Review: AtomiAatos

Coolie’s theatre for children – AtomiAatos

The girls and I received an invitation to the premiere of AtomiAatos at the Helsinki City Theatre. Naturally, we were very pleased with the invitation and went to Studio Pasila with enthusiasm. After all, there was already a buzz about this performance, as it is a real rap blast for which Paleface himself has made the music.

The lights dimmed and the door of the moving box opened on the stage, and so the story began. Aatos is a little boy who has just moved into a new home with his mother. The family’s life situation has changed and the pieces of life are looking for new places – mother and Aatos are now coping together with varying degrees of success, but love and caring for each other shine through beautifully in every situation. The story also features the Biowaste Man and his sleep buddy Säyneinen. The wide range of emotions, from longing and lack of hugs to the all-powerful AtomiAatos, can fit into half an hour. Both the separation of parents and the importance of recycling are handled in a stylish, fun and exemplary way. “Did you know that you can also put egg cartons in a bio container?”

Even though the topics of the story were very mundane, everyday and some of them were part of the lives of many of us, the stories were dressed up in funny banters, exhilarating characters and, above all, grandiose music. A mother secretly eating candy in tight sports tights in the middle of the hassle of moving was a sympathetic sight and made the mothers in the audience laugh out loud.

The music of the play is by Paleface, how cool is that?? The music was really grandiose and witty, and the lyrics were insightful, funny, educational and even declarative. The music would have carried me on a bigger stage, and I believe that at least some of them will live on outside the theatre as well. Paleface knows how to play tricks with language and manages to cram brilliant ideas into his witty texts. The children’s audience will be offered actual treats, from which the adults who come along will be able to share.

The play is intended for kindergarten-aged children and the age recommendation is from 4 years old, but I think the performance is multi-level. While the 2-year-old was amazed by the Biowaste Man’s funny kale bun, the 6-year-old listened carefully to what he said about recycling, decomposition and composting. AtomiAatos sinks into children of many ages. The duration of the performance is about 35 minutes and it is the perfect length for toddlers as well.

The play is inspiring and thought-provoking. Throughout the journey home, we discussed with the girls the topics discussed in the performance and the emotions in it. A top performance that is on the repertoire now!