Written by Sami Keski-Vähälä and adapted and directed by Paavo Westerberg, the new Finnish musical drama Nauravan kulkurin tarina tells the story of how Vesa-Matti Loiri became an artist beloved throughout Finland.

Touching, funny and poetic, Nauravan kulkurin tarina is a hymn of praise to art and entertainment, told through Vesa-Matti Loiri’s life and accompanied by the timeless music he performed.

What lay behind the songs adored by audiences and the comic and tragic roles that went down in history? What passion and inner struggle gave birth to Loiri’s art? And what kind of life did Vesku miss out on?

The Main Stage comes alive with some of Vesku’s best-known characters, from Nasse-setä to Turhapuro. We hear songs that were important to Loiri and that he made his own, and meet people who mattered to Vesku. Art is created, but in his personal life, something is constantly falling apart.

The audience is invited to discover what inspired Loiri’s art—and the price this beloved national icon paid for his honesty, uncompromising nature and passion.

The play pays tribute to Vesa-Matti Loiri’s art and to the people without whom it would never have come into being. At the same time, it paints a portrait of a culturally unified Finland that no longer exists.

The final performance is on Thursday 11.3.2027 at 18.30.

View the programme