Review: Pieni merenneito

The Disney classic comes to life in a visually stunning way at the Helsinki City Theatre

For once, a performance that fully lived up to the expectations placed on it! In Helsinki City Theatre’s The Little Mermaid , I wasn’t even bothered by the fact that Disney completely dictates what national theatres are allowed to do with the story.

The plot of the Disney version is probably familiar to many: there is The Little Mermaid, who does not want to live in water but is interested in people. His father has forbidden all contact with strangers – that is, with humans. However, that doesn’t stop Ariel, who has collected people’s belongings for herself and has fallen in love with Prince Erik. Ariel sells her soul and voice to the witch Ursula in order to get legs so that she can get to the land. She has a few days to get a kiss from Prince Erik or become Ursula’s slave.

Of course, the original story is much more spirited and profound.

I can’t emphasize enough and remind you that the performance starts already at 6.30 p.m.! My blog colleague Elisa was almost late for the show because of this. According to Elisa, the audience at the premiere consisted of adults, but a week later there were already many children in the audience. It had its own problems: the people sitting in the back talked to each other throughout the performance.

I was surprised that Disney originally planned Ariel to be blonde. And that Donald, Mickey and Goofy appear in the animation of The Little Mermaid. I also wouldn’t have believed that the City Theatre’s costume department had made as many as 110 headgear! The Helsinki City Theatre has made a huge investment in The Little Mermaid, and it really shows. Even before the curtain opens, the stage is bordered by a golden frame, which naturally leads the viewer into the fairy tale. Alternately on stage, the underwater realm is seen, and the terrestrial realm is seen at times. The venues change seamlessly, and especially the underwater atmosphere is created with sound and video effects.

I especially admired the costumes of The Little Mermaid. I don’t even dare to imagine the amount of money that has followed when the wonderful fish, jellyfish and other sea creatures and sets have been put together. It is amazing how skilfully the City Theatre has managed to make even the smallest details so realistic and genuine. The boots are big when it comes to such a beloved classic. The tails of the mermaids were tied shut at the back so that they moved as if in a stream of water, and Ursula’s eel helpers Liero and Kiero were cleverly executed. Ursula’s appearance was also very impressive, with dark tentacles moved by a group of faceless figures. It’s hard to describe all the wonderful details, you just have to experience and see them yourself.

I’m often quite critical of the vocal performances, but this time there was no need for it, as the performers mostly sang well and strongly. Sometimes it felt like the music was a bit too loud, which disturbed my concentration a bit, although we sat quite ahead. I liked all the performers very much, especially the sweet Splash and Ursula. I had been expecting Sanna Saarijärvi’s Ursula, but in our performance, this role was played by Annamaria Karhulahti, who was also really good.

My friend said that The Little Mermaid was “by far the best performance she has seen in the theatre” and wondered if she should go see it again. The rest of the audience seemed to agree, as I saw so many happy faces. I was also thinking that it might be nice to see the musical again, so that I could still experience Saarijärvi’s performance and admire the wonderful costumes and the underwater world again!