Showtunes in the Music House

I visited the new Musiikkitalo, Helsinki Music Centre, for the first time this week. On 27.3.2012, I saw a West End/Broadway concert with Vantaan Viihdeorkesteri playing, Nick Davies conducting and David Shannon and Jacqui Scott singing.

 

Music Centre

The evening's repertory consisted of about twenty very famous musical tunes.
A bit too famous, actually. Surely most of the audience don't listen to musicals every day like me, but I'm certain everyone's heard Memory, Don't Cry for Me Argentina and Music of the Night before. The songs I guess the audience wasn't too acquaintanted with (Till I Hear You Sing, Electricity) were few and far in between. All in all, it's not that I mind hearing songs from popular shows. I just think it'd be lovely to sometimes have a Who Am I? instead of the omnipresent Bring Him Home.
That being said, maybe the solists' history justifies some of these choices. Shannon has played Phantom and Jean Valjean in West End lately and will start a new run as Valjean this spring. Scott has performed parts like the title role in Evita and Grizabella in Cats.  Maybe it'd be weird not to have these characters' big songs in there.
What's more, though - I think some songs, like Circle of Life, were slightly odd choices for just two singers. Maybe actual duets would've worked better?

I've heard big orchestra like this only a couple of times before. Out of those times, this night sounded the best, absolutely. The praise the Music Centre has received for their acoustics isn't all empty. The evening was a treat to the ears.
Actually, if I'm completely honest... I enjoyed the instrumental pieces the most. The orchestra played medleys from Oliver!, A Chorus Line and The Producers, and while I also liked the vocalists, those were my favourite parts. I could've easily sat there for the whole night, just listening to the gorgeous tunes from the orchestra. Too bad musicals can't always be accompanied with as many instruments as here!

As for the singers, I think Scott was more enjoyable to watch but Shannon to listen to.
I sat at the very back of the auditorium, at a dizzying height, so I may not be the best one to judge - but I got the feeling Scott's stage presence was stronger than Shannon's. She seemed to get into the mood of whichever song she was singing a lot easier. That being said, I think her voice was a bit too harsh for some of the songs. She overpowered Shannon a bit during their duets, even though his voice is also reasonably powerful. Then again, some of her numbers sounded amazing. I admired her Memory, and Defying Gravity wasn't bad either. The latter was also one of the most powerful orchestra moments, it made chills run down my spine...
Shannon, then. I think he wasn't exactly in his element with faster, cheerier tunes like Luck Be a Lady, but with the ballads, Till I Hear You Sing, Bring Him Home, Can You Feel the Love Tonight... He truely excelled.

The evening ended with a medley of ABBA songs.
This part felt a little awkward to me. I got the feeling that the soloists, Scott especially, were trying way too hard to get the audience to clap and sing along the music. Did someone forget to tell them they're in Finland..? Seeing it was my first time in the Music Centre, I've no idea how wild the audiences who frequent it are - but singing and dancing along is something I certainly don't expect to do and also don't feel like doing at a concert hall.
Also, I found ABBA's Thank You For the Music a slightly boring choice for the encore. I'd rather heard another musical song, seeing those were the focus of the night.

That all said, I enjoyed myself a lot. The repertoire was mostly overdone, but luckily they made it sound good with nice vocals and a gorgeous-sounding orchestra!

Also, got to add that Shannon was my first Jean Valjean ever. They were signing autographs after the concert and I went to tell him that. He was very nice. So nice I didn't feel too embarrassed, having a huge fangirling attack in front of him...
Photo from Wikipedia.

Violinist

I got a newsletter from Helsingin kaupunginteatteri in my e-mail today.

For those of you who are not so aware of how the Finnish theatre scene works: HKT is one of the biggest theatres in this country and famous for their musicals. They've produced the Finnish premieres of many huge Broadway and West End hits. Cats, Les Misérables, Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins, Wicked... Some argue these shows are not exactly high art, but people usually agree that they're good entertainment.
Last fall, after the popular production of Wicked, HKT premiered a musical about Katri Helena, a famous Finnish singer whose music is popular among a bit older people. I shrugged that off as the theatre's attempt of attracting more mature audiences after the kid and teenager oriented Mary Poppins and Wicked. Surely they would return to the hit Broadway musical path next season? What would they give us this time? Another Disney musical, maybe The Little Mermaid? Or would it be wishing too much we would finally get a Finnish version of The Phantom of the Opera?
Then I heard some rumours. I couldn't believe my ears. Today, the newsletter confirmed the vague whisperings.

HKT's next musical on their big stage will be Fiddler on the Roof.

 

Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Fiddler on the Roof is a bad musical. To be honest, I have never seen it, and while I'm not into the music I've heard from it, I haven't heard all the songs either.

Still, I don't think it's too hard to understand why I was shocked to learn the country's biggest musical stage is set to do Fiddler.

Here's a short list of theatres who have done Fiddler during the past few years: 

Latoteatteri Kulissi 2012, Ähtärin musiikkiteatteri 2012, Oulun kaupunginteatteri 2011, Porvoon kesäteatteri 2011, Merunlahden kesäteatteri 2011, Mikkelin teatteri 2010, Lopen teatteri 2009, Hauhon kesäteatteri 2008, Kesäteatteri Tammenranta 2007, Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri 2007, Ruoveden teatteri 2006, Samppalinnan kesäteatteri 2006, Rovaniemen kaupunginteatteri 2004...

As you can see, Fiddler is a huge favourite of professional and amateur theatres alike all over the country. Ever since it's Finnish premiere in 1966 - in Helsingin kaupunginteatteri, no less! -, there's hardly been a year without the piece playing somewhere in Finland. I've no idea how I've avoided the show this long, Fiddler's been performed so much I'd guess at least 80% of the Finnish population has seen it.

After its Finnish premiere in 1966, Fiddler on the Roof was played for years in Helsingin kaupunginteatteri. With 450 performances and 319 327 watchers, it remains the most popular theatre production in Finland to this day.

In other words, HKT's reviving the most popular, the most overdone, the most everybody-and-their-mother-has-seen-and-also-acted-in-this-one piece of musical theatre in the history of Finnish theatre.

What happened to the theatre that used to produce popular, current musical theatre from Broadway and West End? Huge successes never seen in Finland before? Back in 1966, that used to be the case: Fiddler premiered here just two years after Broadway... HKT can boast about hosting the Finnish premieres of countless hit musicals. Was Wicked the last one of that sort? Are we to enjoy jukebox musicals about Finnish singers and revivals from times gone by from now on? And if they absolutely had to revive something that's already been seen in Finland... How about something every single amateur theatre hasn't done already?

A couple of weeks ago there was discussion in the newspapers how HKT is handling their money oddly: keeping millions' worth of funding from the city of Helsinki sitting in their bank account. With that money, I'm sure they could afford something a little more interesting, a little more courageous than the safest choice available.

Luckily some other theatres in Finland will have a bit more exciting 2012-2013 season. I don't think I'll be bringing my money to HKT to enjoy this trip down the nostalgia lane.

Picture by Charlotte Estman-Wennström.

It's Gonna Be Good?

A couple of days ago, I found out something that was released a month ago but that my stalker senses failed to reveal until this week.

Next to Normal
Premiere in Wasa Teater, 22.9.2012, performed in Swedish.
Cast:
Anna-Maria Hallgarn: Diana
Sören Lillkung: Dan
Mikaela Tidermark: Natalie
Johan Aspelin: Doctor Fine/Doctor Madden
Markus Lytts: Gabe
Samuel Harjanne: Henry
The last three with a little caution - I haven't found any confirmation about their roles. These seem like the best matches, right?

Well, I knew Next to Normal was going to premiere in Wasa Teater. I knew, even, that Mikaela Tidermark was going to play Natalie. But, for some reason, me or my equally musical-obsessed friends never managed to find any info about the rest of the cast until just now...
Seeing this cast is 50% composed of ÅST Les Misérables alumni, I'm so there in the premiere. But let's take a closer look. I won't comment on Hallgarn, Aspelin or Lytts here; I haven't seen them in anything, so I can't really make any assumptions. But I will talk a little about my feelings considering the ex-ÅST cast members...

Sören Lillkung as Dan
I'm going to be honest with you. My first thought was "what the hell."
It's probably no surprise to anyone that after Les Mis, I'm for Sören Lillkung in pretty much everything. He was an amazing Javert, vocally the most amazing I could ever wish for. Such a deep, operatic, beautiful voice. Just like every Javert should have, in an ideal world... Of course I'm glad I'll get to see him in some other show!
But then, let's think about J. Robert Spencer from Next to Normal's original Broadway cast album. This is where my initial thought comes from: Spencer's voice is pretty much as far from Lillkung's as you can get. Much lighter, gentler, very very different. Also, if I think about Helsingin kaupunginteatteri's Next with Juha Junttu in the role - pretty close to Spencer's style.
So, I've no idea how Lillkung will handle this, vocally. He'll be very different from what I've used to. Note that when I say different I don't necessarily mean worse, not at all. How could I know! It's just that I'm finding it impossible, trying to imagine what he'll be like. Especially considering Dan's are some of my favourite songs of the whole show, I know every single note from the Broadway version by heart... Wonder what comes of this.
Actually, Dan is my favourite character in the show, too. I know, it seems easy to jump into the conclusion that because my favourite Javert is going to play him he's of course my new favourite - but no. He's been my favourite ever since I saw the show for the first time. You can't help feeling for him. He does the best he can, supporting his family, but the situation keeps getting out of hand, leaving him powerless. He's just a human, one that makes mistakes, as we do. You can't always agree with the things he does, but you understand where his decisions are coming from. I love how his character develops. I'm excited to see what Lillkung does with the role!

Mikaela Tidermark as Natalie
This I've known for quite some time, and I've been happy about it ever since. Even if rest of the production would've been cast with complete unknowns, I'd still gone to see it, for this bit of casting alone.
That's of course because Tidermark was, hands down, the best Cosette I have ever seen. It's a short role that very easy to make very boring. Luckily Tidermark did the best job possible, showing as much character as you can during those few moments. No wonder Marius was in love with the girl, she was so adorable! Also, I really like her voice, I'm sure she'll make Natalie's songs sound good too.
Character-wise, I find Natalie way less interesting than her parents. She's the goodie-two-shoes daughter who starts to rebel, not a very uncommon or an especially intriguing story. My uninterest, though, might be largely about the version I've seen and how Natalie was portrayed there, not the character herself. I'm sure a lot can be done with her, that she can actually be made more interesting. Remembering what I said about Tidermark's Cosette... I have high hopes.

Samuel Harjanne as Henry
Harjanne is my favourite Enjolras in one respect: I think his voice suited the character perfectly, he's one of the best Enjolrati I've ever heard. Acting-wise, well, there were a couple of things... But maybe ranting about Enjolras's character is better left for another time. Especially considering I've seen Harjanne more than the other ÅST alumni here: I also saw him in Striking 12, Spring Awakening and even in that bit part in Legally Blonde. I guess I have to admit I'm a bit of a fan. As one of my friends keeps saying - he's a talented fellow!
So, as if this casting wasn't good enough already, this just makes it a little more perfect! Henry is of course not a very developed character, but he can be quite fun and cute, as Petrus Kähkönen proved in Helsingin kaupunginteatteri. I'm sure Harjanne will be just as good. He'll sound amazing at the very least!

When it comes to the piece in general, Next to Normal is actually one of the best musicals I have ever seen. It's simple - Next has got everything a good musical should have. A really strong story with strong characters, accompanied by strong, original music. Especially remembering the countless jukebox musicals being made everywhere these days... It's really refreshing to see something like Next, a brilliant original musical just a couple of years old.
I liked the 2010-2011 Helsingin kaupunginteatteri version okay, but seeing the show three times was maybe more about loving the source material, not the production itself. Well, most of the actors varied from good to great, anything with my long-time fangirl crush Tuukka Leppänen can't exactly fail in my eyes... But something about the direction distanced me from the events. Maybe it was the staging, which I found simply ugly.
So, I can't wait to see what this production, with Victoria Brattström directing, will be like.

Maybe it'll be an interesting fall, musical-wise, even if a couple of old favourites happen to close this spring!

And hey! If you feel that this is not the version for you to see (if you don't know the story and aren't skilled at Swedish, it might be hard to follow along)... Tampereen Työväen Teatteri will also do Next to Normal next fall, with Eriikka Väliahde, Puntti Valtonen and others in the roles. 
With this, and two productions of Hair popping up in Finland at the same time, greetings to theatres: try to spy each other a little more carefully!

Tanz and Fans

I saw the Finnish version of Tanz der Vampire in Seinäjoken kaupunginteatteri yesterday again, for the fourth time. My last time.

That's a shame. I love Tanz. After seeing it for the first time, I rushed back the next week, I was that impressed. It's the most entertaining musical I've ever seen. What's more, the Seinäjoki production is so filled with insanely talented people that it's been pure joy to watch, every time.
The production closing is a shame for another reason, too.
Continuing the trend Wicked started, though with an even grander force... Tanz seems to have a huge fanbase, by Finnish standards at least. It's a musical that gathers fans wherever it's being produced, and I'm glad it's been brought here. I find it really nice that the standard Finnish way of going to theatre - the buses full of often uninterested senior citizens (I've heard of a play's start being postponed because they had to wait for a bus of seniors stuck in the traffic) - is changing a little, at least in some cases.

During the last few months, the ÅST Les Mis started gathering a small fandom. A small fandom: doing a headcount of the fellow fans I know, eight people. Seeing I can't know everybody, I guess it's safe to suppose the production had about twenty big fans by the end.
This Saturday alone, at least twenty big Tanz fans gathered in Seinäjoki. Probably more. Just sitting in my seat, I was surrounded by fans: behind me sat a kid with his mother who had seen the show four times. Next to me, a guy who had been there seven times. Chatting with them cheered up my day. Normally, strangers don't talk to each other in theatre (or anywhere else, for that matter) in Finland, but yesterday, it was surprisingly easy. "How many times have you seen this?" turned out to be a great conversation-starter!
What makes this, in my opinion, extraordinary, is that yesterday was just a normal day. It wasn't the last show or anything, just a standard matinee performance. With probably a half of the audience seeing the show not for the first time. Some with vampire makeup.

Talking to a couple of fans during the intermission, and just looking around, keeping my eyes and ears open... I'm actually a bit sad that I'm not a full-time member of the group. It seems like a fun fandom to be a part of!
I've seen Tanz and I appreciate it, but I don't love it in the same way I love Les Mis. That's also why I've been distracted from it. By normal people standards, four times is already a lot - but if Les Mis didn't exist in Finland at the same time as Tanz, I'd probably done twice as many visits to Seinäjoki during these past few months. As it it, however, I don't feel I'm involved enough to call myself a huge fan: I haven't seen any other productions, I don't have clear knowledge about actors who have played the roles before. I just enjoy the Finnish version. And even then - I haven't even drawn proper fanart of it...
Despite that, I'm in a state of refusal about having seen the show for the last time. Yesterday was, performance-wise too, the best time I've ever had seeing the musical. I want more! I feel there's still a lot for me to discover. I'd need a couple times more to observe all the details and then a couple more to think about what they actually mean.
But, unless a miracle happens, Tanz'll close next month. We got to keep the ÅST Les Mis for a year and a half. I've a feeling Tanz would have what it takes to keep going just as long, and probably longer. People from all around Finland were present yesterday, it's not as if only people who live near Seinäjoki come to see the show. And still, Tanz's fans can't even have one full season.
I don't know about you, but this seems unfair to me.

Dear Tanz fans, scream a little on my behalf in the derniere, too?

Picture from Seinäjoen kaupunginteatteri's website.
My review of the Seinäjoki Tanz: click!

ÅST Les Mis: A Love Letter

Dear Åbo Svenska Teater's production of Les Misérables,

I suppose you know that you are my favourite musical production of all times.

Now that you've closed for good, I could spend ages speaking about how sad I feel, how upset I am that I'll never sit in the auditorium again, breathing in theatre smoke and feeling amazing.

But, reminiscing about all the times I've spent with you, either visiting you or just talking, writing and thinking about you, I feel something else is more important here. More than anything, more than mourning what has been taken from me now when I can't see you anymore and when memories of every single detail I'd want to remember forever are becoming fainter by each day... I need to thank you for all that you gave me.

I don't know if you know it, but you gave me lots.

Your first gift to me was letting me feel truely independent for the first time in my life.

The first time my parents let me stay overnight in another town all on my own, without even a friend to keep me company - it was because I wanted to see you. I know that sounds like a lonely, boring way to spend a weekend, going to a theatre all alone... But, to me, it wasn't. It was glorious. Still is.
But especially back then... That weekend, for the first time, I was trusted to be able to take full care of myself. For once, I could do exactly what I wanted to. I could come and go as I wished, without having to explain my actions to anyone. I could sit in the theatre foyer for an hour before the show, just breathing in and out and feeling good.

I have never enjoyed the show as much as back then. After the performance had ended I took a long walk around the city and just felt amazing. Can it be called a walk, though? My feet hardly touched ground.

Thank you for being a part of what I still hold as one of the best moments in my life.

Your second gift was showing me that sometimes the impossible happens.

I've always been a sceptical, pessimistic person. I still am. But, nowadays, I simply don't say that something will never happen anymore.

I know that what happened to me is simply one fangirl's silly dreams coming true. To some people it must seem small and insignificant. Meeting some actors, who cares? But, you see, my attitude had been quite different. Before last year, people I admired existed in their own reality and I existed in mine. I could write fanmail or adoring blog entries, but I'd never get to meet them for real, they'd never know or care about that I exist. That just was the way the things were... in my own, pessimistic mind.

Getting a message from one of you, then another message, then an invitation to meet you all, then a backstage tour, then a free ticket, then... Those were some of the most exciting, nervewracking, insane, fun weeks of my life. I still have a hard time believing that it was real, that I was the lucky fangirl to get it all. My life has been a little insane ever since that first message, in the best possible way. Especially going to the theatre... During the last few months, every new performance was a small adventure for me. Just going to the theatre and leaving wasn't an option, there was always a little something exciting in store.

And during your last week of performances you welcomed me and my friend (whose presence was nothing short of being another miracle, we'll come to this) to meet you again. I'm grateful. Even though my brain replays the moments I think I embarrassed myself somehow on a regular basis, I'm glad I got to meet you. I know I was a giggling mess, but I hope you understood how much the production means to me, anyway.

Thank you for letting me live a couple of dreams and showing me that anything can happen.

Your third gift to me is the most important one of them all. Without you, I would lead a much more lonely life.

I'm not a very social person by any means. I don't make friends that easily, I'm not friends with popular kids. I can't be open about myself easily or always say the right things at the right times...
But, through you, I've met many people. Many amazing people that I wish will stay a part of my life even now when you have closed. Running into them in the theatre, gushing about the show with them, getting messages from them, planning future adventures with them... My life is more fun now, thanks to the people you helped me to find.

I also want to thank you for the amazing times I've had with you and my old friends. I bet some of them are tired of my constant talking about you... But coming to see you with them has been a lot of fun, too. I can't help grinning when I think about those days!

Above all, however, I'm grateful for the two people that I can call some of the best friends I have ever known.

Even though I first met them both through some other matter than you... I can't know if we would ever have crossed the line from acquaintances to true friends without you. It could be - but as it is, you were maybe the most important thing for us to talk about when becoming friends.

You're so woven into my relationship with these people that I can't even think about them without thinking about you. First, I only knew them through the internet, but even back then, we had some amazing times. The nights coming back from the theatre and telling everything about the day's performance to them in great detail... Sharing every single new production photo we could find with each other... Calling them to an emergency chat meeting when we got messages from you, when I met with you all, when one of our favourites was leaving... Discussing, speculating, fangirling.
Even meeting them for the first time was all about you. The one I met first... I met her for the first time when we went to see you together. We had been looking forward to it for months and months, and you didn't disappoint - we had a magical day, a day to cherish in memories forever. The other... After giving up, lack of faith, insane plans and waiting for months and months, she flew from America to see you... and to meet me, along the way. We visited you together and had a magical week, a week we will always remember.

There usually aren't too many people in your life that you know you can tell everything to. With your help, I have found two more of them. That alone is a reason to be eternally grateful.

Thank you for them.

Your last gift, though still noteworthy, was giving me - along with every other person who ever saw you - an amazing version of my favourite musical. The most amazing I've ever encountered.

You were very close to being perfect. Your few little flaws were easily forgiven on the grounds that, as a whole, you always left me feeling ecstatic when I left the theatre. No other piece of theatre has ever made me feel that good, lifted me that far off the ground. You deserved every single clap, scream and standing ovation the audiences gave you - and, judging by how much I saw those happening, I'm sure I wasn't the only one who thought you were brilliant.

After you, seeing Les Misérables will never feel the same.

Thank you for those thirteen beautiful performances you gave me.

I hope you can see how much you are being missed.

With all my love and then some more,
Siiri

RENT and Why I Love It

During the last twelve months, I've seen three productions of RENT.
They've ranged from weird and messing with the original piece - the one I saw in Athens - to energetic and enthusiastic and still messing with the original piece - the one I saw in Lahti, Finland - to kind of nice and yet again messing with the original piece, Musik- och kulturskolan Sandels' student production I saw this week in Helsinki. What's more, there'll be a new professional RENT in Helsinki later this year - a big must-see for me.
However, despite seeing it practically all the time and often listing it as one of my favourite musicals.... I sometimes catch myself thinking about how much I dislike RENT.

I think my friend put it the best:
"Just close your eyes and enjoy it. Don't think. Whatever you do, don't think. It can't take being thought about."
I find that statement painfully accurate.

In my opinion, RENT has great music. Sadly, to counteract that, it's filled with pretentious characters and implausibilities - for example, are we really supposed to believe the whole first act happens during one single night? It can of course be seen as unfair, criticising the flaws in RENT's plot. Many musicals are still rewritten after the premiere, but, due to the writer and composer Jonathan Larson's untimely passing away, that couldn't happen here. Still... One can't deny RENT has its fair share of plotholes.
To me, though, the show's biggest problem is being unbearably preachy. No day but today! And if the message isn't clear to you by now, no worries, we'll repeat it for you about five hundred times before the curtain falls! Actually, the show's moral reads like a selection of The Beatles classics - love me do, she loves you, all you need is love-yeah-yeah-yeah!
I think the problems with RENT's moral largely stem from slapping a message of love conquering all on La bohème, the opera RENT is based on, and calling it a day. That hardly makes sense. In the opera, no one has a happy relationship. No one comes back from the grave to the arms of their love. The characters are quite miserable and realise how close they were to happiness only when it's too late. But RENT... It doesn't question the power of love. The final scene leaves the cast belting about its glory, though judging by all we've seen, the couples are probably going to break up the next morning. Yet again.

I think the simple decision of letting Mimi die for real would improve RENT by heaps. I've seen one production do that so far, and I applaud the decision. Seeing the amount of meddling the directors do with RENT in general, I'm surprised every production I've seen didn't kill Mimi off...
As the story is, Angel's death doesn't wake the characters up. Angel helped us believe in love. I can't believe you disagree. But the characters continue quarreling as if nothing had happened. Maybe it's because, in a way, Angel's is not a cautionary tale. Although her life was cut short, she had the time to be happy - someone stayed beside her until the last moment. I'd be happy to die for a taste of what Angel had. 
But if Mimi dies... Due to them both being proud and stubborn, she didn't have the time to be happy with Roger. No day but today - and those two failed it quite spectacularily. Mimi dying changes the tone of the show, makes it darker and more thought-provoking. It hammers in the live each day as it were your last ideology in so much more powerfully than repeating the lyric an innumerable number of times ever can.

So, as I mentioned, I saw Musik- och kulturskolan Sandels' student production this week. It wasn't bad, I give it that. Most of the young stars did a good job in their roles. I was especially impressed by Filip Rosengren as Roger - I just loved his take of the character -, and Cassandra af Hällström's Maureen was a lot of fun to follow, too.
But, as so often happens with RENT is, the piece was changed, at some points in ways that made no sense. Even though, as you now know, I'm all for changing certain details in the piece... Cutting stuff for no reason just makes me angry. I admit I like it when Contact is gone, I find that painfully awkward. But otherwise, I think the songs should stay intact. In this production, many little scenes and moments had disappeared - parts of One Song Glory, La Vie Bohème, Goodbye Love, just to name a few - and then there were two encores. What sense does that make? Use the time you have productively, do the whole piece. Cut the unnecessary reprises if you have to.
What's worse, I think Ylva Edlund's direction had a severe case of ADHD. During duets, there always seemed to be something unrelated going on in the background, dancing and comedic routines and whatnot... I'm sure the audience won't implode of boredom, even if you give them a quiet moment or two every now and then.

But even with this all, I enjoyed myself a lot.

Next time, though, let her stay like this.

You see... Even when the piece has been cut, even when the ending hasn't been changed and Mimi wakes up... I can't help loving RENT. I can't help feeling gleeful whenever I find out I can see it live again. Back in the days of the Lahti RENT, I couldn't help rushing to see it twice in two weeks' time.
The feeling of seeing RENT live is something the movie or the Filmed Live on Broadway DVD can never give me. If you're lucky and your cast is full of energy, you're going to leave the theatre feeling ecstatic. The magic is all about feeling the cast believes what they have to say. The piece is wildly flawed, but if the actors manage to portray it with sincerity... It becomes something more than a sum of its parts. It's easy to forgive the silliness and preachiness and enjoy the ride.

RENT. A guilty pleasure, for sure.
But also, at its best, an uplifting experience.

Pictures are by Vladimir Pohtokari, from Musik- och kulturskolan Sandels' website.
More about the Athens and Lahti RENTs at this entry if you're interested.

Hop a Carpet and Fly

Some months ago, I heard rumors that Disney's Aladdin would be getting a stage production in Alexander Theatre, Helsinki. I thought "nice" and then moved on with my life, forgetting all about that piece of gossip - there would surely be more info than vague rumors if I just waited patiently.
Last week there was an invitation to the press release event for Aladdin in my e-mail.
Maybe it's needless to say that at first I panicked, then I hyperventilated and then I panicked some more. First of all, that means someone actually reads this blog. Secondly, that means that someone thinks my blog is quality enough to invite me to a real press release event. That's a pretty high honor!

So, to the event I went.
And boy, am I looking forward the premiere now!

When the invitation hit my inbox I was actually a little baffled. It said that Aladdin is going to be a bilingual musical, done in both Finnish and Swedish. Bilingual? How could that work? Would they have performances in both Finnish and Swedish, or would they somehow switch the language at some points during the show? On the scale of one to ten, how awkward would that be?
I also wondered a bit about the musical choice itself. I had heard about the 45-minute-long Aladdin stage show that plays in California's Disneyland. I had also heard that there is a Broadway version in the works. How amazing that they'll let a Finnish company to do the Broadway show before the Broadway premiere, I thought.
I had no idea that an American theatre company had, in 2009, done a full-lenght stage version of Aladdin in Houston, Texas. A bilingual production where Jafar had gotten a hold of the magic lamp and separated the people of Agrabah, leaving them unable to understand each other. Aladdin and the people on the street spoke English and Jasmine and her court spoke Spanish. That is the version Polar Illusions, a new Scandinavian theatre production company, is bringing to Finland as their first production.
I've seen something like that done before. I saw In The Heights on Broadway some years back, and there a part of the characters spoke Spanish. I didn't quite enjoy myself, but I don't know if it was more about the unconventional language decisions, the overall quality of the piece, or my jet lag... I also saw the latest Broadway revival of West Side Story where a part of the characters spoke Spanish. While I still think the piece is just as good if they all speak the same language, it wasn't distracting at all there.

That said, I'm actually really glad they found a bilingual piece to perform in Finland.
While I'm sadly mediocre in Swedish personally, I think having two official languages is a pretty nice in general. I love having Swedish theatres in Finland since that expands the casting opportunities: in Swedish productions we can see Nordic actors we wouldn't otherwise see in Finland. But, even though Aladdin will be done by an all-Finnish cast, I think the idea of two languages in one show is worth trying out. Who says Swedish theatre and Finnish theatre always have to be separated to different buildings? It may not work out perfectly, of course, but I love the idea and look forward seeing how it's done.
The director of the production, Samuel Harjanne, said that having the street urchin Aladdin speak Finnish and the princess Jasmine speak Swedish is simply because the script is written in a way that Aladdin speaks the majority language of whichever area the musical is being done at. All bättre folk stereotypes aside, that makes sense to me - the minority in the palace speaks the minority language of the country, sounds pretty sensible. However, Harjanne promised that even if you can only speak one of the languages, the show is written in a way that you can still keep up with the plot and jokes. Let's hope so!
What's more, Harjanne said that the original Finnish and Swedish translations of the movie's songs - all, what, five of them? (As an addition, this production will reinstall the songs that were cut from the movie back in 1992) - will remain. I understand the nostalgia approach Harjanne talked about, that it's important that well-known songs sound like people remember them... But I don't know. The Finnish dub for Aladdin isn't horrible, but it has some forced lines (mainly in A Whole New World) and a couple of lines that relate strongly to the visuals going on onscreen. "Kohdasta tilaa a ja beekin kokonaan"? Oh well - maybe they'll come up with stage-appropriate visual jokes to go with the lyrics. At least, I hope they'll cut some of the most tired pop culture references from the original movie!

Enough of the languages, maybe. What else is interesting?
Well, as said, Samuel Harjanne will direct the show. Despite being only 24 years old, he has already directed a couple of productions and acted in lots of musicals. He seemed pretty excited about this project, I'm sure lack of enthusiasm won't bring this down!
The leads, Aladdin and Jasmine, will be played by Jon-Jon Geitel and Anna Victoria Eriksson. The former played the leading role in the 2011 movie Roskisprinssi, a film I haven't gotten around seeing yet... The later, then, is the Éponine understudy in Åbo Svenska Teater's Les Misérables. I was lucky enough to see her in the role a couple of weeks ago - hers was honestly the best Éponine I have ever seen! So, couldn't be happier about that bit of casting. Not to mention that they sung A Whole New World for us. It sounded beautiful already!
Antti LJ Pääkkönen will play Genie. Every single person I've ever talked to who has seen Aladdin, me included, absolutely loves Vesa-Matti Loiri in the role. No wonder even Disney praised Loiri's performance, it's brilliant! So, just saying that Pääkkönen has huge boots to fill here, I'm looking forward seeing how he'll make the role his own. Actually, I'm very curious to see how the Genie will be done onstage in general, him being an immaterial being to begin with...

All in all, I'm rather excited about this production. Of course it won't be as huge as the Broadway Disney shows, nor as big as what Helsinki City Theatre or something of that size could do. But, as a certain production I've seen a lot lately has taught me - you don't always need a huge stage and plenty of effects to make an impact. I'm a bit confused, though, that there only seems to be nine performances listed, in this year's August and September. Will there be more later, or is this a blink-and-miss-it sort of a production?
So. I like Aladdin a lot as a movie, and I'm pretty sure this version has all it takes to be lots of fun. At least, judging by the song we heard today, I'm sure it'll sound amazing even if all else fails!

 Listen for yourself!

Picture from Alexander Theatre's website. See the whole cast list there.
Also, the musical has its own site - though, so far, its only use seems to be that clicking the picture takes you to buy tickets...