Jekyll, Adapted

It's time for some Jekyll and Hyde history again!

Theatrical history featuring Jekyll and Hyde is a familiar topic to my long-time followers. Previously, I've discussed the Wildhorn musical's weird past and the very first plays based on R. L. Stevenson's novel.

Today, I thought I'd introduce you to three other theatrical adaptations of Jekyll and Hyde's story I find interesting.

1 & 2: The Other Musicals

I cannot believe I live in a world where three of these exist.

Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde the musical is far from perfect. I've discussed this before. It took the creative team years to complete it, and the script still keeps changing in the newest productions. The show is riddled with plotholes and melodrama.

Now it turns out the flawed musical has two identical twins.

Jekyll and Hyde is composed by Norman Sachs, with Mel Mandel's lyrics and Lee Thuna's book. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, then, is composed by Philip Hall, with book and lyrics by David Levy and Leslie Eberhard.

Stevenson's book does not feature women. Both musicals however create two new female characters: an angelic bride and a hooker with a heart of gold. Sounds familiar? It's of course a common theme in all Jekyll and Hyde adaptations, but even so...

Sachs's musical actually predates the Wildhorn show. It premiered in 1968, titled After You, Mr. Hyde, and was revived in 1990 under the title Jekyll and Hyde. The musical was even televised. Wonder if Wildhorn was aware of this version, or if the similarities are a coincidence?

The New York Times reviewer Alvin Klein describes Jekyll and Hyde as "a completely conventional, thoroughly uninteresting musical rooted in the romantic traditions of operetta (minus the essential melodiousness) with a desultory bow in the direction of spooky melodrama (without the chills, thrills and tingles)."

Fun fact: Jekyll and Hyde features a prostitute called Lucy. At least Jekyll's virtuous bride is known as Margaret instead of Lisa or Emma!

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, then, premiered in 1998. It makes a surprising decision: it casts two different actors as Jekyll and Hyde. A refreshing take on a classic... Or maybe just completely missing the point.

Otherwise, the show is clearly inspired by the Wildhorn musical, or maybe trying so hard to be different it ends up being exactly the same. Klein, though, actually calls it better than its better-known counterpart – asking "why, then, is Dr. and Mr. less bad than Jekyll & Hyde?"

You can read reviews of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde here and here. Or maybe check out the photo gallery. Could be from any production of the Wildhorn show, couldn't it?

The story of Jekyll and Hyde is timeless and layered. It asks big questions about the nature of man and leaves them unanswered, up for the reader to ponder upon. So, how on earth does it always turn into a cheesy musical featuring the madonna–whore complex and a black-and-white understanding of good and evil?

Luckily, there are also other sorts of adaptations. Such as...

3: Jekyll and Hyde for Three

Last winter, a rather unique version of Jekyll and Hyde toured the United Kingdom. Jo Clifford's Jekyll & Hyde, performed by a cast of only three actors, gives the classic plenty of new spins.

Clifford's play moves the events from Victorian London to a dystopian London of the future. In this version, Jekyll is a cancer researcher, trying to find a cure for the deadly disease. Looking for fame and glory via experiments, the scientist creates Mr. Hyde, and London turns a little bit more dystopic still.

The original novel characters of Dr. Lanyon and Mr. Utterson are also featured in this play, the former as a woman and the latter as Jekyll's ex-lover. A subplot revolves around a movement re-criminalising homosexuality, while another highlights the way modern society treats women. Read more about the plot in this thorough review.

This play sounds very, very interesting to me. Based on the reviews I've read, the text is far from perfect and sounds a bit over-the-top in all its horror – but even so, based on the very same reviews, it sounds very intriguing and thought-provoking.

The themes featured in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde's story will never go out of date. I believe this play, with the correct cast and the right director, could prove to be a grown-up, actually unsettling and disturbing interpretation of the classic. In other words, it sounds like everything the musicals are not.

I would be thrilled to see this adaptation live.

Sugar

Please note: Tampereen Teatteri invited me to see Sugar for free.

Sugar the musical is based on the brilliant comedy film Some Like It Hot. The new Finnish production of the show delivers laugh-out-loud moments in the style of the movie, but as a musical, it's not of an especially memorable sort.

Let's see.

Some Like It Hot, and by extension Sugar, is a story about two unemployed musicians who witness a massacre in 1920s Chicago and have to hide from the mafia. To escape the gangsters, Joe and Jerry turn into Josephine and Daphne and take up jobs in an all-female orchestra. Disguised in dresses and high heels, the guys head to Florida – meeting the beautiful ukulele player Sugar and an amorous, elderly millionaire on the way...

I really enjoy the movie, and the musical made me smile, too. But there is one major problem. To understand that, let's compare Sugar with another movie-turned-musical, Rocky.

I fell in love with Rocky the musical because of the spectacle, but the more I listen to it, the more I appreciate the music. The songs give the movie's short-spoken characters a change to reveal their inner thoughts, so the audience gets to know Rocky and Adrian better. I'm sure people who know the film by heart will still find something new in the musical.

In Sugar, then, the songs are unnecessary. The tunes by Bob Merrill and Jule Styne halt the action without offering any new insights into the well-known story, or being especially catchy either. You could remove the music from the musical without it making much of a difference. You're left wondering if the musical would've worked better as a straight play.

Shame about that... But luckily, Tampereen Teatteri's production of Sugar, directed by Georg Malvius (familiar to long-time readers of this blog as the mastermind behind several amazing productions of Les Misérables), does many other things well.

First of all, two thumbs up for the leading duo, Lari Halme as Joe/Josephine and Risto Korhonen as Jerry/Daphne. Both have their fair share of brilliant moments... but as other reviewers have already pointed out, Korhonen's Daphne steals the show.

In her Finnish review, Laura speculates that Daphne is to Jerry what Hyde is to Jekyll: a part of the man's personality that he's kept hidden thus far, but once he sets it free, cannot control or suppress anymore. Indeed! Korhonen's Jerry truely – in an over-the-top manner, but oftentimes rather hilariously – gets in touch with his inner feminity. Go Daphne!

Helena Rängman is lovely in the titular role, but the role itself is rather two-dimensional. Rängman sings well and looks appropriately Marilyn-esque, but since Sugar's only ambition is to marry rich, the character does not leave much of an impression.

The ensemble is full of talent. I especially enjoyed the step-dancing gangster gang, choreographed by Adrienne Åbjörn and lead by suave mafioso Teemu Korjuslommi. I think Spats Palazzo and his team of dancing gangsters could have a couple of scenes more just for the heck of it, they are so much fun to watch.

Though actually, apart from the dragging songs, the show is fun to watch from beginning to end.

Based on a 1959 movie, Sugar's comedy stems from gender stereotypes. Some of the thoughts featured in the musical are starting to get old-fashioned. The characters for example claim boys cannot marry boys, but luckily, that attitude is losing ground in today's world. Overall, however, the comedy holds up surprisingly well. It's not just laughing at men wearing dresses, it's also about the guys finding out first-hand how men and women are treated differently and are expected to behave.

Sugar is a rather popular musical in Finland. It's been produced professionally 15 times. Tampereen Teatteri first did it in the 80s, and back then it became the theatre's most popular production ever. Wonder what becomes of this new production... In the performance I saw at least, the audience a great time. I think all of us held our breaths during the final scene, in anticipation of the legendary final line.

By the way, if some international theatre fan reading this happens to be planning a trip to Finland, Sugar is subtitled into English. You can follow the subtitles if you pick a seat on the last five rows of the stalls.

So, Sugar in short: thumbs down for the superfluous songs, but recommended for the comedy. Not something I'd see again, but an entertaining performance nevertheless.

Photos by Harri Hinkka.
Suomeksi samasta aiheesta Katrin, Lauran ja Tallen blogeissa.

Phantom of the National Opera

I enjoy musicals on many, many levels.

Two of these levels are enjoying a show for the spectacle, and for the content. For me, the original direction of The Phantom of the Opera is all about the spectacle. I've written about this before: I don't see Phantom to get any food for thought. It's fun for the 80s megamusical visuals, but it doesn't engage me on any deeper level.

That changed last year. The Estonian non-replica production proved that this musical can tell a story that interests me. The Estonian version didn't focus on the love triangle in between the young ingenue, the rich aristocrat and the mysterious Phantom. Instead, it told an fascinating coming-of-age tale about a brave, talented woman.

The new Finnish non-replica production of The Phantom of the Opera goes back to the roots. Finnish National Opera's take on the Phantom's story is enjoyable for the sights and sounds, but it remains quite empty inside.

The Phantom of the Opera is a huge show, literally.

Finnish National Opera's big stage is really wide and deep, and the auditorium seats 1350 people. For the most part, set designer Teppo Järvinen does great job turning the vast stage into an opera house. Järvinen creates many beautiful scenes, such as Phantom and Christine's descent to the Phantom's lair via a series of stairways, the Phantom's underground lair itself with its chandelabras and vines, and the rooftop of the opera house with its huge angel statue. Combined with Timo Alhanen's lights, the sets leave some strikingly gorgeous impressions.

Marjaana Mutanen's costumes have their ups and downs. I like the Phantom's unique rock star meets goth meets hippie look, with his golden mask and leather gloves. Christine, then, could pop out a little more – now, with her plain white and black costumes, the leading lady feels a bit lost into the crowd. The ensemble costumes are nice but not especially memorable.

I really like the way the show portrays the opera house. Many scenes take place backstage, with ensemble members wandering around and sets being built as the managers read the Phantom's latest notes. The hustle and bustle brings life to the scenes. Not to mention it's rare to see an ensemble of this size onstage, so the crowd scenes are worth seeing for the spectacle alone.

But maybe the dancing scenes, with Osku Heiskanen's choreography, could be more impressive? The musical has plenty of ballet dancers in the ensemble. I think they should get more time in the spotlight.

Finnish National Opera has a large orchestra and a big choir. Andrew Lloyd Webber's music sounds really lush and really beautiful, grander than I've ever heard it. The musical is lovely to listen to.

But... In musicals, music and lyrics go hand in hand. So, the Opera's decisions to perform the musical in English bothers me.

Of course, Finnish National Opera usually performs operas in their original language, and it seems their initial plan was to hire an international cast for their new musical production. The Phantom cast, however, is mainly from Finland – save for the Christines, who are from Estonia and Sweden. The audience is also mainly Finnish. With all 70 000 tickets for the show sold out in advance, the production certainly doesn't have to advertise to foreign musical fans now.

So it's a mainly Finnish cast with a Finnish accent performing in English for a mostly Finnish audience (sort of like this blog, actually. Ha!).

I think it's a shame. Unlike classic operas, Phantom is usually translated into the local language when a new international production opens. I would have preferred to hear the world's favourite musical in my native language. I'm sure international audience members could've kept up with the plot by reading the excellent subtitles the Opera offers for all of their productions.

Looking past the smoke and the mirrors, the sights and the sounds, Tiina Puumalainen's direction isn't to my tastes. Director Puumalainen doesn't give the Phantom's story any truely unique twists. The show is nice to watch, but it doesn't really make me think or feel for the characters.

I have mixed feelings about the flow of the show. The first act moves forward rather smoothly, but during the last scenes of the second act, the focus is lost. Suddenly, I have a hard time following the characters' motivations.

The final scene feels especially confusing. You need to believe Christine really loves Raoul for the scene to work, but here, I felt none of that. Partially, that is because the Christine/Phantom/Raoul trio is not particularily well balanced.

Olli Tuovinen's Raoul was presented as an angry, overly confident young man who fails his fiancée in her moment of despair. Ilkka Hämäläinen's Phantom, though he sings beautifully, is no more attractive. His Phantom is as a repugnant recluse who feels childish joy in Christine's presence. Valid interpretations of the characters in their own right, but together and in the context of this production, they don't work out. Why would Christine bother despairing over these two? Just ditch the creepy guys and start a new life as some other opera house's star soprano!

Hanna-Liina Võsa's Christine is by far my favourite performance of the main trio. Võsa has a beautiful voice. Her Christine seems rather fragile and afraid, maybe a bit too much of a damsel in distress to my liking – but overall, she is lovely and sweet. She however doesn't make me feel Christine's character growth as strongly as some others. Christine's ultimate decision in the final scene feels unfounded. (Võsa by the way also plays Christine in the Estonian production, but I haven't seen her there. Wonder how different she is in that direction?)

I hear the alternate cast offers completely different takes of the main characters (read more in Finnish in Laura's review). Maybe I would have enjoyed them better.

On the positive side, Kaisa Ranta's Carlotta charmed me. A perfect prima donna, she delivers a hilarious performance with a fantastic voice. I adore her. The way she literally rolls up her sleeves during Il Muto to show the Phantom who's the boss is maybe my favourite detail!

Direction-wise, the show does have some clever little moments.

I especially like the bit with the Phantom composing his big opera after The Music of the Night. It's made clear the loud music plays in his head – so no one needs to wonder why his organ playing doesn't wake Christine up but the music box does. Another favourite moment is the Il Muto ballet, with the dancers stumbling onstage one by one, throwing their socks and dressing gowns into the wings as they rush to take their places.

I also enjoy the three operas-within-musical included in the show. They're especially fun to watch when you remember you're watching a musical production by Finnish National Opera. The Opera pokes a little fun at itself during the opera parodies.

Don Juan Triumphant, the Phantom's big work that's performed near the end of the show, amused me the most. The scene's deliberately modern visuals brought back childhood memories of the times my mom took me to see dance and opera at the National Opera. Little Siiri felt as confused by the productions we saw back then as the characters in the musical feel about Phantom's radical new piece.

Watching Finnish National Opera's production of The Phantom of the Opera, I felt happy and entertained. The show is nice and easy to watch, with some strikingly gorgeous visuals and beautiful music. But thinking the production over, there is not too much below the surface to really interest me.

It's a fine show to see once or twice, but I doubt it's anything to remember. I've another ticket in my pocket, but honestly, I'm already looking forward to seeing the Estonian production again instead.

Photos by Stefan Bremer.
Another review in English: I Must Give You My Thoughts

Haastattelu: Musikaalikääntäjä Marika Hakola

Parin viikon takainen kirjoitukseni musikaalisuomennoksista keräsi paljon näyttökertoja. Avasin tekstissä ajatuksiani hyvistä ja huonoista suomennoksista – mutta kirjoituksen julkaistuani tajusin, etten tiedä juuri mitään musikaalin kääntämisen käytännöstä. Miten musikaali muuttuu suomenkieliseksi?

Pyysin ammattikääntäjän kertomaan.

Kääntäjä Marika Hakola valmistui Tampereen yliopistosta vuonna 2007 pääaineenaan saksan kääntäminen. Hänen gradunsa käsitteli intertekstuaalisuuden kääntämistä Tanz der Vampire -musikaalin libretossa. Kun Tanz der Vampire sai Pohjoismaiden ensi-iltansa Seinäjoen kaupunginteatterissa vuonna 2011, vastasi Hakola musikaalin suomennoksesta.

Hakola on työskennellyt projektipäällikkönä käännöstoimistossa ja toimii tällä hetkellä yliopisto-opettajana Helsingin yliopiston nykykielten laitoksella, jossa hän suorittaa jatko-opintojaan. Hän on myös suomentanut Eclipsis ry:n järjestämiin musikaalikonsertteihin kappaleita useista eri musikaaleista.

Musiikkiteatteri on ollut Hakolan rakas harrastus lapsuudesta asti.

”Olin kahdeksanvuotias, kun näin ensimmäisen musiikkiteatteriesitykseni, Mustalaisruhtinatar-operetin Porin Teatterissa. Laulujen kääntämiseen kiinnitin ensimmäisen kerran huomiota teininä Disneyn elokuvia katsellessani”, hän kertoo.

Hakola tutustui Jim Steinmanin säveltämään, Michael Kunzen käsikirjoittamaan ja sanoittamaan Tanz der Vampire -musikaaliin ensimmäistä kertaa Itävallan Salzburgissa vietetyn vaihto-opiskeluvuoden aikana. Tekstin sisältämät viittaukset toisiin teksteihin kiinnittivät Hakolan mielenkiinnon, ja musikaalista muotoutui gradun aihe.

”Mitä jos tällainen musikaali tulisi esitettäväksi Suomessa? Miten sen kääntäminen olisi edes mahdollista?” Hakola muistaa pohtineensa.

Vampyyreita kääntämässä

Kun Vampyyrien tanssia puuhattiin Seinäjoen kaupunginteatteriin, törmäsi ohjaaja Olli-Matti Oinosen työryhmä Hakolan graduun. Hakola oli graduaan varten kääntänyt musikaalin ilman loppusointuja, mutta Seinäjoelle häneltä pyydettiin uutta, alkuperäistekstin riimikaavaa noudatellutta käännöstä.

Hakola kertoo, että vampyyrimusikaalin kääntäminen oli hurja seitsemän viikon urakka. Musikaalin kääntämiseen olisi Hakolan mukaan hyvä varata vähintään kolmesta neljään kuukautta, mutta aikataulusyistä hän pääsi tarttumaan käännöstyöhön vasta harjoitusten alun jo lähestyessä.

Käännöksestä tuli kääntäjälleen ympärivuorokautinen seuralainen.

”Työstin suomennosta kaiken valveillaoloaikani. Kuuntelin musikaalia silloinkin, kun tein jotain muuta. Pidin jopa sänkyni vieressä muistiinpanovälineitä niin, että jos heräsin keskellä yötä ja ratkaisin jonkin riimiongelman, saatoin heti kirjoittaa sen ylös. Keskellä yötä, kun itsekriittisyys on matalimmillaan, saa joskus ihan käyttökelpoisia ideoita!”

Teos oli Hakolalle ennestään tuttu, joten rankka seitsemän viikon rutistus riitti laulutekstien kääntämiseen. Seuraavina vuorossa olivat puherepliikit, näyttämöohjeet ja pianopartituurin kirjoittaminen.

Käännöstyön aikana Hakola luetutti tekstiään ystävillään. Valmistuttuaan suomennos käännettiin osittain takaisin saksaksi ja lähetettiin musikaalin tuottajien tarkastettavaksi.

Tuottajien hyväksynnän jälkeen oli aika tehdä tekstistä musiikkiteatteria.

”Ensimmäisen kerran kuulin käännökseni jonkun toisen laulamana, kun kapellimestari Timo Ristilä ja korrepetiittori Jari Pylväinen lauloivat musikaalin läpi digipianon säestyksellä. Kahden baritonin tulkinnoissa Sarah’n ja Alfredin duetoista oli herkkyyttä kerrakseen”, Hakola nauraa.

”Tällaisessa testauksessa huomaa hyvin, jos tekstiin on jäänyt laulettavuuteen vaikuttavia virheitä.”

Käännöksen valmistuttua Hakola osallistui vielä musikaalin harjoituksiin. Hän toimi tekstiasiantuntijana, auttoi tarvittaessa työryhmää tekstin tulkinnassa ja korjasi suomennoksessa harjoitusten aikana ilmenneitä ongelmia.

”Muutoksia ei enää tullut paljoa, mutta esimerkiksi laulettavuutta parannettiin vaihtamalla muutamia äänteitä toisiin.”

Tavujen ehdoilla

Musikaalin kääntämisessä on tiukat reunaehdot. Jotta teksti pysyisi laulettavana, tavujen määrän täytyy vastata alkuperäistä, niiden pituuteen on kiinnitettävä huomiota ja painollisten sekä painottomien tavujen on osuttava oikeille paikoille. Jopa yksittäisiä äänteitä täytyy harkita, sillä toiset vokaalit ovat helpompia laulaa kuin toiset.

Lisäksi kääntäjän työtä ohjaa alkuperäisen tekstin riimikaava.

”Musikaalin kääntäminen riimittelemättä on toki mahdollista, mutta suomalaisissa teattereissa arvostetaan riimejä. Riimit tuovat tekstiin huumoria, yllätyksellisyyttä ja rytmiä. Lisäksi ne tekevät tekstin muistamisen näyttelijöille helpommaksi”, Hakola sanoo.

Loppusointujen lisäksi ongelmia voivat aiheuttaa lauluteksteissä käytetyt yksitavuiset sanat. Monet kielet vilisevät lyhyitä sanoja, joille on vaikea löytää vastinetta suomen kielen sanastosta.

”Törmäsin kerran listaan, johon oli kerätty kaikki suomen yksitavuiset sanat. Niitä oli vain pari kymmentä. Lisäksi osa lyhyistä sanoista ei ole musikaaleissa kovin käyttökelpoisia. Esimerkiksi sanalle luu tulee lyriikassa melko harvoin tarvetta!”

Teknisten vaatimusten täyttämisen lisäksi kääntäjä tulkitsee teosta. Mitkä ovat hahmojen motiivit, miksi he sanovat sanottavansa? Viittaako teksti itseensä tai muihin teksteihin?

”Taidetta saa kukin tulkita miten itse haluaa, mutta kääntäjän tulkinta on siinä mielessä erikoisessa asemassa, että hän jakaa oman näkemyksensä yleisön kanssa.”

Hyvän käännöksen merkit

Omiksi suosikeikseen musikaalikääntäjistä Hakola nostaa monia musikaaleja englannista saksaan kääntäneen Michael Kunzen ja Stephen Sondheimin musikaalit Sweeney Todd ja A Little Night Music suomentaneen Juice Leskisen.

Hakolan mukaan hyvän suomennoksen tunnusmerkistö on yksinkertainen: hyvä käännös on hyvää suomen kieltä ja kunnioittaa alkuperäisen tekstin sisältöä ja tyyliä. Jos suomennos on tehty riimikaavan mukaan, Hakola arvostaa täydellisten loppusointujen käyttöä. Täydellinen loppusointu alkaa aina painollisesta tavusta, puolisointu puolestaan rimmaa vain osittain.

”Moniin muihin kieliin verrattuna suomi riimittyy huonosti. Riimittely on paljon helpompaa esimerkiksi englannin ja saksan kielillä. Taitavimmat riimittelijät, kuten Juice, käyttävät kuitenkin aina täydellisiä loppusointuja”, Hakola kehaisee.

Hakola toteaa hyvän käännöksen olevan hyvä lähtökohta kaikille musikaalin työryhmän jäsenille.

”Käännös on pieni osa esitystä, mutta se on kaiken muun pohjalla”, hän toteaa.

”Mielestäni on tärkeää, että musikaalit nimenomaan käännetään eikä niitä esimerkiksi tekstitetä. Äidinkielisyys tuo sekä näyttelijöiden tulkintoihin että katsojien kokemukseen ihan eri tavalla tunnetta mukaan.”

Käännös ei Hakolan mukaan synny säe kerrallaan vaan kokonaisuutta ajatellen. Suomennettaessa alkutekstistä katoaa aina jotain, mutta mukaan voi myös tulla jotakin lisää.

"Alkuperäisen tekstin sanavalinnoista ei kannata pitää kynsin hampain kiinni, vaan on uskallettava mennä syvemmälle merkityksiin. Jos kirjailija olisi kirjoittanut tekstinsä suomeksi, mitä hän olisi sanonut?"

Kuva: Ari Ijäs.
Lue lisää: Marika Hakolan gradu Tekstien tanssi – Intertekstuaalisuuden kääntäminen Michael Kunzen musikaalilibretossa Tanz der Vampire. Kaikki, mitä haluat tietää Tanz der Vampire -musikaalista.

Stormskärs Maja

Please note: Åbo Svenska Teater invited me to see a preview performance of Stormskärs Maja for free.

Let's put it this way: Kristina från Duvemåla is Stormskärs Maja on steroids.

Or does the following sound familiar (warning: spoilers)? A woman marries a man in rural 19th century Northern Europe. The couple moves away from their community and starts a new life together, turning the wilderness into their home and welcoming new children into their family. Their life is filled with hardships: there's a fire on their homestead and one of their children dies in a tragic accident. Even so, the couple stays deeply in love with each other for years and years... until one of them, at a too early age, passes away.

Believe it or not, but I am not describing Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus's epic musical Kristina. Myrskyluodon Maija (Finnish title) or Stormskärs Maja (Swedish title) is a popular Finnish musical. First premiered in 1991, it's composed by Matti Puurtinen and written by Jussi Helminen, based on Anni Blomqvist's series of novels. The musical tells a story of an Ålandish woman's life in time gone by.

What is wrong with us Nordics? Why do we enjoy tear-drenched musicals like this so much? Kristina draws big crowds in Stockholm right now, while in Finland Stormskärs Maja or Myrskyluodon Maija currently plays in two different theatres.

Though, to be fair, I have no right to criticise anyone about enjoying aforementioned pieces. I'm a huge Kristina fan, and I also had a lovely time watching Åbo Svenska Teater's new production of the beloved Finnish musical, now performed in Finland's second official language Swedish for the first time.

Thanks to Andersson's massive showtunes, Kristina's tragedies feel larger than life. Maja is more down-to-earth. Puurtinen's music is beautiful and light (listen to a sample: Maija and Janne's Wedding Waltz – not from the ÅST production). Though the story is in parts tragic, the musical is not heavy to watch.

Maja doesn't only share themes with Kristina. The two musicals also share the same problem. Both try to fit a thousand pages of narrative, a person's whole life, into two acts. Maja's arranged marriage turns into a love match before the leading couple's first duet is over. In ÅST, the musical's end feels especially rushed, packing decades of life into few short sentences. Yet during some earlier scenes, the tension is so slow the show feels quite boring.

What lifts ÅST's Maja above the source material's uneven pace is the unique way director Jakob Höglund brings the musical onstage. There are virtually no sets. The nature that surrounds Maja and her husband Janne's home on a remote island is brought to live via traditional theatre tricks – but all the magic that is usually hidden behind the scenes happens onstage, before the audience's eyes.

The ensemble portray both people and nature. They shake thin pieces of sheet metal for thunderstorm sounds and carries smoke machines around the stage for autumn mist. Real elements also enter the stage, fire and water are both used to an impressive effect. With adults playing newborn babies and the band moving around onstage, it's impossible to forget you're sitting in a theatre, watching a fictional story.

At the same time, the style is both distancing and enchanting. It leaves a lot of room for the imagination. A production like this could never work in a big theatre that seats a thousand, but it suits Finland's oldest theatre's intimate and beautiful 19th century stage perfectly.

Emma Klingenberg delivers a strong performance as Maja. She portrays a woman who doesn't let the misfortunes of life crush her spirit, and sings beautifully, too. Elmer Bäck as Maja's husband Janne feels more distant. His performance is nice to watch, but there's a bit too much rustic Prince Charming in the character for him to feel like a real, three-dimensional person.

Out of the ensemble, I want to give a shoutout to one of my all-time favourite actors, Anna Victoria Eriksson. She shines in her roles, whether playing Maja's older sister or one of her children. And what a voice. Listening to her, whether she's singing solos or a part of an ensemble, I'm always amazed.

In time for Finland's 100th birthday in 2017, Helsingin kaupunginteatteri will premiere a brand-new musical adaptation of Blomqvist's Maja novels. So Sweden, top that! You have one Kristina, but soon, we'll have two Majas.

Looking forward to that, I think this one is also worth seeing. The source material is far from perfect, but ÅST's deliberately stripped-down production is a fascinating theatrical experience.

Photos by Pette Rissanen.

Dr. Jekyll Returns

Please note: Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri invited me to see the premiere of Jekyll & Hyde for free. The invitation was a thank-you for writing an article about the musical's history for the programme. When you go see the show, don't forget to buy one or three.

Before I delve into Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri's new production of Jekyll & Hyde, I need to make a disclaimer. I've made it before, but it bears repeating.

I do not think Jekyll & Hyde, composed by Frank Wildhorn with a book by Leslie Bricusse and Steve Cuden, is a good musical. And yet, if you've read my blog for a while, you know I also call Jekyll & Hyde one of my top three favourite musicals of all times.

That is solely because of Turun kaupunginteatteri's 2013–14 production, directed by Tuomas Parkkinen. That production did the impossible: it turned a terrible script into a magical experience that has haunted and inspired me ever since. It wasn't by any means perfect, but somehow, the elements clicked together so well that the whole was ten times more than the sum of its parts. With tweaks and additions to the script, with unique directional choices and top-notch casting, and with help from gorgeous visuals, Parkkinen was able to lift the production way, way above the mediocre source material.

After seeing the Turku production, I've been watching bootlegs to find another Jekyll & Hyde I'd really enjoy. So far, no such luck. The productions I've watched are laden with directional clichés and tacky performances – and yet, I keep watching. I know there is potential. I want to see the show saved again. It's a true love-hate relationship with a strong obsessive streak.

This autumn in Finland, the miracle almost happens again. Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri's Jekyll & Hyde avoids many of the clichés and does many things right. And yet, it is no more than a good production of a lacking musical.

Let's again start with the bad things.

Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri's Jekyll & Hyde is imbalanced. The first act is moves at a good pace, it's filled with interesting details and fun to watch. The second act falls quite flat. After the intermission, the show suddenly feels slow, boring and laughably melodramatic, even for the gothic horror genre.

I was especially disappointed with the scene that culminates the second act, Jekyll and Hyde's duet Confrontation.

A duet in between two sides of the same man, it's a hard scene to get exactly right – but it's as if this production didn't even try. Common tricks for distinguishing whether it's Jekyll or Hyde singing include changing the lights or the actor varying his posture or even flipping his hair back and forth... Here, none of that. I suppose leading man Henri Halkola did his best, but even so, I really had a hard time telling which one was supposed to be singing.

Actually, Confrontation was not the only time I had difficulties telling the titular characters apart. Maybe director Anssi Valtonen was trying to make a point, underlining the two-sides-of-the-same-coin aspect of the characters – but I believe a more clear distinction would work better onstage.

Then the good things.

Saara Jokiaho and Maria Lund as Jekyll and Hyde's respective girlfriends, the upper-class Emma and prostitute Lucy, add as much personality and thought into their underwritten characters as humanly possible. The female leads are in a perfect balance, both shining but neither overshadowing the other. One of the finest Emma and Lucy duos I've had the fortune of watching.

I also really enjoyed Hannu Lintukoski's Utterson. In international productions, Jekyll's friend and lawyer is too often portrayed as a living, breathing piece of scenery Jekyll can open his heart to. Luckily not here! Lintukoski's performance is a good mix of comic relief and old-fashioned gentleman, calm manners and heartrending worry for his friend. Loyal to the very end, everyone would be lucky to have a friend like him.

The show looks lovely. Marjatta Kuivasto's sets and Merja Levo's costumes create a pretty, steampunk-inspired world for the characters to explore. I especially like Emma's bright turquoise costume and pilot glasses perched on top of her hat. The often overshadowed character makes a visual impression from the first moment. Just by looking at her, you can tell she spends her free nights cruising the streets of London in her state-of-the-art steam-powered car!

The direction emphasises some aspects that usually get overshadowed. I especially liked Hyde and Lucy's relationship... though I wonder if like is the right word to use. I mean to say I was both terrified and fascinated. Hyde's calm abuse is scary to watch. I also applaud Halkola's efforts at painting Jekyll as a three-dimensional character, with both good and bad qualities, though his hands are somewhat tied by the script's Henry Jekyll is a perfect saint point of view.

The first act has a perfect light tongue-in-the-cheek tone. The show doesn't take itself too seriously and is peppered with dashes of humor. For me, that's the best way of making a heavy melodrama like this enjoyable.

I'm glad I saw Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri's production of Jekyll & Hyde. I will go see it again.

I can tell the creative team has thought about the story a lot, the production is clearly made with love. It's a fine take on the source material – but in the end, my problems with said source material hinder my enjoyment. The show is well worth seeing for all its good aspects and very entertaining, more entertaining than any of the international bootlegs I've watched. But it's still Jekyll & Hyde the musical.

For better and for worse.

Edited to add 2/12/2015: I'm having second thoughts. Read my addendum to this review.

Photos by Jiri Halttunen.
Keskisuomalaisen kriitikko Aino Martiskainen tylyttää tiukasti – mutta aiheesta. Mielipiteeni käsikirjoituksesta tiivistyvät täydelleen Martiskaisen arvostelussa.
Suomeksi muissa blogeissa: Melodrama and Sweet Champagne, One Night in Theatre, Varje dag är en dag för musikaler

Käännöksistä

Dear international readers: this post is about Finnish musical translations. It's inspired by a new Finnish production of A Little Night Music. Read more about that in English.

Miten ihana, miten harvinainen tunne oli istua Tampereen Työväen Teatterin Desirée – Pieni yösoitto (A Little Night Music) -ensi-illassa Juice Leskisen kääntämiä Stephen Sondheimin lyriikoita kuuntelemassa.

Musikaalihahmoilla oli toisilleen ja yleisölle paljon kerrottavaa. Laulunsanat vilisivät sisältöä, asiaa, huumoria, kaksoismerkityksiä. Katsoja sai oikein odottaa, mitä laulussa seuraavaksi sanotaan. Penkissä ei tarvinnut kärvistellä myötähäpeän kourissa eikä naureskella tahattoman kaksimielisiä sanavalintoja. Sen sijaan sanottua täytyi ajatella ja pureskella.

Fiilis oli outo. Keskimääräisen suomalaisen musikaalikäännöksen voi nimittäin päästää toisesta korvasta suoraan toisen kautta ulos juuri mitään menettämättä. Kovin usein suomennos tarjoaa oivallusten sijaan itsestäänselvyyksiä.

Esimerkki. Monet fanit riemuitsivat Kansallisoopperan erikoisesta päätöksestä jättää Oopperan kummitus -musikaali kääntämättä. Mielestäni reaktio kertoo paljon siitä, millaiseksi suomalaisten musikaalikäännösten laatu koetaan.

Toki musikaalien alkuteksteissäkin on hurjia eroja. Esimerkiksi Sondheim tai Tim Rice tarjoilevat kuuntelijalle lyyrisiä koukkuja, kun taas vaikkapa säveltäjä Frank Wildhornin Jekyll & Hyde -työpari Leslie Bricusse luottaa musiikin voimaan ja täyttää laulut latteuksilla. Mielestäni jälkimmäisen kaltaisessa tapauksessa on hyväksyttävää, jos taitava kääntäjä jopa lisää tekstiin hieman sisältöä.

Käänteinen ilmiö on kuitenkin yleisempi. Jo alkujaan löysähköt tekstit löystyvät usein suomennettaessa entisestään, ja vähäisetkin syvällisyydet muuttavat muotoa ja katoavat. Ammattikääntäjiä käytetään ikävän harvoin tehtävässä, joka kuuluisi antaa heidän käsiinsä joka kerta.

Otetaan esimerkiksi vanha inhokkini, Jukka Virtasen Les Misérables -käännös. Kääntäjä Kristiina Drewsin kanssa useita musikaaleja suomentanut Virtanen on monen mielestä lahjakas sanoittaja ja minunkin mielestäni koomisten musikaalisanoitusten konkari – esimerkiksi Virtasen Chicagossa on monta hykerryttävän hauskaa heittoa. Mutta kun samalla hupityylillä ei millään voi painaa kolme- ja puolituntisen kurjuuden ylistyslaulun lävitse. En vieläkään ymmärrä, miten kyseinen räpellys on kehdattu esittää ammattilavoilla jo kahteen kertaan.

Virtasen Kurjissa barrikadilla koetaan yllättäviä eroottisia hetkiä.

Tämä ei ole yksittäistapaus. Tuntuu, että tyylitaju on suomalaisella musikaalikäännöskentällä keskimäärin kadoksissa.

Ja kun tällaista puuroa syötetään yleisölle tarpeeksi paljon, ei enää osata vaatia parempaa. Aamulehden kriitikko Anne Välinoro ampuu täyslaidallisen Juicen Desirée-käännöstä suomiessaan:

Joku tässä kuitenkin nyt tyylillisesti mättää. Väitän, että vika on pitkälti Juicen käännöksen ja sanoituksen. Välillä repliikit on lastattu umpitäyteen, välillä asiat sanotaan töksäyttäen ja alapäävireisiä mauttomuuksiakaan kaihtamatta. (Aamulehti)

Uskomatonta puhetta.

Desirée-käännöksessään englannin kielen kääntämistä opiskellut Juice yrittää esittää suomeksi Stephen Sondheimin polveilevat, monimielisyyksiä pursuavat alkuperäislyriikat. Tietenkään joka säe ei ole täydellinen. Paljon jää suomeksi sanomatta ja moni ajatus muuttuu matkan varrella – mutta Juice tekee silti todella hienoa työtä taidokkaista sanoituksistaan tunnetun Sondheimin tekstiä suomeksi tulkitessaan.

Väittääkö Välinoro siis tosissaan, että Juicen olisi pitänyt meitä yksinkertaisia suomalaisia varten yksinkertaistaa ja sensuroida alkutekstin sisältöä?

Ei puhenäytelmäänkään mennä tuijottamaan näyttelijöitä lasittunein silmin vuorosanoista välittämättä ja toivota sitten lopuksi, että hahmoilla olisi ollut vähemmän sanottavaa. Ihmeellistä, että tällaista tyhmistämistä suorastaan kaivataan musikaaleilta.

Minä väitän, että tässä maassa ollaan yksinkertaisesti kriitikosta rivikatsojaan niin tottuneita kelvottomiin ja kädenlämpöisiin käännöksiin, että hyvän käännöksen kuunteleminen tuntuu työltä. Kas kun sitä pitää todella kuunnella. Keskittyä ja ajatella. Hyvin käännetty musikaali ei ole pelkkää musiikki-ilottelua, vaan kappaleiden sanoista voi – hyvänen aika sentään – paljastua syvällisiä ajatuksia! Tämä on niin harvinaista, että se hämmentää jopa ammattiarvostelijan.

Haluaisin siis esittää kaikille suomalaisille teattereille pyynnön: panostakaa musikaalikäännöksiin.

Osaavien tekijöiden puutteesta ei ole kyse. Juice on poistunut keskuudestamme, mutta taitavia kääntäjiä löytyy maastamme kyllä. Itse haluaisin nostaa hattuani Seinäjoen kaupunginteatterissa esitetyn Vampyyrien tanssi -musikaalin kääntäneelle Marika Hakolalle. Hakolan upeaa käännöstä kuunnellessani unohdin täysin, ettei musikaalia ollut alun alkujaan kirjoitettu suomeksi.

Hyvä käännös ei ole ylimääräinen menoerä vaan tärkeä tapa tehdä alkuperäisteokselle oikeutta suomalaisen yleisön korvissa.

Panostakaa siihen.

Loppukaneetti: myönnän, että aina en välitä tekstistä. Juuri viime kuussa Rocky-musikaali tärähti suoraan sydämeen ilman yhtäkään ymmärrettyä lyriikkaa. Olkoon tämä säännön vahvistava poikkeus – ja jos Rocky joskus tuodaan Suomeen, se on paras kääntää tavattoman huolellisesti, jotta minäkin viimein ymmärrän!