Review: Pieni merenneito
The boy from Lohja succeeds in the role of Splash
Anyone who has been to Copenhagen has surely admired the bronze sculpture The Little Mermaid in the harbor. It was designed by the Danish-Icelandic sculptor Edvard Eriksen in 1913. To find the idea for a statue, you have to go
to the 1800s, to the world of the Danish H.C. Andersen, where generation after generation
– all over the world – has known mermaids lived. And even though time flies, the original maiden hasn’t fallen off the ride.
On Broadway, she was seen in the premiere of the Disney musical in 2008, and now she has swam to the Helsinki City Theatre for the Finnish premiere of the musical. Ariel, as its name suggests, has received the reception it deserves. One that many people would not have guessed. The stage is like a giant aquarium, combined with a circus arena.
The depth dimension is achieved without optical illusion. No wonder, if the dazzlingly beautiful underwater world would make many people want to go there as much as Ariel hopes to get into the human world. After all, creatures are not necessarily satisfied with the circumstances that have befallen them more than with the compartmentalization of their own self on the terms of outsiders.
Samuel Harjanne as a director has invested in an interdisciplinary implementation through his special expertise and visual vision, where designers from different fields are given space to work and build a large and exciting entity. The performance retains its magic from beginning to end.
This “monitor” has only live; A communal experience is realised. Sonja Pajunoja plays a central role in the story as Ariel. His empathy is sincere and his vocal interpretation comprehensive, especially in touching duos with Prince Erik. The handsomely singing prince who falls in love with a beautiful mermaid is Martti Manninen.
The love of the young people keeps the plot in romantic waters rather than in the waves of any major equality storm or bordering on titanic-like fate, but fairytale-like charm and humour are a sure combination if you ask the viewers.
Sanna Saarijärvi plays the role of the villain, and she pulls it off in an enjoyable, exemplary way
articulation and unsparing expressiveness. The comic charge is strong, and the tentacle castle in which this witch Ursula skillfully swings is impressive. Chef Louis – Tuomas Uusitalo – and Seagull Skuutti – Tuukka Leppänen – lead their own troops sovereignly, down to the fun and precise choreography parts.
Alek Pèrez Lahtinen, a child actor from Lohja, who has a sweet time in Ariel’s wake, was the young attraction of the evening in the role of Splash.
She replies naturally and shuttles among the ever-wonderful dance group, showing a wide range of talents.
As in child roles in general, Alek also has three “substitutes”. So the splashes are a little different in different acts.
The central roles are carried out excellently with the skills required for musical plays and taking into account the special requirements of this particular musical.
The ensemble is large and the orchestra is large, and what is achieved today in terms of theatre technology is astonishing, to say the least.