Upcoming in 2017

Happy 2017!

Yesterday, the last day of 2016, I listed my top four musical performances of the previous year. Today, it's time to take a look at the future with another top four list – the musicals I'm most looking forward to in 2017.

Jekyll & Hyde, Teater Vorpommern, Germany

Photo by Vincent Leifer

Longtime readers know this story already. I and my two friends went to Greifswald, Germany to see Jekyll & Hyde and everything went wrong. This March, we'll travel to Greifswald again, in the hopes that the show will not be cancelled this time.

To quote my friend Rami: "We didn’t go to Greifswald and back for nothing, except we totally did". We've seen video of Chris Murray as Jekyll and Hyde, we know how amazing he can be in the roles. And soon, we'll attempt to see him live again.

I'm excited but mostly nervous. I think I shall relax only after the lights have dimmed and the show has begun. It's a long way to Greifswald and a long day there before we'll see if the show is on. Fingers crossed.

Nahkatakkinen tyttö, Lappeenrannan kaupunginteatteri

Photo: lprteatteri.fi

This is a bit of an outlier on this list. A high school and a professional theatre combining their forces for a new production of a jukebox musical based on the songs of the Finnish 80s band Dingo.

The thing is, Nahkatakkinen tyttö is such a great jukebox musical it really makes me forget it's jukebox at all. It feels like the songs have been written for the plot, centered around a group of high school kids spending a weekend in a cabin where something dark has happened, instead of the other way around.

So far, I've seen this performed by two high schools (it was originally written for one of them) – and no matter how talented the performers, it's always a bit awkward when teens play adults. So I'm glad to see a coproduction with adults in the adult roles and teens playing teens. I've been hoping for such a cooperation to happen for a while, and this spring, my wish comes true.

Les Misérableses

Picture: smot.se

In autumn 2017, Les Mis is popping up everywhere around Northern Europe: Smålands Musik & Teater, Jönköping, Sweden; Teater Vanemuine, Tarto, Estonia; Folketeateret, Oslo, Norway; MCH Musicals, Herning, Denmark...

I doubt I'm going to be able to see all of these in 2017, though they're all interesting in their own ways. So far, I've booked my tickets to one of them: I'll be seeing the premiere of the new Swedish production. It'll be a replica of the Karlstad production I last praised in my best of 2016 text, but with at least partially new casting. Not much is known about the production yet, but with the right cast, it might be quite wonderful – the direction is certainly good enough to bear replicating. We'll see!

I also find the new Estonian production very interesting since it'll be directed by Samuel Harjanne, who has acted in three different Finnish productions of the musical, first as Gavroche and then as Enjolras and other barricade boys. I'll be curious to see how his direction will be like and really hope I can fit it in my 2017 schedule, too.

Cats, Tampereen Teatteri 

Photo by Henri Mattila

Cats is one of the first musicals I fell in love with, so I'm happy that it's coming back to my home country. This new production, directed by Georg Malvius, will give the material a brand-new spin: the show will be narrated by a rat. It's interesting to see how that'll work out – glad to hear that Andrew Lloyd Webber approves of such bold reimagining of the classic megamusical.

Remembering Malvius's version of Hair, with some rearranging of the songs and scenes to make the whole musical more story-driven... I doubt the rat is going to be the only alteration here. It's interesting to see how Malvius's Cats, another musical that traditionally has hardly any plot, is going to play out.

Everything we've heard of the production so far sounds good, so I'm eagerly looking forward to this one. I bet it's going to be a lot of fun.

So, onwards to 2017! May the new year be filled with happy moments and fun experiences, theatrical and otherwise, for all of us.

Related posts: Best of 2016, Nahkatakkinen tyttö (Finnish only)

Best of 2016

So, 2016. Worst year ever? Or maybe not so terrible after all? I don't know – but this way or that, thank goodness for live theatre.

For me personally, 2016 has been busy and exciting. I graduated and started working as a full-time communications coordinator in a theatre. The work's been both hard and challenging, fun and rewarding. I've still a lot to learn, but there have been moments when everything's felt just right. So whatever the future will bring, I hope I'll get to keep on learning and working in the field that's so close to my heart.

I've also seen plenty of shows this year, both good and otherwise. I like to focus on the good stuff, so to celebrate the end of 2016, here's a short list of the most memorable musical performances of the year. In no particular order, but saving the best for the last.

Jekyll & Hyde, Det Ny Teater, Denmark

 

Photo by Miklos Szabo

This was no perfect production, but it was an intriguing one that has haunted me for the better part of the year.

Implying Emma struggles with mental illness and giving Spider more time onstage were interesting decisions on their own, but the dark and disturbing tone of the whole production is even better. Instead of stumbling on the awkward parts of the musical's script, the Danish creative team managed to create a wonderful, creepy atmosphere with a strong focus on the duality and responsibility of man.

Deep stuff for Frank Wildhorn's Jekyll & Hyde the Musical, that's what I'm saying.

Last performance of Jekyll & Hyde in Jyväskylän kaupunginteatteri, Finland

 

Photo by Jiri Halttunen

This one's sort of cheating, since the production premiered in 2015 already. But the last performance in May 2016 was truely something special.

I don't know if it's a thing in other countries, but in Finland, it's something of a tradition that during the last performance of a theatrical production, actors play little pranks on each other. And let me tell you, I've never seen as thorough and as entertaining pranking as during this performance! Highlights included Jekyll impromptu singing and dancing his way into the Red Rat and all the Red Rat dancers taking turns in harassing Utterson during the scene that followed.

I don't know what the audience in general thought of the mayhem, but for us J&H fans gathered in the first rows of the auditorium, it was a hilarious treat. A perfect ending for a fun production.

Les Misérables, Wermland Opera, Sweden

 

Photo by Mats Bäcker

I travelled to Sweden twice for this (the link above is to my first review, read about the second time here).

I've seen Les Mis 30 times soon, but watching this production for the first time, I was so immersed in the story it really felt like I didn't know what's going to happen next. The production is not without its problems, but the way it treats Jean Valjean – as the main character of the story instead of a person around whom dramatic things keep happening... It sounds so simple, it's almost shocking how refreshing seeing that felt!

Klokkeren fra Notre Dame, Fredericia Teater, Denmark

 

Photo by Søren Malmose

I think I've said it all in my review. I waited for five years to see Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame the Musical live. I could have waited for fifteen and been completely satisfied. I'm grateful for the opportunity to watch this musical as a part of the premiere audience. Nothing can compare, and I doubt I'll ever experience anything else quite like this.

I know extreme enthusiasm, like mine, can be a bit scary. Maybe you think that if you saw the show, your experience could never live up to what I've described in my review. And maybe it won't! But even so, I cannot but encourage everyone who can make it to Copenhagen next summer to purchase a ticket now, while they're still available, to see it for yourself. Whether you're a fan or a professional, an artist or an enthusiast, it'll be a performance to remember.

Book your ticket, I'll book mine, and we'll see each other in Copenhagen next summer.

Related posts: Best of 2015, Upcoming in 2017
Bubbling under: Rock of Ages (it's currently playing in the theatre I work at. I doubt I would have seen the 80s rock jukebox show six times if I had had to pay full price, but as it is... It's all empty calories, nice sights and sounds with no substance whatsoever, but I have to be honest and admit I've enjoyed it immensely), Vampyyrien tanssi (I'm afraid I grew tired of the new Finnish production of Tanz der Vampire faster than I thought I might – but it was very entertaining, with the most enthusiastic Finnish musical fandom I've seen in years. It introduced me to new friends and let me have fun with old ones, and for that reason alone, it has a place in my heart)

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.

Unohdetut nuoret naiset

Kirjailija, opettaja Tommi Kinnunen kirjoitti pari viikkoa sitten mainion kolumnin. Tekstissään Kinnunen peräänkuuluttaa nuorille suunnattuja teatteriesityksiä, joiden pääpaino ei ole opettavaisessa tarinassa. "Esimerkkien perusteella koululaisnäytännöt pohjautuvat enemmän tai vähemmän kuvitteelliseen käsitykseen siitä, millaista teini-ikä on", Kinnunen tykittää. Olen itse kirjoittanut samasta aiheesta, enkä voisi olla vahvemmin samaa mieltä.

Kinnusen kolumnin lukeminen palautti mieleeni erään ajatuksen, jota olen pohdiskellut jo pitempään. Jos nuorison toiveita keskimäärin ymmärretään teattereissa huonosti, on tietty osa nuorista unohtunut ohjelmistosuunnittelussa aivan kokonaan.

Miksi missään ei esitetä teinitytöille suunnattua teatteria?


Ainakin omasta näkökulmastani ja kokemuksestani vaikuttaa siltä, että silloin harvoin kun nuorille tehdään muuta kuin itsemurhaan kulminoituvia kiusaamissaagoja, seikkailevat esitysten sankareina yleensä pojat.

En toki väitä, etteikö kuka tahansa voisi samaistua poikien tarinoihin. Ymmärrän myös, että nimenomaan pojille suunnatuilla esityksillä on arvokas tavoite – on tärkeää haastaa ennakkoluuloja, joiden mukaan kaikenlaisia taideharrastuksia pidetään yhä tyttöjen puuhana. Teatteri on kaikille.

Mutta silti kysyn: mikä teatteri uskaltaisi tuottaa ensisijaisesti teinitytöille suunnatun näytelmän?

Minulla on jo tarjota näytelmälle aihekin, tai oikeastaan monta. Minkä tahansa kirjaston nuortenosastolta löytyy nimittäin hyllymetreittäin vaihtoehtoja.

Teinitytöille suunnattu kirjallisuus on ollut vuosikymmenestä toiseen täynnä kiinnostavia, persoonallisia ja särmikkäitä nuoria naisia. Itselleni (ikä: 23) rakkaita olivat muun muassa Vihervaaran Anna, poikatyttö Tiina, punkkari-Sara ja prinsessa Mia, ja nykyteineillä on varmasti omat suosikkihahmonsa. Tyttökirjoja luetaan ja rakastetaan vuodesta toiseen. Eikö niiden sankarittarien tarinoita voisi siis kertoa myös teatterin lavalla?

Seuraa karkea yleistys ja silkkaan mutuun pohjautuvaa spekulaatiota. Suurin osa suomalaisten teatterien johtajista on miehiä. Veikkaan, että moni heistä ei välitä tai edes tiedä tyttökirjaperinteen olemassaolosta – saati että pysähtyisi pohtimaan, olisiko tytöille suunnatussa kirjallisuudessa ainesta peräti näytelmäksi. Miehille sana nuortenkirja voi tarkoittaa aivan eri teoksia kuin naisille.

Onneksi tietoa nuorten naisten lukutottumuksista on saatavilla muillekin kuin Uudenkuun Emilian kanssa varttuneille runotytöille. Kirjastonhoitajilla ja äidinkielenopettajilla olisi varmasti antaa osviittaa siihen, mikä tyttöihin juuri nyt kolahtaa. Teinitytöiltä itseltään voisi pyytää neuvoja vaikkapa nettikyselyn muodossa.

Itse koin tyttökirjojen lukemisen kovin yksinäiseksi puuhaksi. Tosielämän ystävätyttöni eivät jakaneet rakkauttani kirjojen sankarittariin. Aivan varmasti koulussani olisi ollut muitakin tyttökirjojen ystäviä, mutta koska lukuharrastuksesta ei huudeltu, emme koskaan törmänneet toisiimme. Tyydyin nauttimaan suosikkikirjojeni tarinoista yksin.

Kuvitelkaapa siis, millainen kokemus kaltaisilleni, lukuharrastuksessaan yksinäisille tytöille (ja totta kai siinä samalla myös muita ikäkausia ja sukupuolia edustaville, samanhenkisille haaveilijoille ja sukulaissieluille) olisi tulla teatteriin ja kokea yhdessä elävä, hengittävä versio jostakin suosikkikirjastaan.

Paljon puhutaan siitä, että keski-ikäiset ja sitä vanhemmat naiset pitävät ahkerina kulttuurinkuluttajina suomalaiset teatterit pystyssä. Tämän päivän teinitytöt ovat joku päivä niitä keski-ikäisiä. Tulevaisuuden katsomot eivät täyty, jollei nykytyttöjä saada koukkuun. Siinäkin valossa olisi hienoa nähdä nimenomaan teinitytöille suunnattu esitys. Jonkin suosikkikirjan pohjalta – tai ehkäpä joku nykyhetken suosituimmista tytöille kirjoittavista nuortenkirjailijoista voitaisiin jopa pyytää kirjoittamaan tarkoitukseen sopiva uusi näytelmä?


Tytöt on unohdettu myös toisella tavalla. Uskoakseni aivan yhtä tärkeää kuin nostaa esille nuorten naisten tarinoita olisi myös kertoa meille nuorille (ja totta kai vanhemmillekin) naisille tarinoita vanhoista naisista.

Naisten puutteellisesta edustuksesta teatterilavoilla on puhuttu paljon. Tilanne ei tietenkään ole sama kaikissa teattereissa ja kehitys kehittyy koko ajan, mutta jälleen karkeasti yleistäen voidaan todeta, että vanhojen naisten tarinat ovat yhä paitsiossa teatterien ohjelmistoissa.

Itse ajattelen, että keski-ikäisten ja sitä vanhempien naisten tuominen päärooliin entistä useammin on tärkeää myös nuoren naisen näkökulmasta. Meidän itsetunnollemme tekisi hyvää nähdä lavalla esimerkkejä kaikenlaisista tavoista olla nainen. Ei vain vaimo, äiti ja isoäiti, vaan myös sankari ja tavis, hajottaja ja hallitsija, pyhimys ja pahis. Jo rautakautisissa legendoissa voimakas naisjohtaja herätti Kalevan pojissa pelkoa ja kunnioitusta. Tuokaa hänen sisarensa teatterilavoille!

Fiktiiviset naishahmot voivat olla meille nuorille naisille aivan yhtä tärkeitä esikuvia kuin tosielämän naiset. Vanhojen naisten puuttuminen kuvitteellisista tarinoista lähettää nuorille naisille vaivihkaisen viestin, että naisen elämä päättyy ennen viittäkymmentä ikävuotta, että hän keski-iän ylitettyään muuttuu näkymättömäksi. Aika kamala tulevaisuudenkuva.

Kaikista taiteenlajeista juuri teatterin toivoisi tarttuvan tähän ongelmakohtaan ja korjaavan sen. Jos rooleja vanhoille naisille ei ole, voidaan niitä onneksi kirjoittaa lisää – tai miksipä nainen ei voisi myös astua minkä hyvänsä klassisen mieshahmon saappaisiin ja tehdä roolista omansa.


Toistan loppuun sen, mitä olen aikaisemminkin sanonut: jos nykynuoria ei saada innostumaan teatterista, saa moni talo lyödä lähivuosikymmeninä lapun luukulle. 

Samalla kun pidätte tämän mielessä, otattehan nuoret naiset huomioon.

Les Misérables in Wermland Opera: Addendum

Last weekend, it was time for the year's second musical trip to Sweden!

Also time for the year's second trip to see Les Misérables in Wermland Opera in Karlstad, since I have a bit of a fixation like that.

I saw Wermland Opera's Les Mis first time this July. It filled me with the special glee only a fantastic production of this musical can inspire. Afterwards, I wondered if it's maybe the very best production of Les Misérables I've ever seen.

Having now seen it for the second time, let's take a short look at the experience. How did the production hold up?

Best things first.

In my original review, I said the following about Christer Nerfont's Jean Valjean:

"In short, I have never seen this thoroughly thought-out, three-dimensional, human portrayal of Jean Valjean's character. This is the first time the character has felt truely relatable to me."

Having seen the show for the second time, that is more true than ever. Nerfont's Jean Valjean is everything I could hope for the character to be.

Les Misérables is based on a 19th century novel with 19th century storytelling and Big Emotions – our hero essentially dies of a broken heart. It's no wonder Jean Valjean often feels a bit unrealistic and distant. Nerfont's Valjean, though, is none of that. He is a real person through and through, every action justified, every detail thought out (seriously, pay attention to his hands whenever he is trying to keep his calm while confronted by Javert). I couldn't bear to take my eyes off him whenever he was onstage, afraid I would miss some interesting nuance if I did!

I'm also glad I went for the second round since it gave me a chance to properly appreciate Cecilie Nerfont Thorgersen as Fantine.

I think I have found my dream Fantine. Nerfont Thorgersen's take is very angry and not fragile at all. This is a woman who has been let down by everybody, but even so, she refuses to break and keeps on fighting. The most important of all, she is a mother who loves her daughter with every fibre of her being. She doesn't feel regretful at all – it's all been for Cosette, so what would there be to regret? Nerfont Thorgersen's I Dreamed a Dream is especially impressive. It's such a journey through emotions, from hurt to longing and anger, I completely forgot how overdone the song is. I just listened and felt for the character.

Photo source: Facebook

In the role of Javert, we saw understudy John Alexander Eriksson. I liked him better than principal Philip Jalmelid. Jalmelid's out-of-this-world gorgeous singing remains unparalleled (though Eriksson's great!), but acting-wise, I prefer Eriksson's calmer, more stoic approach.

Eriksson is a very young Javert. Discussing the matter, me and my friends came to the conclusion it actually adds to the character. Maybe the Javert we see in the musical's prologue is an insecure young man who hides his self-doubts behind a harsh facade – and takes the hardships that come his way too personally, dwelling upon his mistakes until they turn into obsessions. By the time Javert and Valjean meet on the barricade, it's just been way too long for Javert to let go anymore. Eriksson does a great job highlighting the character's black-and-white worldview in Stars, making even a hardened Les Mis fan like me to stop and really listen to the lyrics for once!

It's a shame, however, that in James Grieve's direction, Javert is quite simply the villain of the piece. While Javert and Jean Valjean's scenes together are wonderfully intensive, our antagonist is still presented as a baddie who dies a horrible dark death all alone, and yet, is not worthy an absolution. I understand where that interpretation is coming from, but personally, I prefer a take with more shades of gray.

Watching the show for the second time highlighted the problems I have with the direction, but on the flip side, the good parts shone even brighter. The story flows forward with a flawless pace, the sets and lights are gorgeous, the orchestra is lush and the vocal performances top-notch. Many of the characterisations – the Thénardiers, Gavroche, Marius – are spot-on. Overall, the production is very refreshing to watch.

So, my sentence? Not quite as good the second time as it was the first, since the special magic of not knowing what you're going to get is gone... But let's be real here. The return trip would have been worth it for Jean Valjean alone. The rest is bonus goodness on top of that.

Les Mis is playing in Karlstad until April 2017. Catch it while you can!

Photos by Mats Bäcker.

Klokkeren fra Notre Dame

Please note: Fredericia Teater invited me to see their production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame for free.

I waited for five years to see Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame the musical.

Having now seen Klokkeren fra Notre Dame in Fredericia Teater, Denmark... I could have waited for 15 years and still have been completely satisfied.

Let me tell you.

The Hunchback

Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame the animated movie premiered in 1996. It's based on Victor Hugo's very dark novel featuring a hunchbacked bell-ringer, a beautiful Romani girl, and an obsessive archdeacon. A story set in medieval Paris that centers around prejudice, religion, lust and death – an odd choice for a family picture, to say the least.

While the movie is by far Disney's most daring animated feature, it's still a weird collision of darkness and Mickey Mouse. On one hand, you have a powerful villain song detailing the antagonist's burning yet forbidden lust for a woman. On the other hand, comedic singing gargoyles.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame the musical is what the movie could have been, had they dared to go all the way. It's dark, it's upsetting, it's so close to the novel I'm sure Victor Hugo himself would approve. What's more, it's incredibly massive. The music (composed by Alan Menken with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz), the emotions, the story... It's such a rollercoaster of everything that it makes Les Misérables look rather bland in comparison.

In other words, it's got everything I love in musical theatre.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame the musical first premiered in Berlin in 1999. Finding out about Der Glöckner von Notre Dame five years ago and listening to its cast recording, I fell in love right away. At the same time, was sure I would never see the musical live – certainly Disney wouldn't bring it back, with more family-friendly productions like The Beauty and the Beast and Mary Poppins making bank on Broadway and all around the world.

Little did I know. The musical went through a handful of revisions and was premiered in La Jolla Playhouse in California in 2014. And on October 14th 2016, the revised Hunchback had its European premiere in Fredericia Teater.

I have never been luckier to be a part of an audience.

The Experience

This was no ordinary theatrical experience, so this is not going to be an ordinary review either. I was so overwhelmed and amazed by every single thing, from the performances to the stage tech, that there is no use trying to be the least bit analytical or objective about it.

Instead, I'll list the things that left the biggest impression on me, and try to tell you how the performance made me feel.

The music.

Alan Menken's music is massive and absolutely breathtaking. One of the best musical scores ever composed, especially if you're like me and enjoy huge and dramatic. In Fredericia Teater, every bit from ballads to booming ensemble numbers, every Latin chorus and solo line, is sung and played to perfection.

The sound mixing is flawless. On Friday, it felt like I was like being enveloped by music instead of barely listening to it.

It didn't matter a thing that I'm Finnish and the show was in Danish. Knowing the novel, the movie, the cast recording and some Swedish, I understood about 20% of the dialogue... and 100% of the emotions.

It actually feels nice, that there are still things for me to understand here, dialogue that I couldn't yet grasp that contains more insight into the story and the characters. You see – I feel like this premiere was just the beginning of a long relationship with a new favourite musical, a musical I will in time see in many different languages and learn to know by heart.

I can't wait.

The performances.

I would love to say something informative and profound about the actors performing in this fantastic show, but right now, I can't. As far as I'm concerned, they are all absolutely perfect for their roles – and while little moments I loved keep coming back to me, I'm still too awestruck by everything to really analyze what I enjoyed. I truely wish I could say more, but as of now, there are no words.

Maybe I can come back to this after I've seen the musical the second time in summer 2017.

The scenography.

First of all: I have never seen digital scenography like this.

With screens surrounding the first six rows of seats from three directions, the digital imagery by Jacob Bønsdorff Eriksen and Thomas Agerholm takes us inside the Notre-Dame Cathedral and on the streets, squares and rooftops of medieval Paris. The 3D animation of moving up and down in between the floors of the church was so impressive the whole audience applauded.

The production is an intriguing mix of digital and traditional, combining the animation with simple yet gorgeous wooden sets. One fantastic idea is how a part of the audience sits onstage in movable pews wearing cloaks, acting as spectators and congregation members. This way, by moving the audience to the right spot, it looks like the already big ensemble suddenly doubles in size.

What's more, the floor itself shakes with the events. I'm not exaggerating when I say that. They have literally installed some technology in the theatre that makes the floor shake.

And the best part? Watching all of this, it didn't felt like I'm surrounded by impressive theatrical gimmicks. It felt like I'm surrounded by the story, that I'm being a part of what the characters are going through. Of course everything around me is lit by digital fire and shaking – that's what the character is feeling. It's only natural that the audience sees and feels it too.

If there is something better in the world than live theatre, please, do tell.

The audience.

This premiere wasn't watching a group of actors acting out something for an audience, not even an audience really enjoying a performance. This was performers and audience existing in a symbiosis, sharing and amplifying the same experience. I have never been a part of a theatre audience as genuinely excited and enthusiastic as this one – and I've been a very active theatre fan for eight years now.

The moments after Hellfire, the big showstopper near the end of the first act... The best two minutes I have ever experienced in theatre. First, almost falling into a trance for a moment watching Mads M. Nielsen's so-good-it-transcends-words performance, snapping out of it to understand how gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous the music and the scenography is and how it feels like you're completely surrounded by it, enveloped by what's happening. Then the song ending and all of us in the audience exploding, screaming, stomping our feet. Heaven knows how long we would have gone on had they not continued – with a fantastic, drawn-out comedic scene that made the audience's overcharged emotions spill out in near-hysterical giggles.

Moments like that, a room full of total strangers experiencing the same story and feeling it together, reacting and sharing our feelings with each other... The world is cruel, the world is ugly / But there are times and there are people / When the world is not.

For me, experiences like this make life worth living.

The Conclusion

It sounds like such a cliché, saying something is the best you have ever seen.

The thing is, sometimes that statement is true.

By the intermission, I felt like climbing on walls, ripping my skin off and strangling someone – all out of sheer excitement. Heart beating twice its usual rate, hands shaking, running out of breath. Jumping up the second the show was over, clapping my hands until they hurt. Waking up at 4:12AM the following morning, completely awake with heart pounding in my chest, all because of what I had experienced the night before.

Friday's Klokkeren fra Notre Dame premiere is the best musical performance I have seen in my life.

The Rating

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

11 flames of hellfire out of 10

Photos by Søren Malmose.
Performances in Fredericia in fall 2016 and in Copenhagen in summer 2017. Book your tickets now.
Also read: another review in English at dlp-photos.com

Ansa

Huom. Sain bloggarina ilmaisen lipun musikaaliin.

On ikävä fiilis tuntea itsensä tyhmäksi katsoessaan suomalaisen kaupunginteatterin musikaalia. Luulla kerran toisensa jälkeen saavansa otteen hahmoista, tarinasta ja teoksen symboliikasta, kunnes jutun juju taas lipsahtaa käsistä ja ajatus sekoaa.

Jyväskylän kaupunginteatterin Ansa jättää hämmentyneen olon, huonolla tavalla.

Sirkku Peltolan kirjoittaman musikaalin tarinassa seurataan myslipatukkatehtaalla työskentelevää Ansaa (Tarja Matilainen), jota musikaalin alaotsikko kuvaa "liian hyväksi ihmiseksi". Muiden onkin helppo polkea auttavaista Ansaa – kunnes patukkatehtaalle saapuu duracellpupumainen konsultti (Sauli Suonpää), joka kouluttaa tiimiin uutta tehoa ja pöllyttää samalla Ansan ajatusmaailman aivan uuteen uskoon. Vaan kuinka käykään, kun globalisaation tuulet puhaltavat tehdashalliin?

Kaiken kaikkiaan musikaali on hyvin roolitettu. Matilaisen Ansassa on herkkyyttä, voimaa ja karmivaa hurahdusta. Eniten potkua runsaan hahmogallerian tyypeistä on Saara Jokiahon esittämässä Tuulikissa, miestään pettävässä perheenäidissä, joka tekee tiliä omien valintojensa kanssa vaikuttavassa Onni ja muita tekosyitä -kappaleessa.

Iiro Rantalan musiikki ja Heikki Salon sanat ovat kaunista kuultavaa ja Lassi Hirven johtaman bändin soitossa on svengiä, vaikka teatterisalin akustiikka laulua mukiloikin. En kuitenkaan ole musikaalin tarinankuljetuksen viideksi minuutiksi paikalleen pysäyttävien laulukohtausten fani, olivatpa kappaleet miten hienoja hyvänsä. Kun melkein kaikki laulut sijoittuvat fantasiamaailmaan, ajatuksella on niiden aikana liikaa aikaa harhailla.

Ansa putoaa omituiseen paikkaan perinteisen juonellisen tarinan ja konseptimusikaalin (musikaali, jossa teoksen teema on yhtenäistä juonta tärkeämpi – esimerkiksi käy vaikkapa Hair) välimaastoon. Juoni ja hahmot eivät ole realistisia, mutteivät toisaalta myöskään aivan tarpeeksi abstrakteja tai parodisia tullakseen tulkituiksi silkkoina symboleina. Juuri mikään ei tunnu todelliselta, kokonaisuus on erittäin vieraannuttava.

Kaiken kaikkiaan Ansa-musikaali, olkoonkin että se on vasta yhdeksän vuotta vanha (ensi-ilta Tampereen Työväen Teatterissa vuonna 2007 nimellä Patukkaooppera) ja että käsikirjoitusta on päivitetty, ei tunnu aivan tältä päivältä. Vaikka globalisaatio vie varmasti työpaikkoja Suomesta tulevaisuudessakin, tuntuu, että patukkatehtaan tarina on jo kuultu. Musikaali ei enää tuo aiheeseen merkittäviä uusia avauksia.

Raikkaampaa työelämän pilkkaa ja kritiikkiä tarjoaa vaikkapa Sami Keski-Vähälän ja Esa Leskisen Gogol-päivitys Päällystakki (kantaesitys Ryhmäteatterissa vuonna 2009), jossa nykypäivää leimaa pätkätyöläisyys. Myös nuorten syrjäytyminen ja toisaalta liikakoulutus suosituille aloille olisi tällä hetkellä kritiikin kohteena konsulttien huiputuksia ja duunarien massapotkuja kiinnostavampi.

Kaiken tämän antaisin helposti anteeksi, jos saisin musikaalista jotain irti (eihän Ranskan vuoden 1832 kansannousukaan ole hetkeen ollut ajankohtainen, mutta musikaali on silti hyvä), vaan kun en saa. Ansa herättää paljon kysymyksiä, muttei anna katsojalleen tarpeeksi mielekkäiden vastausten muodostamiseen.

Tuntuu, että minun pitäisi saada tästä roppakaupalla ajatuksen aihetta, nauttia satiirista ja taputtaa musikaalifantasian ja arkirealismin väliselle kontrastille. Toisin käy. En saa teoksesta minkäänlaista otetta.

Tulipahan käytyä.

Kuvat: Jiri Halttunen
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