Review: Aikuisten joulukalenteri

At the theatre: Christmas calendar for adults

It’s such a thing that I’ve been looking at the advent calendar even before December. Usually I never fall into such mischief, but this year I made an exception. The Helsinki City Theatre has aChristmas calendar for the Eternals, and since I’m a child-minded adult, I definitely wanted to see the performance.

Christmas and the time before it are a stressful time for many. Expectations are high, but how do you have the time and ability to take care of everything. Not good. Fortunately, however, there is a Christmas therapist Leo-Matti Kurkiainen (Jyrki Karttunen). A man who, with a positive attitude and iron professionalism, treats all the Christmas traumas and stresses in the world with therapeutic means into oblivion. Kurkiainen’s assistant is the radiant Christmas Magic (Emilia Nyman).

So who will miss Kurkiainen’s sessions the most? Me and the rest of the audience. Yes, but even more in need of therapy are the Nutcracker (Jyrki Kasper), the Lucia Maiden (Heidi Naakka), the Christmas Elf (Mikko Paloniemi), the Christmas Tree (Tiina Peltonen), Mänkki, the Star Spinner of the Tierna Boys (Katri Soini), the Christmas Angel (Leenamari Unho) and Santa Claus (Mikko Vihma). In Kurkiainen’s therapy, the doors of the advent calendar are opened and everyone’s problems are tackled one by one. In addition to solving problems, the audience is also activated. Audience members may have to or be allowed to dance on stage. At times, the audience gets to answer questions and throw soft toys on stage. It is also interacted in such a way that when Kurkiainen shouts “Yes”, the audience reacts by shouting “Bravo, buu, shut up, never”. Pretty much anything can happen in an adult advent calendar.

Jyrki Karttunen is a great case in the costume of a Christmas therapist. A therapist who is gentle, but also demanding and strict when necessary. Emilia Nyman’s singing voice was startling. The woman sings wonderfully, but the best part was definitely when the Magic of Christmas, aka Emilia Nyman, walks around the revolving stage and weeps Ave Maria. Unbelievable dedication. The transformation of Heidi Naakka’s character Lucia into the original Italian Lucia was startling to watch. Quite a vamp. In addition to her excellent dancing skills, she has great acting skills. And what about Jyrki Kasper, who gets nervous about the idea of vacuuming. I wonder if someone had secretly filmed me when they start talking about vacuuming?

The original concept and choreography of the Christmas calendar for adults are by Jyrki Karttunen. Karttunen’s choreographic skills come out well in the performance, where the main emphasis is on dancing and movement in general. I have to admit that I’m a fan of Karttunen. Just because I got to follow Jemina’s return very closely, but also because Karttunen knows his job. Karttunen is, of course, supported by an excellent team consisting of the great dancers of the Helsinki Dance Company and the fine actors of the Helsinki City Theatre. The working group is allowed to throw their own ideas into the air, which will probably make the performance more multidimensional.

I honestly didn’t really know what to expect when I went to see the show, but I fell in love. The rainy and black November evening turned into a beautifully sparkling world surrounded by Christmas presents in an instant. I gave myself permission to throw myself into the glittering world, even though we were dealing with serious stress-related things. I liked how the mobile auditorium of the small stage was used in such a way that some, maybe even most, of the spectators followed the performance from the sides of the stage, which made it feel like they were closer to the performance itself. I also liked the presentation about the costumes, lighting and music. And the gingerbread service didn’t go wrong in the final minutes of the performance either.

The Christmas calendar for adults is worth going to see if you like dance theatre. You can also go see the show just to see how badly the Christmas miracles are doing. It’s not easy for them either, if it’s not always the case for us ordinary people either. However, the performance is not suitable for children, but is definitely aimed at adults.