Review: Maratontanssit

The stage adaptation of the story Marathon Dances – Let’s Shoot Horses Too is convincing

The premiere of the Helsinki City Theatre’s Marathon Dances offered a thrilling theatre experience! Already during the intermission, we noted that the future of Finnish acting looks brilliant. The young Theatre Academy students had charmed us.

Background of Marathon Dances The play Marathon Dances depicts a competition in which the worst performers are eliminated. This is not a new reality TV format in addition to the many ones running on the channels, but Marathon Dances is based on Horace McCoy’s 1935 miniature novel They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?.

The United States and other industrialized countries suffered from the depression of the 1930s, when companies collapsed and there were record numbers of unemployed. For a living, people were willing to do many things, such as participating in marathon dance competitions. The dancers were guaranteed a place to stay and food for the duration of the competition, and the winners received a grand prize of 1,000 dollars. The most incomprehensible thing is that the competitions could go on for weeks.

The play’s marathon dances will be held in Hollywood. The main couple, Gloria and Robert, have both sought film roles, but to no avail. By participating in the dance competition, they are of course aiming for a cash prize, but also for possible fame, which would help them enter the world of cinema.

Professional material

The Marathon Dances performance is part of a collaboration between the Theatre Academy’s Degree Programme in Acting and the Helsinki City Theatre, in which third-year students come to the Helsinki City Theatre for the spring and prepare a performance as their bachelor’s project together with professionals from outside the school. This year’s participants are Youssef Asad Alkhatib, Nomi Enckell, Patrik Hvitsjö, Tellervo Jalas, Ronja Orasta, Meri Luukkanen, Toni Nikka, Jessica Penttilä, Lauri Qvick, Aapo Salonen, Aino Sihvonen and Veeti Vekola.

This article discusses the Marathon Dances ensemble as a whole, and no actor wins or is eliminated. I will only mention Meri Luukkanen, who used to be in the same Q-teatteri youth group as my daughter. I might have made quite a mistake and skipped the Marathon Dance if my daughter, who is studying abroad, hadn’t messaged me and urged me to definitely go see the show because “the sea is there”.

Already the first scene was convincing

The small side of the City Theatre once again proved its functionality. The Auditorium demarcated the stage on three sides. A racetrack had been painted on the floor of the stage. A few set elements were brought to the stage during the performance, otherwise they were exposed to brutal competition. Efficient and clear.

Already the first scene of the play was convincing. I had a vague memory of the movie Let’s Shoot Horses (1969) and assumed that the same would be done in the Marathon Dances. Nope, now we were in the same story, but in a completely different implementation.

There is a presenter, there is the local radio with its commercials (for example, the Almighty’s spark plugs) and of course the competitors. There are three Roberts and three Glorias, who tell one story and many stories. And in what way! The performance is so intense from the beginning that the heart rate rises in the audience as well. The dance scenes are not nods to each other, but rhythmic group scenes. The familiar Little Heart has received a brilliant adaptation and paces the play in many forms. Earworms are guaranteed to be taken home:

That’s how small the human heart is
So spacious and bottomless
It hides big dreams
And the worlds of hate, love
The richness of joys and the sum of sorrows
Lucky love and even pain is dark
We can fit in a small
Congratulations, joy—oh

Those actors

Minna and I were really impressed by the actors’ performances. What a throw, what a presence! Fresh and genuine, pain and skill, but equally light rounds when the time was right.

Minna had already written on social media: “So, in addition to the talented and skilled young actors, thank you to the selection jury and the teachers, consistently good work!” There is material, in addition to that, someone/some have also succeeded under their guidance.

It was also a great insight that the actors switched roles during the intermission, so we got to see all the young people in two different roles. Of course, there were some favorites in the group, but it was more of a surprise that everyone was so strong. I paid attention to how the actors’ articulation was clear, the sentences had a message without shouting, there were no mannerisms, and no one’s ego reared its head. This was a group that worked seamlessly together.

The play was directed and adapted for the stage by Heidi Räsänen and choreographed by Antti Lahti. The set design was designed by Vilma Mattila and Pekka Korpiniitty, the costumes by Elina Kolehmainen and the camouflage by Henri Karjalainen. The lighting design was by Outi Vedenpää and the sound design by Janna Hyrynkangas. The play has been translated into Finnish by Esko Elstelä.

Strong recommendation

Let the young people surprise you with their strong interpretation of the classic play. Check them out now so you can follow your own favorites. Maybe it’s cliché to say, but we’ll hear more about them.

Another important reason to go see a play that has its roots in the gloomy economic situation almost 100 years ago is that the same phenomena live on in our time. People surrender to the audience’s judgement, marry strangers in front of the spectators, and run “derbies” in full swing to stay in the spotlight. Still, day after day, it can be so dreary that death feels like a better option. After all, horses are also shot, right?

There are still ten performances, but the last one is already on 4 May 2024. We recommend. On the way home, the amazing end of the performance felt quite physical. We were impressed.