen Teatteri

Syksyn lempparimusikaalini, Turun kaupunginteatterin ihanan kamala kasarijukeboxhirvitys Rock of Ages, taisi ohjelmistosta poistuessaan jättää sisälleni jonkinlaisen kevyttä mutta kiivastahtista hömppää vaativan mustan aukon. Koska Broadway-kasarirockmusikaaleja ei riitä valittavaksi asti, käännyin seuraavaksi parhaan vaihtoehdon puoleen.

Eli Maiju Lassilan koko tuotantoon perustuvaa, Sari Kaasisen säveltämää kansanmusiikkinäytelmää suoraan suoneen, kiitos.

Oikeastaan ennustin jo vuosi sitten, että jäisin esitykseen koukkuun. Ukko ja poika Sikasen naimaretkisekoilusta kertovassa näytelmässä ei ollut järkevää sisältöä nimeksikään, mutta hyvää fiilistä, suomen kielellä herkuttelua, ääritarttuvaa musiikkia ja vetävää tanssia riitti sen edestä. Tämän kun olisi saanut pullotettua huonoina päivinä nautittavaksi, tai edes levytyksenä mukaan kotiin kuunneltavaksi.

Pohjalaisia / Tampereen Ooppera

 

Kuva: Petri Nuutinen, Tampereen Ooppera

En voi väittää ymmärtäväni oopperan päälle, vaikka olenkin käynyt Kansallisoopperassa katsomassa sekalaisen valikoiman klassikkoja. Ihailen laulajien huikeita teknisiä taitoja ja ison orkesterin sointia, mutta en ole saanut esitysten teemoista tai tarinoista paljoakaan irti.

Että ei kun ravistelemaan käsityksiä Tampereen Oopperaan Leevi Madetojan Pohjalaisten pariin.

Yllätyksekseni Pohjalaisia-oopperassa oli mukavaa – tai no, niin mukavaa kuin väkivallan kierteestä kertovaa teosta katsoessa nyt voi olla. Tuomas Parkkisen ohjauksessa oli vauhtia ja huumoriakin. Vaikka teoksen musiikki vaatisi vielä monta kuuntelukertaa, että saisin siitä otteen, päällimmäiseksi tunnelmaksi oopperasta jäi sulavasti ja miltei huomaamatta kohtauksesta toiseen siirtyvä, otteessaan pitävä kokonaisuus. Uskaltaisinko jopa sanoa, että tässä oli jotain vähän musikaalinomaista? Joukkokohtauksissa ainakin oli kokoa ja näköä ja Pirjo Liiri-Majavan suunnittelevat puvut olivat kaunista katsottavaa.

Helmikuussa muu elämä piti minut niin kiireisenä, etten tuoreeltaan ehtinyt perehtyä Pohjalaisiin tarkemmin. Esityksen tunnelmassa ja rankassa tarinassa oli kuitenkin jotakin kiehtovaa, joka palasi mieleni pohjalle kummittelemaan moneksi viikoksi. Parempi kokemus kuin arvasinkaan.

(Hatunnosto ohjaajalle kutsuvieraslipuista.)

Näytelmä, joka menee pieleen / Tampereen Teatteri

 

Kuva: Harri Hinkka, Tampereen Teatteri

Näytelmä, joka menee pieleen (The Play That Goes Wrong) on Lontoon West Endin viime vuosien suurin komediahitti. Suomen ensi-iltansa teos sai Tampereen Teatterissa syksyllä 2016, ja maaliskuussa ehdin viimein mukaan minäkin.

Jutun idea on, että innokkaista harrastelijoista koostuva Polytekninen Draamaseura on vuokrannut Tampereen Teatterin päänäyttämön esittääkseen siellä murhamysteerin "Murha Havershamin kartanossa". Me katsojat saamme kunnian olla mukana ensi-illassa – jossa kaikki, aivan kaikki, menee täydellisesti ja näyttävästi pieleen. Tekniikka, lavasteet, muisti ja pokka pettävät, mutta urhea työryhmämme taistelee tiensä aina mysteerin loppuratkaisuun saakka.

En ole koskaan nauranut teatterissa näin paljon. Miten hauskaa voikin olla huolella ajoitettu ja taidolla esitetty epäonnistuminen! Epäilen, että vitsi ei pysy tuoreena kovin montaa katsomiskertaa, mutta syksyllä aion vielä käydä Kouvolan Teatterissa katsomassa toisen version maailman hilpeimmästä murhamysteeristä.

Samuel Harjanteen suuri musikaalitalkshow / Musiikkiteatteri Kapsäkki

Samuel Harjanteen musikaalitalkshow sai ensiesityksensä Kapsäkissä jo syksyllä 2016. Kevään aikana ehdin katsomoon kahdesti. Show'n konsepti on simppeli: musikaaliohjaajana ja -näyttelijänä tunnettu Harjanne kutsuu vieraikseen kolme musikaalinäyttelijää, jotka juttelevat illan isännän kanssa musikaalijuttuja, laulavat musikaalibiisejä ja kilpailevat musikaaliaiheisissa kisoissa.

Eipä voi musikaalifani parempaa toivoa.

Musikaalitalkshow'ssa on aina ihana tunnelma. Kaikki niin lavalla kuin katsomossa ovat paikalla sen takia, että rakastavat musikaaleja – joko tekijänä tai kokijana, mutta musikaalifanina yhtä kaikki. Ja se tuntuu! Suomessa tällaista pääsee kokemaan huippuharvoin. Fiilis on iloisempi ja innokkaampi kuin parhaankaan suomalaisen musikaalituotannon katsomossa, sillä paikalla ei ole yhtäkään eläkeläiskerhon ryhmäretkeä tunnelmaa rauhoittamassa. Juttelinpa muiden katsojien kanssa tai en, täällä tunnen joka tapauksessa olevani omieni parissa.

Musikaalitalkshow'n jatko on vielä auki, mutta toivon kovasti, että esitys tekee paluun. Nämä illat muistuttavat minua siitä, miksi haluan tehdä töitä teatterin viestinnän ja markkinoinnin parissa – jotta mahdollisimman moni löytäisi tiensä teatteriin kokemaan jotain yhtä innostavaa.

Musikaalisyksyn sävel

Kuva: Tampereen Teatteri

Lopuksi katse tulevaan ja sananen syksystä 2017. Älköön kukaan ottako itseensä, mutta ainakin tämän musikaalifanin näkökulmasta tulossa on kuluvan vuosikymmenen tylsin kotimainen musikaalisyksy.

Joukossa on toki muutama tärppi. Tampereen Teatterin Cats tarjoaa varmana viihdyttävää hötöä ja karismaattisia kissoja. Jyväskylän kaupunginteatterin koko perheen satsaus Peter Pan, jossa ihana Saara Jokiaho esittää nimiroolia, voisi olla mukava katsastaa. Helsingin kaupunginteatterin Myrskyluodon Maija saattaa yllättää iloisesti.

Kevään parhaan julkistusuutisen tarjoili yllättäen Salon Teatteri, joka tuo syksyllä Jekyllin & Hyden kolmatta kertaa Suomeen. Uuden Musiikkiteatteri NYT -ryhmän kännykkäriippuvuutta, anonyymia vihapuhetta ja muita nettiajan mörköjä pallotteleva Photo Sapiens -teos (lisäesitykset Lahden kaupunginteatterin Eero-näyttämöllä) olisi myös kiva saada sopimaan syksyn kalenteriin.

Kokonaiskuva on kuitenkin ankea. Syksyn musikaaliohjelmisto tuntuu pitkälti nojaavan viime vuosituhannelle juuttuneisiin aiheisiin ja iskelmäsävelmiin, joiden ylle kohoavalta katolta kuuluu vaimea viulunsoitto. Mikäs siinä, jos tykkää. Minä en.

Tässä tilanteessa ei auta kuin suunnata katse kauemmaksi. Onneksi jo naapurimaissa on tarjolla kaksi eri Book of Mormonia ja peräti kolme Les Misérablesia.

Ehkä niiden voimin jaksaa vuoteen 2018, jolloin – toivoa sopii – joku suomalainen teatteri täräyttää taas lavalle juuri minun makuuni sopivan yliturvonneen, äänekkään ja/tai verisen megaspektaakkelin.

Greifswald II: The Beginning

Remember the blog entry I posted last summer, about the worst musical trip ever?

You know, that time I and my friends Ida and Rami and left for Greifswald, Germany to see Chris Murray in Jekyll & Hyde, and were met with an endless onslaught of awful? The bus was late with its septic tank overflowing, the traffic jammed due to an accident and the asphalt melting due to hot weather – and finally, the outdoor performance of Jekyll & Hyde we had travelled 1300 kilometers to see was cancelled due to a thunderstorm.

We swore our feet would never touch the ground of Greifswald again.

Guess who are going back.

The place of our nightmares.

Last summer, after our unfortunate trip and after us leaving them some rather sour feedback, the personnel of Theater Vorpommern contacted us. To make up for our disastrous journey, they offered us tickets to any upcoming performance of Jekyll & Hyde, and a hotel room for the night on top of that.

We howled with laughter but didn't delete the message.

At first, we sneered. As if! But as the fall approached and started turning into winter, we started thinking. Thinking and talking. What if... We travelled just so we could see Chris Murray play Jekyll and Hyde, and our curiosity about his performance is of course not yet satisfied. What's more, we've grown curious about the whole production, about everything we missed. What if it's great? What if it's terrible? We don't know, but we might, if we just... But most importantly, it's started to feel like The Greifswald Story is not yet quite complete. We're still on intermission and have to decide whether to walk out or to go back and watch the second act.

Last week, we sent a message to Theater Vorpommern and let them know that yes, we would like to come back. March 11th 2017.

It absolutely does not feel real.

It's either going to be perfectly magnificent or the theatre is going to burst into flames and collapse on us mid-performance.

In either case, someone's going to die. Photo: Vincent Leifer

I feel this is like a real-life sequel to a weird movie. A sequel where the plot is similar but the stakes are higher. A sequel with the same actors and the same settings but, I'm wishing with all my might, a completely different outcome.

Greifswald II: The Experience, The Adventure. The Revenge.

I will keep you posted.

Upcoming up North

The summer and autumn of 2016 will bring many interesting musicals to Northern European stages. At the moment, I'm planning on seeing three productions outside of Finland. Beginning this Saturday, it's time to travel to see...

Jekyll & Hyde // Theater Vorpommern, Greifswald, Germany

Photo by Vincent Leifer

Based on a video bootleg and seeing him live in Dracula a year and a half ago, I made a promise: if Chris Murray ever plays the title roles in Jekyll & Hyde again, I will be there to witness it.

Guess what.

Theater Vorpommern's Jekyll & Hyde will be performed outdoors. As is always the case with Frank Wildhorn's musicals, going in, you don't really know what you're going to get. Which edition of the script will the production feature, which songs are we going to hear? Who knows. But I'm curious to find out. Based on the photos I've seen, this production looks like a lot of fun. Also, if Chris Murray is half as amazing as he's on the video from the 2008 Dresden production of J&H, his performance is going to be breathtaking.

And whatever the show will be like, watching a favourite musical outdoors on a midsummer night, with friends with you in the audience and a favourite actor onstage, will certainly be a night to remember.

Les Misérables // Wermland Opera, Karlstad, Sweden

Photo by Mats Bäcker

In July, it's Les Misérables time for me.
 
It's been two years since I last saw Les Misérables. It's the longest time I've been without live Les Mis since becoming a fan in 2010. So I'd say it's about time. I'm eagerly looking forward to seeing the show in Wermland Opera – though not because of the cast, or the direction, or any other detail specific to this production. Above all, I just want to spend a night with Jean Valjean, Javert, Cosette and all the others again.

I guess Wermland Opera's Les Mis is going to be an emotional experience. Hearing Les Misérables sung in Swedish, and performed in an old theatre that looks a lot like Åbo Svenska Teater... As long-time readers know, the 2010–12 Fenno-Swedish Les Mis is my all-time favourite musical production. Hearing the show in Swedish will always be extra special for me.

Listen to them sing the song of my heart:

Klokkeren fra Notre Dame // Fredericia Teater, Fredericia, Denmark

 I have been waiting to see this musical for over five years.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is my favourite Disney movie. In 1999, three years after the movie, a stage adaptation called Der Glöckner von Notre Dame premiered in Berlin. Ever since finding out the musical exists, I have been obsessing over it and wishing it would be revived.

After its initial three-year run, Hunchback the musical disappeared for a decade. Despite wishing for its return, I didn't really believe it would ever come back. The Hunchback is one of Disney's darkest animated movies, and the musical is even darker. I thought they had forgotten about it for good – I just didn't see it following The Little Mermaid and Aladdin in Disney Theatrical Group's plans.

So you can imagine how I felt like, reading the news of The Hunchback's 2014 American premiere, and then listening to the brand-new English-language cast recording. And now the revived, revised Hunchback has found its way to Europe, premiering in Denmark in the autumn of 2016!

The Hunchback of Notre Dame has everything I want to see in a musical. It's dramatic, tragic, historical, huge. Alan Menken's score, composed of songs featured in the movie and new material written for the stage, is one of my all-time favourites. I also appreciate how the musical brings the story closer to Victor Hugo's original tale. There are no comic relief gargoyles here. It's a solemn, dark, upsetting adaptation I believe Hugo would approve of.

I feel like tearing up each time I listen to The Hunchbacks' first act finale, Esmeralda. I can't even imagine how it will feel like, finally watching the musical live. I get chills just thinking about sitting in the theatre. I don't remember the last time I've waited for a musical production this eagerly. This year, October can't come early enough.

But first, Germany and Sweden, here I come!

TTT:n musikaalisyksy 2016

Huomio! Tämä kirjoitus on syntynyt Tampereen Työväen Teatterin ja Ravintola Pyyn sponsoroiman blogiyhteistyön pohjalta.

Maanantai-iltana Tampereen Työväen Teatteri järjesti meille bloggareille oikein kunnon elämyksen. Bloggari-iltaan sisältyivät kaikki herkut: kulissikierros, kolmen ruokalajin ateria Ravintola Pyyssä ja illan kruununa kolmen musiikkinäytelmän avoimet harjoitukset. Tai ehkäpä pikemminkin kolmen musiikkinäytelmän live-trailerit – lavalla ei niinkään harjoiteltu vaan esitettiin työn alla olevia kohtauksia ja lauluja syksyllä ensi-iltansa saavista esityksistä.

Koska olen jo joitakin vuosia sitten raportoinut TTT:n kulisseista enkä juuri ymmärrä ruuan hienompien ominaisuuksien päälle, keskityn tässä päivityksessä avoimissa harjoituksissa esiteltyihin teoksiin.

Kilpakosijat 

Alkuun ajattelin, että Kilpakosijat kuuluisi samaan kategoriaan kuin jokunen muukin viime vuosien erikoisempi teatterielämys. Menee katsomislistalle, koska sinne menee automaattisesti kaikki, jossa Severi Saarinen esiintyy (kokeilkaapa joskus huviksenne tehdä periaatepäätös, että yritätte parhaanne mukaan nähdä jokaisen näytelmän, jossa lempinäyttelijänne on mukana. Siinä jännästi horisontti avartuu). Mutta muuten ei todellakaan kiinnosta – tunkkaisia naimapuheita ja menneiden aikojen maalaisromantiikkaa, yhtä hyvin voitte vaikka survoa tikkuja kynsieni alle. Katson, mutta katson hampaitani kiristellen.

52 sekuntia muutti mieleni.

Avoimissa harjoituksissa nähty vahvisti epäilyksiäni edelleen. ”Miehisistä edesottamuksista ja naisenkaipuusta” kertovassa musiikkinäytelmässä vaikuttaa tosiaan olevan kehnoa huumoria, perinteisiä sukupuolirooleja, humalakohtaus ja inhottavan reipasta kansantanhua. Pelkään jo pahoin, että viihdyn mainiosti ja joudun ehkäpä jopa katsomaan näytelmän toiste.

Tiedän ihmisiä, joille musikaali on aivot pois -viihteen kulminoituma: ajattelu seis, musiikista ja suurista tunteista nauttiminen käyntiin. Ehkäpä tanssin- ja laulunsekainen kansankomedia voisi ajaa minulle saman asian kuin mahtipontinen musikaali jollekulle toiselle ja tarjota pienen hetken lomaa ajatustyöstä? Ohjaaja Tommi Auvinen ehti jo harjoituksissa luvata, että tiedossa on kaksituntinen hauskaa yleisön kanssa. Ja onhan tässä upea miehityskin: ihanat Petra Karjalainen, Eriikka Väliahde ja Jari Ahola, noin muutamia mainitakseni.

Ehkä luvassa on täyttä pahimman lajin kesäteatteria sisätiloissa. Mutta toisaalta – kunhan ehdin tämän huippukiireisen vuoden syksyyn, matka turhia ajatuksia herättämättömiin maalaismaisemiin saattaa olla täydellisen tervetullut.

Odotan huolestuttavalla innolla.

Viita 1949

Tässäpä aihe, josta en ymmärrä yhtään mitään. Kuka oli Lauri Viita? Milloin hän eli, miksi hänen elämänsä on musiikkinäytelmän arvoinen? Ei mitään tietoa, täydellinen aukko yleissivistyksessä. Ystävä valisti kyseessä olleen tamperelaisen runoilijan, mutta tämän enempää en avoimiin harjoituksiin lähtiessäni tiennyt.

Maanantaina kuultujen neljän kappaleen perusteella voi olla, että lähden syksyllä Eino Salmelaisen näyttämölle tutustumaan Viitaan tarkemmin. Tai no – lähtisin varmaan, vaikka tämä teos kertoisi kenestä, Eeva Konnun säveltämä musiikki vei nimittäin jo esikatselussa jalat alta. Etenkin Jari Aholan laulama soolo lumosi mennen tullen. 

Video parin kuukauden takaisesta julkistustilaisuudesta – kiitos, Laura!

Paljon en vielä näkemäni ja kuulemani perusteella uskalla tästä teoksesta sanoa, mutta mielenkiintoni heräsi kyllä. Katsotaan, millaisen esityksen syksy tuo tullessaan.

Cabaret

Cabaret on hiljalleen luikerrellut tiensä lempimusikaalieni listalle. Ensimmäinen Cabaret-kokemukseni, Lahden kaupunginteatterin muutaman vuoden takainen tuotanto, oli ankea pettymys. Pari vuotta sitten Malmön kaupunginteatterissa näkemäni, hurmaavan ennakkoluuloton ja omaperäinen versio käänsi pääni. Vika ei tosiaan ole teoksessa, vaan musikaalista on oikeissa käsissä vaikka mihin.

Tiina Puumalainen on ohjannut turvallisen mukavia, näyttäviä mutta hieman pintapuolisia versioita monesta musikaalista (Evita, Oopperan kummitus...). Toivon, että Cabaret’hen löytyy synkempää terää. 1930-luvun alun Berliiniin sijoittuvan musikaalin tarina on juuri nyt inhottavan, pelottavan ajankohtainen, ja musikaalissa on muutenkin kyse paljon rakkaustarinaa ja kabaree-kimallusta ikävämmistä asioista. Jännityksellä odotan, mitä Puumalainen työryhmineen saa Cabaret’sta irti.

Ainakin musikaali näyttää varmasti kauniilta. Ihastuin jo nyt lavastaja-pukusuunnittelija Teppo Järvisen suunnittelemaan asuntolan portaikkoon monine ovineen ja tasoineen. Myös Antti Langin Seremoniamestari kabareetyttöineen ja -poikineen lienee näkemisen arvoinen ilmestys. Huomioni kiinnitti Emceen suoraan Frank ’N’ Wurstin vaatekaapista lainattu korsetti harjoitukset lopettaneessa musikaalin avauskohtauksessa.

Eli kerrataan. Avointen harjoitusten perusteella kaikki näyttää hyvältä, haluan nähdä kaiken. Kuten jo Twitterissä totesin, kyseessä täytyy olla toinen kahdesta mahdollisuudesta: joko minua on erittäin helppo huvittaa – tai Tampereen Työväen Teatterissa on taikaa.

Muutamien muiden mukana olleiden bloggarien tunnelmia: Savusuolaa, Paljon melua teatterista

Kuvat: Kari Sunnari / Tampereen Työväen Teatteri 

Eek! Vampires

So! As many of you have heard already, Tanz der Vampire or Vampyyrien tanssi is coming back to Finland – premiering on February 3rd in Helsingin kaupunginteatteri.

Who's excited? I'm excited!

Cast:

Alfred: Petrus Kähkönen / Miiko Toiviainen
Sarah: Raili Raitala / Anna Victoria Eriksson
Count von Krolock: Jonas Saari / Mikko Vihma
Prof. Abronsius: Antti Timonen / Tuukka Leppänen
Chagal: Kari Mattila / Risto Kaskilahti
Rebecca: Vuokko Hovatta / Leenamari Unho
Magda: Sanna Majuri / Laura Alajääski
Herbert: Samuel Harjanne (u/s Peter Pihlström)
Koukol: Juha Jokela

Chorus: Emilia Nyman, Kirsi Karlenius, Sofia Hilli, Tiina Peltonen, Inka Tiitinen, Kaisa Torkkel, Kai Lähdesmäki, Sampo Kerola, Ilkka Kokkonen, Unto Nuora, Hanna Mönkäre, Tuukka Raitala, Sami Paasila

Directed by Markku Nenonen

What is this? Some sort of happy delusion?

One of my favourite musicals of all times coming back to Finland with my all-time favourite actors Anna Victoria Eriksson and Tuukka Leppänen in leading roles – and featuring a really, really amazing-looking cast overall? Seinäjoen kaupunginteatteri's brilliant Sarah Raili Raitala reprising her role? Jonas Saari, who played a breathtakingly impressive Javert in the recent Finnish Les Misérables, as Count von Krolock? I of course can't yet know for sure, but I have a feeling this is going to be good.

Counting both premieres, I have six tickets booked in advance. I guess that says it all about my enthusiasm for the production. It's a good feeling, to be really excited about something – and to share that feeling with friends and fellow fans. I've written about the lasting impression the first Finnish Tanz left on me and many others. I'm looking forward to finding out what kind of impressions the new production will make.

If you're considering traveling to Helsinki to see this, 1) hurry up, since the musical's run sadly ends in late April already 2) find useful links and information on Laura's blog.

Finally... Ever since Helsingin kaupunginteatteri released their first promotional photos for this new production, the discussion has been raging. I have to share my two cents.

I've gotten used to Count von Krolock's (Mikko Vihma) mustache. It does not bother me anymore. Actually, to be quite honest... I kind of sort of almost like the look.

Please do not bite me, fellow Tanz fans. Please do not bite.

See you in Helsinki!

Photos by Mirka Kleemola.

Autumn Musicals

Hello in English again! Who's seen plenty of outdoor theatre this summer? I sure have. My summer theatre tour encompassed eight outdoor productions, and honestly, that's quite enough for me... Summer's all nice and good, but having had my toes frozen and my skin burned while watching outdoor shows, I think it's about time for some indoor culture again.

Tradition dictates that my summer theatre season is over when Helsingin kaupunginteatteri invites me to their autumn season opening gala. Luckily, that happened last Monday. This year, the event focused on the theatre's upcoming production of Billy Elliot.

The Stars Look Down

I have seen Billy Elliot once, in West End some six years ago. I like the story and had a nice enough time, but I'm not a fan. In general, Elton John's music is not to my liking. I'm looking forward to seeing what Helsingin kaupunginteatteri does with the material, and based on the sneak peeks we saw in the theatre's season opening gala, I might enjoy the show better here than in London. Still, I doubt I'll fall in love with the musical. But we'll see!

What am I really looking forward to seeing in the autumn of 2015, then?

Jekyll & Hyde... or Emma & Lucy!

First of all, Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri's production of Jekyll & Hyde. Of course. After the huge impression the first Finnish production of said musical left, I am beyond curious to see what another theatre can do with it. Based on promotional photos so far, the steampunk-ish visuals look great. I have my worries about the script, but even so, I am counting days to the premiere.

Secondly, Desirée or A Little Night Music in Tampereen Työväen Teatteri. You can read more about my thoughts in my previous post from February. In short: a good musical performed by a promising cast directed by someone whose previous works I've enjoyed. In all likelihood, something to enjoy.

The Phantom of the National Opera

Thirdly, Finnish National Opera's The Phantom of the Opera. The world's favourite musical finally arrives to my country, how could I not be curious about it! Well, the production has some aspects I'm not excited about, like keeping the libretto in English though a vast majority of the cast speak Finnish. I'm also not a fan of some of director Tiina Puumalainen's previous musical productions. But on the other hand – it'll be a brand-new production of a musical whose original production and countless replicas I'm, to be honest, completely fed up with. I'm excited to see which aspects of the familiar story the Finnish production decides to focus on.

Bonus mention to Tampereen Teatteri's upcoming production of Sugar. Some Like It Hot is one of my favourite movies. I know nothing about the musical, so I'm both curious about it and certain I won't like the stage show as much as I like the film...

I will also try to fit some all-Finnish musicals into my autumn schedule. Åbo Svenska Teater and Lahden kaupunginteatteri are both staging their own versions of Myrskyluodon Maija, a Finnish musical set in mid-19th century Åland Islands. It's always interesting to compare how two theatres handle the same material. These two theatres especially – they already produced two completely different productions of Hair at the same time in 2012.

Lahden kaupunginteatteri's Myrskyluodon Maija

Finally, one more reason I both look forward and dread seeing Billy Elliot.

I don't often cry in theatre. Music especially doesn't make me cry. Sometimes I tear up if a story touches me, but only a small handful of songs have ever managed to squeeze tears out of me.

One of those is Billy Elliot's The Letter. Billy's dance teacher Mrs. Wilkinson reads a letter Billy's mother wrote to her son before her death. I don't relate to the song, I don't identify with Billy as a character, I don't even especially like the tune – but something here completely breaks me. In West End, I couldn't see the stage from my tears. The kids sitting next to me turned to look at my uncontrolled display of emotion instead of watching the actors. I have cried listening to this on online musical radio. Heaven knows how I managed to film the scene without crying, but watching it, I cannot get past the point where Billy starts singing without tearing up.

Please don't laugh at me if I turn into a human waterfall when seeing Billy Elliot live.

Photos by Jiri Halttunen / Marjo Vihavainen (Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri), Perttu Saksa (Finnish National Opera), Johannes Wilenius (Lahden kaupunginteatteri). As always, hover over the photos for info.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Script

In my post about the upcoming Finnish production of A Little Night Music, I mentioned it's my second-most anticipated musical production of autumn 2015.

Now we come to number one.

I call Jekyll & Hyde my favourite musical. It however cannot be compared to my other favourite musical Les Misérables.

I like Les Mis until proven otherwise.

A production of Les Mis has to screw up the casting or the direction quite aggressively to prevent me from enjoying it. The story and the music are always brilliant. Strong portrayals of Jean Valjean and Javert are a must for me, but apart from weak leads, hardly anything can stop me from having a good time.

When it comes to Jekyll & Hyde, my default setting is not liking it.

A production of Jekyll & Hyde has to shine especially bright in its casting, its direction, and/or its visuals to make me really enjoy it. The source material is painfully uneven. The script has its exciting parts, right next to an endless list of plotholes. It also exists in many different variations, some better, some worse. Even the music is hit-and-miss.

All in all, only Turun kaupunginteatteri's production has ever made this show truely enjoyable for me. And how!

With misery and violence. Just the way I like it.

As I've mentioned before, Turun kaupunginteatteri's Jekyll & Hyde featured the most gorgeous sets, lights and costumes I've ever seen in any musical. Every major character was played by an actor I like. The music sounded grand and beautiful. And how about the special effects, smoke and blood and explosions!

The production also featured a script I liked.

Frank Wildhorn's musicals are known for their endlessly revised scripts. No two productions of any of his shows are the same. For Jekyll & Hyde, it seems Wildhorn's written twice the amount of songs needed. The overflow has resulted in a dozen different versions of the musical.

To my knowledge, the script edition used in Turun kaupunginteatteri's production was brand new, revised by the production's creative team. It featured lines I haven't heard in any other productions and gave certain characters (especially Utterson) more focus. I loved every single change they made.

Tampering with Les Mis like that would be disastrous. But when the source material is as confused as Jekyll & Hyde's, little revising can do wonders.

After the original Finnish Jekyll & Hyde ceased to be, I watched a whole lot of videos from foreign productions. I liked one because it had a favourite actor as the lead, aaand... that's it. Some were okay. But had I first encountered any other production than Turun kaupunginteatteri's, I don't think I would've given the show a second chance.

International productions of Jekyll & Hyde have a history of horrible directional choices, ugly visuals and misguided efforts at stunt casting. I also dislike many productions for featuring a particularily weak version of the always changing script.

And why is it that when they made an official DVD,
it had to be like this?

All that said, maybe you can understand why thinking about Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri's upcoming production of Jekyll & Hyde makes me worried.

The musical will premiere in September. The cast (Joni Leponiemi and Henri Halkola alternating in the titular roles, Maria Lund and the lovely Saara Jokiaho as the ladies), based on the little I know of them, seems good. Set design by Marjatta Kuivasto, who designed the Finnish production of Tanz der Vampire, is especially exciting. I know nothing of the director Anssi Valtonen, so I shall remain positive.

But Kari Arffman's new translation? I'm sure the lyrics can be translated more cleverly than they were the last time – but since, when it comes to this show, they can be lyrics to any of the approximately two hundred songs written for different versions... Which ones are we going to get?

A new translation also means losing the the lines I so enjoyed unique to the first Finnish translation (by director Tuomas Parkkinen, Jussi Vahvaselkä and Kristina Vahvaselkä). Oh no! I wanted to hear that dialogue again! No matter what the new translation will bring to the table, there are many lines I'm going to miss from the first one.

It's weird. I'll be buying a ticket to a show I know well, yet I won't really know what is going to happen onstage.

Will everything be on fire again?

Some fans of Jekyll & Hyde would surely disagree with my thoughts about the ultimate script. Turun kaupunginteatteri's take touched me the most, yet someone else might think it left out the best songs. But maybe this time. In Jyväskylä, will we hear a Finnish rendition of The Girls of the Night? Or His Work and Nothing More? Maybe The World Has Gone Insane, even?

Who knows. I'm eager to find out.

Let's hope that, no matter which script they'll use, the new Finnish production will be the ultimate Jekyll & Hyde for at least someone.

Jyväskylä Jekyll logo borrowed from the theatre's Instagram account. Turku Jekyll photos by Robert Seger.
More on Jekyll & Hyde: my review of Turun kaupunginteatteri's production, why Jekyll & Hyde is important to me.

Desirée

I have three reasons to be excited about Tampereen Työväen Teatteri premiering Desirée – Pieni yösoitto or A Little Night Music next September.

1) I respect the theatre for going for this brilliant, yet in Finland rather unknown musical.
2) They have my favourite actor in a central role. That's a surefire way of making me excited about literally whatever you might have to offer.
3) Judging by what I saw in their promotional event this week, this show is going to be good.

Let's take a look.

A Little Night Music is a Stephen Sondheim musical based on Ingmar Bergman's film Smiles of a Summer Night. It's a comedy (with its fair share of darker undertones) set in early 19th Sweden. The plot involves a handful of rich, idle people and their relationships.

It's rather simple, really. I drew this little chart to help explain how the characters are connected to one another:

I hope I didn't forget anyone.

That's about it. Send this combination of characters to a country mansion for a weekend to work out their problems, sit back and enjoy the show.

A Little Night Music has been produced in Finland only once before (in Turun kaupunginteatteri in 2011, back then called Kesäyön hymyilyä). I'm glad it's coming back.

Director Miika Muranen described the show as a fairytale for adults, taking place in a world where rich people mess around with each other. That might sound like your standard brainless musical fluff, but what in my opinion makes this show brilliant is how clever and touching it still manages to be. I've listened to A Little Night Music cast recordings countless times, but the lyrics and dialogue still make me laugh – and feel a bit emotional, too.

With half of the cast suffering from a midlife crisis, maybe this isn't the first show you'd expect a 21-year-old like me would enjoy... But even if that means I have the tastes of someone 20 years older than I am, I'm a fan.

I'm also a fan of Severi Saarinen, who will be playing Henrik Egerman (a young man studying to become a priest and hopelessly in love with his equally young stepmother), so that's a definite highlight in the cast for me. That's not to say the whole new Finnish cast doesn't seem good, though. Based on the snippets we saw in the promotional event, Veeti Kallio and Petra Karjalainen are going to have lovely chemistry as the leading couple Fredrik Egerman and Desirée Armfeldt.

Or what do you think:

All in all, I'm excited. Even though all Finnish theatres haven't yet revealed their upcoming repertoires, I have a feeling this just might be my second-most anticipated musical production of the whole Finnish musical season of autumn 2015.

We'll see.

Pienestä yösoitosta suomeksi: One Night in Theatre & Paljon Melua Teatterista.

ÅST: The Last Five Years

Åbo Svenska Teater's production of The Last 5 Years is premiering next week.

I'm both excited about this and not.

The Last 5 Years tells a story of a relationship in between a man and a woman, Jamie and Cathy. Both characters tell the story of their romance, but in different orders. Jamie goes through the events from start to finish, from meeting Cathy to proposing to her to breaking up with her – while Cathy starts from the breakup and moves towards the beginning.

Åbo Svenska Teater's upcoming production, directed by Markus Virta, adds a third level. This time, the musical takes place years after Cathy and Jamie's breakup. They meet once more for a closure and go through the story of their time together. I think this sounds interesting. I look forward to seeing how the different time frames will blend into each other onstage.

When it comes to The Last 5 Years in general, though, it doesn't much interest me. I like my onstage stories larger-than-life, far-fetched and preferably drenched in sorrow, maybe with a dash of the supernatural... Realistic stories of relationships aren't something I usually get excited about.

Then there's the music. I've listened to The Last 5 Years previously, and I'm afraid the tunes are not to my tastes. To be quite honest, I usually cannot get through the original cast recording from start to finish. About halfway through the show, there's a song I dislike in particular. I can't explain what about it annoys me so, but I really don't like it – so I tend to push the stop button when it starts and switch to some Les Mis instead.

However.

These two could sing TV ad jingles
for two hours and I'd be enchanted.

Åbo Svenska Teater's The Last 5 Years stars Alexander Lycke and Anna-Maria Hallgarn – in other words, two of my favourite musical actors.

Lycke is of course the number one Jean Valjean ever in my books, and Hallgarn was a fantastic Diana in Wasa Teater's Next to Normal. What's more, they performed together in Åbo Svenska Teater's recent production of Jesus Christ Superstar, which is among the best musicals I've ever seen – if not the very best one. I loved every second with them onstage.

I miss Jesus Christ Superstar. I can't have the show back, so I'm glad that its stars are returning to Turku at least. Even if they're in a show that doesn't much interest me.

Here's a video of the song I particularily dislike, but performed by Alexander Lycke. Not surprisingly at all, I like the song so much better this way. One's enjoyment of a musical with only two characters has, obviously, a lot to do with how one likes the actors in the parts. With two favourites onstage, maybe I'll enjoy this one after all? Curious to find that out next week.

Musical's logo by Pette Rissanen.
Good news for The Last 5 Years fans: a movie based on the musical is premiering on Valentine's Day 2015.

Musical Autumn of 2014

The new theatrical season is almost here! I'll start my musical autumn next week, so it's about time to take a look at the upcoming Finnish (and international) musicals.

I have to admit the Finnish ones don't really make me jump with joy.

Taking performance photos was, curiously, not allowed
in TTT's press info. So here's a logo instead.

Good things first: a musical I love is returning to Finland. Out of all the upcoming premieres, I'm the most excited about Tampereen Työväen Teatteri's Evita. It'll be the first time I see a professional Finnish production of one of my all-time favourites.

In TTT's season opening event on Thursday, they performed Buenos Aires. I could already spot a couple of details I loved and some choices that made me a bit wary. I'm sure the finished show will be interesting to watch. To be honest, I'm rather picky about Evita – I have many ideas about how the show should be done, and I doubt any production will ever be exactly as I imagine. But I can't wait to see how this cast and crew will interpret the musical.

Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's upcoming production of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (or Miten menestyä vaivatta liike-elämässä, as the confusing title goes in Finnish) looks really cute and stars the amazing Anna Victoria Eriksson. I'm curious and happy to have the chance to see this, yet not overly enthusiastic. Comedy's simply not my favourite genre of musical theatre. No matter how fun the jokes, I still tend to prefer the shows with lots of misery and death!

Lahden kaupunginteatteri's upcoming Chicago also interests me. I have slightly complicated relationship with the theatre. The 2007–2008 Lahti production of Cats was my first Finnish musical love, but ever since, I've mostly felt disappointed by their musicals. But Chicago? At best, it's lots of dark fun, so I can't help hoping. Maybe the Cats magic will finally be back? Even if it isn't, though, it saddens me to know this might be the theatre's last big musical production. A must-see in any case.

Beyond that... My jukebox musical quota for the year is full already, and I'm not usually very into relationship stories (ones without murder and/or supernatural elements, that is), so that pretty much wipes out the rest of southern Finland's repertoire from my list of musicals to look forward to. Sure, I'm going to see more than what I've listed here. But I'm not really counting days to the premieres.

Pictured: my type of a musical.

So. What does a musical fan do if their own country doesn't have shows that interest them? I don't know about you, but for me, it's time for a little European tour. Here's my selection of shows outside the Finnish borders I'm going to see this autumn:

First, The Phantom of the Opera in Estonia. Non-replica productions of Phantom are few and far between, but this new one directed by Georg Malvius will be just a short boat trip away. It'll be very interesting to finally see the story of Phantom from another point of view instead of the original direction. And with new visuals by Ellen Cairns!

Then, a little trip to Pforzheim, Germany. That doesn't really sound like your standard destination for a vacation, but I'm nevertheless going to see the musical Dracula there this November.

I have two reasons. Firstly, ever since falling in love with Jekyll & Hyde, I've been watching a lot of Frank Wildhorn's work. Partially, my love is ironic (see: the part about The Scarlet Pimpernel in my Bucket List post), but even if I often watch Wildhorn shows for the silly parts, I still enjoy them. So it's going to be fun seeing Dracula live.

I'm taking the bingo cards with me.

The bigger reason, however, is that a newfound favourite actor is starring as the lead. I first encountered Chris Murray when I watched that hilarious bootleg of The Scarlet Pimpernel, but since, he has claimed a place on my list of favourite actors. I've never been much of a bootleg person, though. There are plenty of Murray videos online, and they're great, but if all it takes to see him perform live is a weekend trip to Germany... I can't wait to see him as the Count.

And finally, Chicago in Stockholms stadsteater. There's that production coming up in Finland, sure – but the Finnish one doesn't have Chris Killik cast as Mary Sunshine. I've mentioned it before that I and a friend are big fans, so I guess this is reason enough for us to do a little trip to Stockholm again.

It's going to be an exciting autumn after all.

Evita logo by Kari Sunnari.
Dracula photo from Theater Pforzheim's website.

Related: why I'm not that interested in Svenska Teatern's upcoming production of Mamma Mia!
Kurkkaa myös: Being Alive -blogin syksyinen musikaalikatsaus, teatraalista-blogin HKT:n kaudenavajaiskuvat.

How Can I Resist You?

I love the musical Mamma Mia!

I've expressed my dislike of the jukebox genre in this blog before, but this is my one big expection. The original jukebox show. My first musical. I love ABBA, and what's more, I really enjoy Mamma Mia!'s story. It's silly, sure, but in a way that makes me smile. And I like how it's so strongly about the female characters. Overall, it's great fun. I've been excited ever since they announced the musical will be staged here in Finland, in Svenska Teatern.

The cast posing for the press in Friday's info event.

I love the source material, and the cast that was just released seems rather promising. So, it's going to be a great show, right?

Well...

Svenska Teatern is staging a replica of the original production of Mamma Mia!. They're duplicating the production that's been staged all over the world and has even visited Finland on tour before. The direction, the sets, the costumes... It'll be the thing that everybody who's seen the show in London or in New York has already seen. They'll be localizing the script to Swedish-speaking Finland with new names for a handful of characters and some revisions to the dialogue itself (nice!) – but when it comes to the visuals, it'll be the same stuff every other production is made of.

Weirdly enough, this is not because the production company that holds the rights to the show doesn't allow any different productions of the show at all. The first non-replica version of Mamma Mia! ever is being produced in Hungary right now. So why on earth couldn't Finland be the home to world's second unique production?

Lineah Svärd, Katariina Lantto and Tara Toya
will play Sofie, Ali and Lisa.

I'm still glad I'll be seeing the show again. I've seen the world tour twice, I went both times it visited Helsinki. The first time in 2007 was the first time I ever saw a musical live! So I'm sure seeing the new Finnish production will be an fun nostalgia trip.

But even so, I find it disappointing they're doing a replica. Sure, musicals have been replicated in Finland before. Åbo Svenska Teater's Les Misérables was a replica of a previous German production, and in turn, the current Tampereen Teatteri Les Mis is a close copy of the ÅST production. Svenska Teatern's previous success, Kristina från Duvemåla, was also a partial replica of the original Swedish show. But when it comes to the biggest Broadway and West End productions, Finnish theatres don't tend to do copies. So, why to produce a replica in Mamma Mia!'s case? Is the original production really so perfect that there's no chance it could be improved in any way if given in the hands of a new Finnish creative team?

Of course, when you buy the rights for a world-famous success concept, you know what you're getting. You'll have the show millions of people have enjoyed before and the Finnish audience will likely enjoy too. But still... I think it's a shame they won't give the direction a new spin. Wouldn't the show be even more fun if it was something nobody in the audience has seen before?

What's more, Mamma Mia! is likely the most expensive musical Finland has ever seen. The seats that don't fall into the limited visibility categories range from 88 to 68 €. If you're a student, you'll enjoy the generous student prices: only 78 € for the best seats, like 90% of stalls, and 66 € for, for example, the very front row. If seeing is not a priority for you, you can book a "really limited visibility" seat for only 20 € – but if you enjoy actually watching what's going on, too bad. Even C-seats with somewhat limited view cost 40 € for students and 45 € for adults. (See full pricing here and a seating plan here.)

The theatre has already sold over 60 000 tickets, so clearly, they can ask for as much as they'd like and people will still buy their tickets. I have bought mine already (B-seat, 66 €). But still, I think from 78 to 66 € for seats with undisturbed view is no student discount. Nor is 40 € for limited visibility. And I can't help wondering if the decision to copy the original direction has bloated the prices overall...

Donna and the Dynamos!
Mia Hafrén will play Donna, Anna Hultin and Maria Sid will
alternate as Rita (Rosie), and Veera Railio will play Tanja

All in all, it's nice that Mamma Mia! is coming to Helsinki. It's such a feel-good show, and I'm happy to get the chance to enjoy it live once more. I'm already certain I'll leave the theatre smiling and hum ABBA tunes for the following two weeks.

It's just a shame we're not getting new sets, costumes, or ideas as a part of the costly feel-good package.

Related: more about non-replica productions. Plus I saw another good jukebox musical, once [Finnish only].

ÅST JCS: Preview Continuation

I already talked about Åbo Svenska Teater's upcoming production of Jesus Christ Superstar. But seeing I got the chance to visit the production's press info event today, here's a little update.

Firstly, I'll repeat what I've already been saying: I've a really good feeling about this. After this preview probably more than ever.

In the event, director Juha Hemánus talked about the vision behind the production a bit. The events will be set in the near future, in a post-apocalyptic society. The show will handle themes such as revolution (and it, at times, devouring its own children), mass media, and of course tragic human fates. Hemánus also made a point saying that, even though he can explain the thoughts behind the show, the audience should decide for themselves what they see in the production – that it's up to the watcher's own interpretation whether Jesus is a divine figure or not. It's not a question we can answer for sure, so the show is not going to offer definitive answers either.

So, I think I won't go deeper into any of the themes now but will return to this by sharing my own thoughts after I'll finally see the whole show next week.

Secondly... Even though I may be studying journalism, I admit that in this event, I was about five percent a member of the press and 95% a fan. It was just so nice seeing sneak peeks of the show and getting to say hi to some of the cast members! So, to share something of that feeling, here are said sneak peeks in audiovisual form:

A week and a day left to wait anymore.

Or Was That Just PR?

Last week, I saw an open rehearsal of Åbo Svenska Teater's upcoming production of Jesus Christ Superstar.

It was exciting.

I count JCS as one of my top five musicals, though I've never seen it performed in a theatre. I first saw the 1973 movie some years ago. I wasn't exactly thrilled, but the music stuck with me. I later bought some cast recordings, saw a fantastic concert version of the musical, ended up in love with it. And still, I've never really seen it live. While the concert was amazing, it of course wasn't the same experience as a traditional production with sets and full-blown acting would be.

I'm not a huge video bootleg person. I do think that, as long as the recorder keeps their business discreet and doesn't distract the performers or the rest of the audience, there's no harm in bootlegs. I doubt watching them has ever encouraged anyone to see less live theatre. But personally, if I encounter an interesting musical, I don't rush to find any videos. I rather live with the more or less futile hope that I'll see it live one day. I know I could watch all manner of Jesus Christ Superstars if I wanted to. But somehow, I prefer going to theatre to see something I have never seen before. That's something you can only experience once per musical, after all. So whenever possible, I'd rather that first experience to be a live one.

Since I don't really know how JCS would be like onstage, I've been coming up with some ideas while listening to the music. Even during that little sneak peek I got to see last week, it was so interesting comparing what was happening onstage to what I had imagined it would be like. Some bits made me go "wow, that's exactly how I'd like to see it!" – but I was going "wow, that's even better than anything I had imagined!" more often. We only saw two scenes, but even so, it was so much fun seeing the music I know by heart being illustrated.

And, to make it even better, the cast seems like something of a dream team. Alexander Lycke as Jesus? Anna-Maria Hallgarn as Mary Magdalene? Yes! I've seen the both perform before – Jean Valjean in ÅST's Les Misérables and Diana in Wasa Teater's Next to Normal, respectively – and am quite a fan. So to say I've been happy we're getting them back to Finland is an understatement. (But I won't go into my real feelings too much in this text. It's too embarrassing to admit it out loud how you've been rolling on the floor overcome with happiness. Oops.) I'm curious about Chris Killik as Judas. While I've never seen him perform before, some song clips I stumbled across have assured me that, at least voice-wise, this will be good. Waltteri Torikka as Pontius Pilate was also good news. What a voice!

So I'm practically counting hours to the premiere already. Of course, as always when being really excited about something beforehand, the chances that I'll be disappointed are high... But before proven otherwise, I'm going to imagine this'll be a perfect production.

For all I know now, it very well may be.

To end on a sour note, however... Last March, I wrote a post about being annoyed with the way Åbo Svenska Teater was giving out information about JSC. It would be nice if I could now write a sequel to that post titled "But Wait, Everything Went Okay After That".

I'm afraid that's not the case.

Back in April, I asked the theatre if the full JCS cast would be released soon. They answered that it "wouldn't take a long time anymore". Back then, they also mentioned in their Facebook that they're hoping to get the cast announced before Easter. Needless to say, apart from Alexander Lycke as the lead, the two other main roles were announced in September and the supporting cast in December. Though "announced" is a strong word. More like "were slipped into an obscure part of the theatre website and I found them by accident". The ensemble is still a mystery.

I understand it that, just like organizing any project with lots of people, casting a musical can be difficult. You think everything'll be in order by the next week and then someone decides they're not doing this after all. But I still think this whole thing has been handled badly.

While it's no matter of life and death, for a passionate fan, it's annoying when information doesn't travel from the theatre to the public. It'd be nice not to give us fans any false just-wait-until-Easter-and-then-we'll-tell hope unless the theatre is +110% certain they really can release the cast in the close future. And when the right people to play the roles have finally been found, how about some fanfare and Facebook posts instead of just hiding them into the "For Press" part of the theatre site?

Apparently I'm not the only one who's been annoyed at ÅST (link is Finnish only). For a theatre celebrating it's 175th anniversary... I think the best birthday celebration would be to get the information to flow a bit more smoothly. Here's to hoping the promo photos for Jesus Christ Superstar, the ones that were taken in December, will actually be seen before the premiere! (Edited to add: Wouldn't you know, they were. There's hope!)