Review: Vampyyrien tanssi
The cult musical Tanz der Vampire premiered at the Peacock Theatre of the Helsinki City Theatre on 3 February. Based on Roman Polanski’s parody vampire film The Vampire Killers (1967), the musical contains both arrestingly wonderful song and dance scenes as well as hanging humour. The book has been written by e.g. Michael Kunze, known for the musical Rebecca, and composed by Jim Steinman. At the Helsinki City Theatre, Dance of the Vampires is directed and choreographed by Markku Nenonen, known from Billy Elliot, and the conductor of the 10-piece orchestra is Eeva Kontu.
The musical, which plays with elements of gothic horror, introduces Professor Abronsius (Antti Timonen), who is dedicated to vampire research and a little shaken, and his young assistant Alfred (Petrus Kähkönen). Accompanied by a snowstorm, they arrive in a Transylvanian village one evening in search of vampire-inhabited castles in the area.
The cold travellers stop at the village inn, and young Alfred catches his eye on Sarah (Raili Raitala), the daughter of the innkeeper. Sarah is also the apple of the eye of the seductive Count von Krolock (Mikko Vihma), who is on the outskirts of the village – although he would rather sink his teeth into his possible future young man.
Before long, rival suitors are trying to win the heart of Sarah, who is on the verge of adulthood. The plot setting, together with the accompaniment of 80s rock-inspired music and deliberate pomposity, is undoubtedly reminiscent of The Phantom of the Opera.
The music of the Vampire Dance thrills
The Dance of the Vampires combines recognizable tunes, the main theme of which is Total Eclipse of the Heart, made famous by Bonnie Tyler. Even if you have not seen the play before, the melodies are easy to absorb and each character’s own musical themes carry through the performance.
The main heroes of the triangle drama, Sarah, Count von Krolock and Alfred, have strong romantic theme tunes that exude drama, of which especially Count von Krolock’s rockarias are breathtakingly gorgeous. Raitala, Kähkönen and Vihma all know how to take their audience and raise waves of cold shivers with their wonderful voices.
And the performances of the supporting roles are not overshadowed either. The mistress of the innkeeper, Magda (Laura Alajääski), Death Is Strange is one of the most beautiful songs in the entire musical, and Alajääski’s voice lifts the song to magnificent spheres. Not forgetting Professor Abronsius’ breathtakingly fast song Järki, whose verbal burst of fire overshadows the rhymes of many motorcade rappers in its speed.
Transylvinian landscapes open up on the Peacock stage
Dance of the Vampires is a play that requires a big stage. In my opinion, Peacock is not the best place for this musical as a theatre, but Jari Ijäs and Jani Uljas, who designed the sets, have been able to create wonderful solutions for creating different transitions. William Iles is responsible for the impressive, but rather gimmicky lighting. In addition to the magnificent moving sets, there are about 200 costumes inspired by Elina Kolehmainen’s Gothic.
Effortless camp revelry
Dance of the Vampires, which has been dubbed Europe’s most popular musical comedy, has earned its title. The familiar story, catchy melodies and stunning dance and singing scenes are enjoyably easy to watch. Dance of the Vampires is a self-conscious camp rejoicing, after which you can only leave the theater with a smile on your face (and a few earworms playing in your mind).