Review: Metsän joulu
A play performed by children is bursting with joy and optimism – Helsinki City Theatre solves climate change together
ShedHelsinki’s play has already become an annual Christmas tradition. The group’s play melts the heart of even the most hardened and awakens childish joy in adults. There are children and young people aged 8–21 on stage, some of whom are performing for the first time in their lives.
The performers come from a wide range of backgrounds. Someone reels in a wheelchair, someone has a developmental or hearing impairment, but they don’t slow them down. The play shows that everyone has a chance to shine.
There are many young performers on stage who seem to be at home there. For example, Safiya Abukar is extremely natural in the role of Vieno the squirrel.
The children and young people have been rehearsing for a year for the Christmas play. The result of their hard work can be admired at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio Pasila.
The music-heavy play features well-known names from theatre director Kari Arffman to musician Tuomas “Tumppu” Kesälä. This year, the play is directed by the Helsinki City Theatre’s own actor and director Heikki Sankari.
Climate change is discussed in the play
The Forest Christmas play has been made especially for the young performers of ShedHelsinki. The premiere of the play will be seen in Pasila.
The story takes place in the present day, when climate change is a fact that cannot be escaped. Adults don’t seem to take the matter seriously, as the only one who seems to be worried about it seems to be a young Swede named Greta Thunberg. In this era, nothing works better than a play for children and young people in which nature conservation is taken seriously.
At the beginning of the play, the forest is bulldozed and a concrete dream suburb for families with children is built in its place. Literally, the set designed by Vilma Mattila is concrete-grey and dreary, where the Christmas candelabras are just a reminder of the real Christmas.
The Kuusinen family moves to the suburbs. The name of the family is probably some kind of humour, because in reality, nature is something that can be seen from the window to them. They have drifted quite far away from nature.
The family has a lot of mortgages, so Christmas celebrations are threatened. You can’t afford a spruce. The children decide to take justice into their own hands and go with the sawmill to fetch a spruce tree from the forest.
However, the forest is a surprising place where trees and animals are inspired to tell stories. They have a point, if only people would have the patience to listen to them.
Many performers of the future
At least ShedHelsinki is not lacking in ambition. The play is close to a musical, especially in the crowd scenes, where the ensemble dances and sings. This group undoubtedly includes many future actors, dancers and singers!
One of the play’s brightest stars is Luka Haikonen, who plays the flying squirrel El Caganer, who has previously appeared in the Helsinki City Theatre’s Tarzan and Billy Elliot musicals, among others. The experience is reflected in a relaxed and really natural performance.
As a flying squirrel, Haikonen gets to throw himself into a humorous role. He is naturally needed in the forest to make the famous papana that prevents the work of forest machines. Papana has even composed his own song, Nyt turahtaa.
Judging by the wide smiles, young people like performing. On stage, you can spot familiar faces, as many of the young people have been involved in all four plays produced by the ShedHelsinki Foundation during its short history.
I wish the Foundation’s activities a long life. The plays performed by children and young people exude a rare joy and optimism, which can never be too much at Christmas.