Review: Pieni merenneito
The Little Mermaid, the magic of theatre
Spectacular, imaginative costumes, the use of modern technology and fast-paced action. Helsinki City Theatre’s investment this season, The Little Mermaid musical, is a true magic of theatre. A perfect fairy tale.
Many of us are familiar with H. C. Andersen’s fairy tale The Little Mermaid, or it became familiar to us in 1989 at the latest, when Disney made its own version of the fairy tale. As a child, I sometimes read the original fairy tale and when our daughter was small in the early 1990s, she became familiar with the Disney cartoon through numerous viewings. It’s so easy to conjure up all kinds of elements in cartoons. That’s why I was looking forward to the Helsinki City Theatre’s musical The Little Mermaid. I wanted to see how the underwater world has been realised on stage.
Usually, the reviews only mention maybe the director and a few actors. Above all, I want to highlight the people who have conjured up a real fairy tale with all its wonderful elements.
Big bows and applause are also given by set designer Peter Ahlqvist, costume designer Pirjo Liiri-Majava, light listener William Iles, video designer Toni Haaranen, Milja Mensonen , who is responsible for camouflage and hairstyles, and sound designer Kai Poutanen – the entire background team. They have been able to set their imaginations in motion – and they have succeeded excellently. I’m still amazed at how those flights of Ariel and the others, “swimming” in the sea, were carried out. Amazing! The colour saturation of the costumes and sets supports the fairy tale well. Pirjo Liiri-Majava’s costumes are downright stunning.
The musical begins and progresses at a fast pace. There will be no dips at any point. Director Samuel Harjanne has succeeded excellently. There is so much to see and experience on stage that the viewer’s grip cannot be loosened at any point.
The casting works great. The musical has many great performances (e.g. Sebastian / Tero Koponen, Skuutti / Tuukka Leppänen and Chef Louis / Tuomas Uusitalo). Still, one stands out above the rest: Sanna Saarijärvi as the villain of the sea, Ursula. Amazing empathy. Sanna Saarijärvi plays the role of her life here. I still get cold shivers when I think back to her Ursula.
Helsinki City Theatre has conjured up a genuine, classic fairy tale for the stage.
Many times, Disney’s productions are criticized for their lightness and commercialism. However, Mermaid has a message: how prejudice can prevent you from getting to know strangers and accepting differences. These themes are well suited to this day as well.
When I was watching the performance about a week after the premiere, there were surprisingly many very young children in the audience. Even though it is a fairy tale musical, parents or grandparents should think very carefully about whether a musical with a real feeling with scary elements, loud sounds, flashing lights, etc., is suitable for very young children. The theatre recommends the performance for school-age children. Personally, I would take a child from the age of 8 and up there – at least not yet one who is not in school. Even from that performance, a few approximately 4-5-year-old children and their parents had to leave during the intermission because the child was afraid.
I didn’t have a child with me, I was with a friend. Adults will also enjoy the musical. Although the tickets are more expensive than average, the performance is worth every euro.