King of the Jungle

Please note: I saw this production for free on the courtesy of Helsingin kaupunginteatteri.

There is a bit of a jungle musical boom going on in Helsinki. At the moment, two theatres are doing tropical shows: The Jungle Book is still playing at Svenska Teatern, and Helsingin kaupunginteatteri premiered Disney's Tarzan just last week.

Yesterday, I got to see the show as a part of a special blogger event at HKT.

When I think about the jungle, the first thing that comes to my mind is how beautiful it looks like. Tarzan didn't disappoint: the visuals were lovely to look at.

Before the performance, we bloggers got to visit the stage and take a look at the musical's sets (by Katariina Kirjavainen). It was incredible to see how the rather uninteresting-looking mass of shapes we saw beforehand was transformed, with the help of the lighting, into beautiful jungle scenery during the show! I was really impressed by William Iles's lights. I feel the cartoonish sets would probably look too fake from the very front row, but from a bit further back in the auditorium, the sets and the lights together created a nice illusion of a tropical forest.

The gorilla costumes by Elina Kolehmainen were also fun to look at. Actually, the gorillas in general were a lot of fun to look at: they did some really impressive dancing! Overall, this show was a treat to the eyes.

Tarzan's path to adulthood is all about big emotions, but for a reason or another, I didn't really feel for the love story in between Tarzan (Saska Pulkkinen) and Jane (Elina Aalto), nor the relationship in between Tarzan and his adoptive mother Kala (Sanna Majuri). There were emotional moments happening onstage, sure. But despite the sympathetic performances, I didn't feel close to the main characters.

Instead, my favourite character was Tarzan's gorilla friend (and adoptive brother/cousin/?) Terk. I was rather charmed by Matti Leino's performance. He made the character arrogant yet loyal and altogether a lot of fun. Also, I have to mention Kari Mattila as Clayton, the guide of the English jungle expedition group! He was a classic Disney villain: pure evil, greedy and blood-thirsty without a single redeeming trait – and as such, maybe surprisingly, a joy to watch.

So far, so good... Unfortunately, one important part of the show didn't work out: this was one of those musicals where I honestly found myself wishing they wouldn't sing so much. The cast sung well, sure, but Phil Collins's tunes were awfully bland. There were a couple of highlights, but to my ears, most of the songs sounded the same. The ending of the second act with four reprises in a row... Yawn. The music had its moments: I enjoyed the bits with lots of percussion and exciting rythms (Trashin' the Camp, the song that began the second act, was a great number!). It's just a shame there were so many dull ballads in between those parts.

Tarzan at Helsingin kaupunginteatteri was fun (apart from the music), but for me, nothing more than that. It was nice to look at but didn't make me feel any deeper emotions. Remembering it is a Disney musical, however, I guess I got everything I was expecting to get – a fun if not too memorable night at the theatre.

By the way: HKT offers subtitles to Tarzan in Finnish, English and Russian. If you're visiting Helsinki and craving some culture, but your Finnish isn't quite fluent yet, here's a show to consider!
Photos by Mirka Kleemola / Imagenary Oy.

Two Months

I'll keep this short and simple.

Åbo Svenska Teater's production of Jesus Christ Superstar...

1. is one of the top three best musicals I've ever seen
2. is loved by critics and bloggers and audiences alike
3. had sold over 10 000 tickets two weeks after the premiere already
4. is closing in April, after a run of only two and a half months???

I would shrug the Facebook post off as a cheap advertising trick (let's make the audience think the show is closing so they'll panic and buy a lot of tickets!) if I hadn't also heard the news in person from two different members of the theatre's box office personnel. Since they're all saying the same... It's starting to sound way too real.

For the life of me, I cannot understand what has motivated the theatre to make a decision such as this.

A musical that has been flashily advertised since the summer of 2013, a musical that's been called the theatre's 175th anniversary production and the big investment of the anniversary year... This is a fine anniversary if I've ever heard of one. Party hard for a whopping 20% of the anniversary year!!

Åbo Svenska Teater is known for their musicals – and said musicals have previously had rather reasonable runs. Evita (170th anniversary musical) ran from fall 2008 to spring 2009. Les Misérables was first scheduled to run from fall 2010 to spring 2011 but was extended all the way to winter 2012. Even Hair, with an ensemble that mostly consisted of theatre students, ran for about five months in fall 2012 and spring 2013. How does a run of two and a half months fit into this pattern? It doesn't.

What on earth went wrong? Was the budget completely messed up in the first place? Did some internal trouble within the theatre get ridiculously out of hand? I have no idea – but to be honest, it doesn't matter to me what the reason is, I'm still mad. From an audience member's perspective, this makes zero sense and seems both embarrassing and infuriating. You'd think that whatever the case, having a musical production running would beat not having a musical in the repertoire. Little do I understand, apparently.

I'm deeply upset. As said, ÅST's JCS is one of the best musicals I've ever seen. Of course I would've wanted to enjoy it for the full year! As anyone who reads my blog knows, I'm not one to see musicals only once. I would've wanted to see it again and again, watch the production develop and grow. Moreover, I'm also annoyed and upset for my friends' sake. Ever since the theatre started dropping hints that the production is closing, I've heard lots of fellow theatre fans lament they haven't the time to see the production in the spring. Silly us, counting on the show continuing in the fall!

I hope, with all my energy, that this turns out to be something of a bad joke and a fall season will still be announced – but that doesn't seem like a particularily realistic wish. At the moment, it looks like the theatre management has made up their minds to shut down one of the best musicals this country has ever seen.

Decisions

Here's something I've been wondering about for a while. A few months ago, I read an article that claimed critics' opinion doesn't really affect people's decisions to see certain pieces of theatre. A little discouraging for all professional and amateur critics, I guess... Seeing my blog is full of theatre reviews, that got me thinking: is that true in my case, too?

First of all, I figured I'm more likely to be influenced by positive than negative reviews.

Let's say there's a new musical I'm really not interested in. I'm sure it's going to be bad, there's no way I'm seeing that! But if someone whose opinion I trust, someone who I usually agree with, goes to see the show and writes a positive review... It's not unheard of that I'll revise my opinion. For example, I had decided I wouldn't go see West Side Story in Lahden kaupunginteatteri – I've been disappointed by their musicals too many times in a row now, so no more, please! But then a really enthusiastic review by a fellow blogger changed my mind. What if I'll miss the chance to see something good after all? I have now booked my ticket, so we'll find out in two weeks.

Though I read theatre reviews from newspapers, I don't really have any so-called professional critic whose opinion I count on. Instead, it's my fellow musical bloggers whose thoughts I'm more interested in. It feels many Finnish critics don't even know what they're talking about when they talk about musicals (my favourite instance was when a critic who writes for Finland's biggest newspaper was offended that Jekyll & Hyde is not a child-friendly show) – so I tend to find blogger opinions way more reliable.

But if I read a negative review, be it in a newspaper or in a blog... If it's about a show I already have little interest in, it's of course not going to change things. I wouldn't have seen it anyway. But if it's about a show I'm curious about, I rarely drop my plans of going to see it just because others say it's not worth it. What if the whole lot is wrong? Sure, usually they're not, and I end up disliking the show too. But I still want to take the chance. Even if the show really turns out horrible, I'll at least get the chance to diss it myself...

Overall though, I usually read theatre reviews to compare my own opinions to others', not to decide if I want to see something or not. Reading what others feel about a show often expands my own views and gets me thinking about different aspects of the show. The actual performance might be over, but I think reading differing opinions and maybe discussing the show afterwards is half the fun. So, yes, I suppose I'm one of the people the article I read was talking about – I don't often decide which shows I'm going to see based on critique, even though I really like reading (and writing) reviews.

I'm curious about your opinions, so here's something to maybe discuss in the comment section: do reviews affect your decisions to see certain pieces of theatre, or do you also rather follow your own judgement when it comes to picking your shows?

How Can I Resist You?

I love the musical Mamma Mia!

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

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

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

Well...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Nordic Reviews: Rebecca

And finally, the last entry and the only disappointment in my Nordic series: Malmö Opera's Rebecca.

Rebecca's not one of my favourite musicals, but still a show I remember liking well enough when I saw it for the first time. It's after all a thriller full of drama and emotion, so it's not too hard to stay interested! Malmö Opera's production, however, didn't make me experience any strong feelings. It was lukewarm at best.

Visually, the production was very stylized. The leading couple wore period clothing, but the ensemble had unique, futuristic-meets-middle-ages type looks. The sets were very minimal, most of the scenery was created via projections, and the cast's movements were strictly choreographed throughout. It all looked sort of nice, but felt distancing. I suspect the cold visuals were supposed to convey that the heroine of the story doesn't feel at home in Monte Carlo nor in Manderley. But somehow, whereas in Cabaret the modern looks helped me to get into the story, here they took me further away from it. Or maybe it's just impossible to stage an intense, intimate show in a huge hall like Malmö Opera?

What's more – I don’t know if I was just sitting in a really bad place acoustically or what, but to me, the orchestra sounded like a big blur of sound, massive but uninteresting. None of the instrumentals really sent shivers down my spine. To be completely honest, most of the songs sounded the same to me.

I wasn't too impressed with the leading lady, Ida Högberg. I didn't get a clear sense of the character's internal growth, she felt pretty much the same from start to finish. Philip Jalmelid, then, felt a bit too young for the role of Maxim de Winter still, and a bit too subdued to really convey his character's internal struggle all across the huge auditorium. But I've a feeling that in a few years, in a different, more intimate production, he might make a brilliant Maxim. His vocals were quite awesome already!

My favourite performances of the evening, however, were Rickard Söderberg as Ben and Fred Johanson as Jack Favell. The former made me feel real sympathy towards his character and sung the part with a strong, beautiful voice. The latter was deliciously slimy.

Despite the few good performances, I left the theatre without having felt much anything. Malmö Opera's Rebecca is one of those shows you can easily forget you even saw. 

Photos by Malin Arnesson.

Nordic Reviews: Sweeney Todd

Me, the city of Stockholm, and the musical Sweeney Todd have a history together. I last visited the Swedish capital six years ago: me and my long-suffering dad travelled to Stockholm on the movie's opening weekend. I saw the film three times then. So, it's fun that my newest trip to Stockholm also included watching Sweeney. Though, this time, I saw it live in Stockholms Stadsteater!

I've mentioned it before that Sweeney is so dramatic it's silly. It's a weird mix of true sorrow and black humor, and you can't always tell what is supposed to be what. On one hand, you have serious songs about sincere feelings (my favourite is Sweeney's part in Johanna Quartet. It's such a beautiful song about longing for what cannot be), but on the other hand – a murderous barber and cannibalistic pies. Yeah. If you stop to think about it, it doesn't really get sillier than that.

In some ways, Stockholms Stadsteater's production was like the movie gone onstage. The corsets, hairdos, makeup and even Mrs. Lovett's striped socks were directly from the silver screen. This is the stage production the 14-year-old me would have wanted to see! However, the mood of this onstage version was rather different from the film. Where the film is all about the tragedy, this had a lighter tone overall...

I admit I sometimes laughed at the wrong parts. You rarely see anything as angry onstage as Peter Jöback's Sweeney. I'm afraid his Epiphany was a touch too wild for me to keep a straight face throughout – it'd been best experienced from a bit further than the third row, maybe... Jöback was quite over-the-top all the way through, and his voice didn't suit the part. Vanna Rosenberg as Mrs. Lovett, then, didn't really leave a lasting impression on me. I think I liked Maja Rung as Johanna the best. Her Johanna was half-crazed by her loneliness from the beginning, you could see the fear in her eyes all the time.

I don't know if I could call this production good, per se. For the first 30 minutes, I didn't like what I saw and was sure I'd walk out disappointed. But somehow, the show grew on me. I suppose I got into the right mindset after the first few scenes. By the very end, I couldn't stop smiling. The over-the-top energy was exactly what made me enjoy the piece. Had they tried to do this more seriously, the show might've fallen flat on its face. But throw a couple of limbs into the meat grinder during the serious song and there you go!

This show made me feel happy, plain and simple. It was probably the nostalgia, the 14-year-old inside me who had been wanting to see this exact production ever since she fell in love with the movie... I can't rationally explain why I had such a good time, and if someone reading this text decides to see the show, I certainly can't quarantee they'll enjoy it. But for me, it worked. It was fun.

A perfect return to Stockholm for me.

Photos by Carl Thorborg.

Nordic Reviews: Evita

You know what? I really like the character of Che in the musical Evita. Like, really like him. In that almost scary way where, whenever the character is onstage, I can't look at anyone else. I even have an iTunes playlist with three hours of Che’s songs from different productions.

So, you can guess how happy I was to see that Det Ny Teater's production of Evita is as much about Che's story than it is about Eva Perón's. 

Let’s be fair and talk about the leading lady first, though.

Charlotte Guldberg as Eva was a strong lead. I might not be the hugest fan of the tone of her voice, but technically, she sung the part quite beautifully – and managed to convey Eva’s character arc well, too. Her Eva was a woman who really held onto her ambitions until the very end and clearly faced the biggest challenge of her lifetime when it became apparent that she has to give up. The character’s possible sympathetic side was somewhat overshadowed by her ambitious side (despite following the movie’s example and giving the song Another Suitcase in Another Hall to Eva – a change I really like, by the way), but overall, it was a fine performance.

Jesper Lohmann’s Perón, then, didn’t quite keep up with his Eva: personally, I think both Lohmann’s voice and his stage presence were a bit lacking for the part. I simply prefer deeper voices and somehow more authorative acting in the role.

But, as said, my eyes were on Tomas Ambt Kofod as Che for most of the time. And I really enjoyed what I got to see.

Kofod loaded his performance with genuinely funny moments and plenty of energy, but the character also had a deeper, darker side. Throughout the show, we got to see Che's attitude towards Eva changing in a way I don't think I've quite seen in any adaptation so far. He of course begun the show with a very critical tone – but then, we went back in time and suddenly saw a Che who's excited about what's happening, hopeful about the changes Eva might bring along. And then we got to see how he gradually got more and more cynical, lost more and more of that hope.  

[If you are planning to see this production, you might not want to read the following pharagraph. I know I would've been mad had someone spoiled this for me!] And then the final scene. The very last image of the show wasn't of Eva, it was of Che. The show went for the Che-as-everyman route, which I prefer... But then, at the very last moment of the show, he put on the hat with the star in front and turned into Guevara. And that – I'm sure it's historically very inaccurate, but I still loved the twist. It completed the character arc and completely surprised me.

Overall, I enjoyed this production. It had its flaws – for example, a couple of songs, like The Art of the Possible and A Waltz for Eva and Che, felt rather confused direction-wise. But when it comes to the two leading characters’ stories as a whole, and the general look and sound of the production, I really liked it. If Denmark wasn’t so far away, I think I’d like to see this once or twice again.

Photos by Miklos Szabo.