Review: Aikuisten joulukalenteri
Will Christmas come without stress?
The dance group of the Helsinki City Theatre is already in the spirit of a Christmas party and is infecting the audience as well. Jyrki Karttunen and his colleagues analyse the ways in which Christmas is prepared and celebrated with a benevolently critical approach. And why do fathers get a lot of fuss before Christmas and mothers are starving while pounding swedes and carrots. Who even likes those boxes and “do you have to be nice if you don’t want to”?
The implementation of the Christmas calendar for adults is a good example of projects aimed at children. The audience is persuaded to repeat the “lines” prepared for them, to take initiative, to take a stand. And it works surprisingly well, we Finns are starting to learn!
Of course, the theme is empathized with the dancers’ flexibility, surprising movement language and adventurous spirit. Jyrki Karttunen pulls the central role of therapist to the max, he both dances brilliantly, as one would expect from a professional, that he replies clearly. Now we can talk about aesthetic therapy. And be that as it may, at least the viewer relaxes in the rain of snow and teddy bears. You read that right. Cuddly teddy bears are honored in therapy; Of course, they are needed to calm both defiant children and defiant big boys. So we get a real teddy bear cover on the stage. Guess how.
A kind of box game has been built as a framework for the story. Each team member gets one box, the door of the advent calendar, to open in turn. The content includes a variety of wisdom, instructions, tasks and objects that have fallen from the heaven of goods. Familiar hallmarks of human nature, everyday life and celebrations, not least the icons of the hundred-year-old Finland and the appreciation associated with them. The rich musical backdrop with embedded solos and overall expressions makes the evening a pleasure. Wild adult humor has been used in a subdued way to spice up this gourmet meal, and the characters are just as serious as the spirit of the game requires. Emilia Nyman in The Magic of Christmas, Tiina Peltonen as the Christmas Tree, Leenamari Unho as the Christmas Angel and Mikko Vihma as Santa Claus are the ensemble’s excellent, nuanced acting members. Heidi Naakka dances home the points by alternating between the Maiden Lucia and Mrs. Trump, Katri Soini represents the Tierna Boys with a snap of an eye, Jyrki Kasper embodies the Nutcracker and Mikko Paloniemi the Christmas Elf. Filler material is obtained from the “star jury”, imitating Jorma Uotinen’s verbal expression; after all, the dance guru has a significant connection to accelerating the early stages of the Helsinki City Theatre’s dance group.
Contemporary dance naturally contributes to the Adult Advent Calendar as one of the theatre productions taking place during the anniversary year. It’s anything but pompous, and that’s a good thing, but would it have been appropriate to draw up a proper final rise for the proposal? Now the deck of cards seemed to fall apart a bit at the end. One more cool solo program number or a stage-filled grande finale. And that would be it.