Dancer in the Dark – songs at dusk
In the autumn of 2024, Lilla Teatern and Jakob Höglund will put on the largest production in the theatre’s history. It takes place in the form of Lars von Trier’s “Greek tragedy” Dancer in the Dark.
“I’m always on the lookout for alternative musicals. Great stories that fit into Lilla Teatern’s intimate stage,” says director and Lillan’s artistic director Jakob Höglund.
This spring’s success Katrina and the musical Once are two examples of Höglund’s nose for the “as big as small” musical theatre plays, which have become something of Lilla Teatern’s bravura under Höglund. And this time he wants to push the boundaries again.
“Dancer in the Dark gets the largest ensemble in Lillan’s history. And we don’t skimp on the talent behind the scenes either.”
While Höglund was looking for the play script for Dancer in the Dark, he discovered that it had already been staged as a musical in Aarhus, Denmark, in 2018. A pure stroke of luck, he calls it.
“When I got acquainted with the script, it was as if it was written directly for me as a director and choreographer, with the inscribed soundscape created by live by the ensemble on stage, and based on the main character’s way of perceiving the world through sound and rhythms,” says Höglund.
Greek tragedy meets modern musical
Many probably remember Lars von Trier’s poignant film that was released in cinemas in 2000 with Icelandic star singer Björk in the lead role as the blind, Czech immigrant Selma. It is the early 1960s when she and her son arrive in a rural town in the American South. The boy is also losing his sight, only an expensive eye operation can save him, and Selma of course does everything she can to scrape together the money.
The play’s main theme is the strong relationship between mother and son, how a mother is prepared to do anything for her child. von Trier’s dark story was adapted to the theatre in 2012 by the American playwright Patrick Ellsworth.
“It’s a terribly strong and touching story,” says Höglund. “A classic, Greek tragedy that meets a modern, uplifting musical.”
Since Selma can’t see, she shapes her world based on sounds, voices and rhythms. In her imagination, she escapes into the musical’s carefree world. In the film, the soundtrack was composed by Björk herself, but for Aarhus Theatre’s production, it was Danish Marie Højlund who wrote the completely new music.
“I was strongly affected by the film and didn’t really want to see anything by von Trier after that,” says Marie Højlund. “But I loved Björk’s music! In many ways, it was a turning point for me in understanding that all sounds in the world around us can be used in music creation. Selma in the story is a kind of sound artist, just like me. That’s why I also chose not to see the film again, to be able to work with the music from a clean slate.”
“The work with the music and the soundscape in the theatre version was to give the audience the experience of how the sounds in the room grow into music – just as Selma hears them. That’s why we’re now making the entire stage an instrument with microphones in the framework. In this way, we create the transitions to Selma’s dream world where the everyday sounds become music,” says Højlund.
“It is also the first time that the entire repertoire of music that we wrote for the play more than five years ago has been used. We are extremely happy and can’t wait to see and hear it!”
The director challenges himself
Eeva Kontu will act as conductor, while musicians Suvi Isotalo and Paavo Malmberg and the ensemble will perform the songs on stage. Dancers from the City Theatre’s dance group Helsinki Dance Company also participate in the ensemble – for the first time at Lillan.
“Dancer in the Dark has some similarities with the form of Once and other musicals I’ve done,” says Jakob Höglund. “But at the same time, I don’t want to copy expressions from previous performances straight away. Antti Mattila has created an absolutely fantastic abstract set design, which is as much a factory as a prison, and where every part is made to sound.”
Costume designer Samu-Jussi Koski quietly and tastefully marks class and the spirit of the times in the play with his solutions – and there are also some glamorous surprises promised.
“I’ve promised myself to be fearless,” says Höglund before the rehearsals. “It would be so much fun to give the performance its own expression, which is really born in the moment during the process, as a symbiosis between my team and the actors. It becomes something of an artistic experiment for me. I’m very much looking forward to the creative process.”
Strong debutant in the lead role
In the lead role of Selma, Höglund introduces the young actor and soprano Lumi Aunio, who already fascinated the director in the musical Niin kuin taivaassa (Helsinki City Theatre, 2021), where she acted as an understudy for the female lead.
“I’m super excited to work with Jakob (Höglund) again, he’s the perfect director for this kind of explosion of music, movement and strong emotions,” says Lumi Aunio.
“It feels important in the times we live in to be able to tell a story that in its cruelty has so much hope. Selma’s ability to find light, music and joy in all the darkness is something that inspires me – and that I hope will inspire others as well.”
According to Höglund, Selma’s character is cut and dried for Lumi and her singing voice.
“It’s a demanding and sensitive role. While Selma is a victim of prejudice and toxic masculinity, she also has total power. She is the one who drives the story. In the darkest of moments, she sees the light, and she dances.”
She dances until the light returns.
Premiere 31.8
Text: Janne Strang