Review: Saiturin joulu
Theatre tip: A musical play for the whole family, A Miser’s Christmas, based on Charles Dickens‘ classic play, has been given a new production in cooperation between the Helsinki City Theatre and the Shed Theatre Group for Young People. The play will be performed at Studio Pasila until 17.12., so if you want to see it, you should get to work with the tickets! The play is suitable for children from about 5 years of age and up, but adults also enjoy themselves, so the company of children is not necessary!
The story is an old acquaintance. A miser is a money-hungry, stingy and grumpy old man who doesn’t like people or Christmas. He doesn’t give a single shilling to charity, nor Christmas holidays, let alone Christmas money to his loyal, underpaid employee. The events of the play take place in 19th century England and in a cotton factory where orphaned children work without pay.
The children of the factory decide to teach the Miser a lesson and appear to him at night in the form of three ghosts. The ghosts show the Miser his past, present and future, which does not seem to be gloomy.
Eppu Salminen, who plays the role of the miser, is the only professional actor in the performance, the other actors are members of the youth Shed theatre group. And wow, what great actors! The lines, musical numbers and dance choreographies went like clockwork! My aunt and uncle had a drop in the bucket because the young people were so wonderful and skilled.
At the premiere last weekend, Salminen was unfortunately ill, so the main role was played by the play’s director Heikki Sankari – and he did well, by the way! Brilliantly, really.
But let’s ask our children’s companions what they thought of the play?
“Very good.” (9 years old)
“Very good.” (5 years old)
What was particularly good about it?
“Musical plays are fun.” (9 years old)
“It was funny when one of them pretended that he was really cold, but he really wasn’t.” (5 years old)
What do you think its message was?
“That money is not the most important thing. But family and friends. And helping others.” (9 years old)
“I don’t really know.” (5 years old)
Well, ok, such a small one doesn’t know how to interpret and put into words yet. But we adults watched the children’s expressions during the play, and both were really excited and managed to concentrate from the beginning to the end of the two-hour performance! In tense moments, the older one took the smaller one by the hand and whispered that there was no need to be afraid. But there weren’t any parts so exciting that I was more nervous about even a smaller one.
We adults also enjoyed the performance very much! It was rewarding to watch the young people work, they were really skilled and empathized with their roles wonderfully. When we were about to leave the auditorium at the end of the performance, we heard a young aspiring actor exclaiming contentedly from behind the curtain: “We did it!”
Shed musical theatre activities give young people aged 10–19 the opportunity to engage in theatre under the guidance of professionals from the Helsinki City Theatre. Everyone is welcome to the Shed and everyone is accepted as they are. The cast of The Miser’s Christmas was wonderfully diverse and it was a pleasure to watch them play together.
On the way home, we talked with the girls about the fact that unfortunately not everyone is as good as we are, even in Finland. And that if you have the opportunity, you should help others. It was decided to participate together in the Good Holiday Spirit fundraiser, the proceeds of which will help low-income families so that they too can celebrate Christmas.