Working group Royal Cotton Candy

Whatever Love Means

The stage of a contemporary performance

Studio Pasila – Ratamestarinkatu 5
Premiere 7.8.2024
Approx. 1 h 20 min, no intermission
The language of the performance is Finnish.
The performance is aimed at adults. We do not recommend the performance for children under 9 years of age.
Student ticket 12,50 € (Mon-Thu), Pensioner ticket 22 € (Mon-Thu), Basic ticket 25 €

Note: No longer in repertoire!

Showtimes:

Wed 7 August at 6.30 pm, studio Pasila
Thu 8 Aug at 6.30 pm, studio Pasila
Fri 9/8 at 6.30 pm, studio Pasila
Sat 10/8 at 18:30, studio Pasila
Wed 14/8 at 18:30, studio Pasila
Thu 15 Aug at 6.30 pm, studio Pasila
Fri 16/8 at 6.30 pm, studio Pasila
Sat 17.8. at 13.00 and at 18.30, studio Pasila
Tue 20 August at 6.30 pm, studio Pasila

Whatever Love Means is a disproportionately romantic comedy about love. In this witty contemporary puppet theatre performance, foam cups that get lost in their footnotes and romcom celebrities who are more charming than each other act as advisors in the concept of love. A consulting firm for service-minded people faces an unprecedented challenge when Hertta Arpinen, a conscious modern person in the 2020s, enters as a client. Despite the pastel-toned Hollywood service packages, Cupid’s formulas do not produce the desired results, and even the simulations full of hearts and footnotes do not tune the demanding customer into the right mood. What has happened to Hertta’s feelings? The working group consists of top names in Finnish puppet theatre, including carefully selected representatives of theatre and circus art. This artistic collision creates a confusing bag of ideas with a pink glaze, from the inside of which the most important thing of all: the ultimate answer to the mystery of love. Or maybe Prince Charles’ huge head after all? Working group
Original idea: Merja Pöyhönen, Essi Santala, Riina Tikkanen
Screenplay: Taija Helminen
Director: Merja Pöyhönen
Director’s assistant: Olavi Ermala
Puppet building: Helena Markku
Set design: Johanna Latvala
Props: Tonja Goldblatt
Lighting design: Essi Santala
Sound design: Olli-Pekka Jauhiainen and Petteri Salomaa
Photos: Majo Kurki
Performers: Petra Heinänen, Henni Kervinen, Sirpa Järvenpää, Helena Markku, Elena Rekola, Miika Suonperä, Riina Tikkanen

Supported by: Finnish Cultural Foundation, Finnish Cultural Foundation’s Uusimaa Regional Fund, Arts Promotion Centre Finland, Turku Theatre Foundation, Aura of PuppetsThe performance has been produced at the Contemporary Performance Stage’s summer residency. The stage will bring various forms of contemporary performance into the Helsinki City Theatre’s repertoire. The stage is supported by Kone Foundation in 2024–2025.

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Stage

Studio Pasila

Ratamestarinkatu 5, 00520 Helsinki

More information and arrival instructions

Gallery

Useat mustiin pukeutuneet nukketeatteritaiteilijat manipuloivat suuria, ilmeikkäitä nukkeja vaahtomuovisilla rekvisiitoilla täytetyn pöydän ääressä. Yhdellä nukella on pupunkorvat ja pyjama, kun taas toisella on kädessään punainen kukkakimppu.

Neljä esiintyjää käyttää suuria vauvanukkeja lavalla seinän edessä, jossa lukee isoin kirjaimin WHERE LOVE HAPPENS. Kohtaus on värikäs ja teatraalinen, ja siinä on dramaattinen valaistus ja ilmeikkäät nukkekasvot.

Neljä tummiin vaatteisiin pukeutunutta nukketeatteritaiteilijaa pitelee suuria lintunukkeja violetinharmaan seinän edessä, jonka yläpuolella on vaaleanpunaisin 3D-kirjaimin teksti WHATEVER LOVE MEANS.

Background

FROM THE CURATOR

What does love mean? A contemporary puppet theatre performance delves into the sociology of Romanticism

There are people who would never have fallen in love if they had never heard of love. - François de la Rochefoucauld (1613–1680)

HUOMENTA SUOMI

Dolls ventilate Hollywood love clichés

Director Merja Pöyhönen and puppeteers Riina Tikkanen and Helena Markku, as well as the Sociologist and Poet Couples Huomenta Suomi.

HELSINGIN SANOMAT

Plush foam dolls tell about love: "You've never seen this on the Finnish stage before"

Whatever Love Means, which can be seen on the stage of the Helsinki City Theatre's Contemporary Performance, is an exceptionally large and soft puppet theatre work.

Reviews

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Review

“I believe that those who enjoy the performance of Whatever Love Means the most are those who understand a large part of the references that are presented. If you’re not familiar with the classics of romantic comedies, it can be hard to understand why others laugh. To the auditorium, you can head alone or together. The performance is guaranteed to offer light and gentle material for the aftermath of the essence of love!”

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Review

Love for puppetry at first sight – Whatever Love Means was a mocking adult game with large foam-headed puppets – The list of sociological source works in the script is as long as a gorilla’s hairy arm

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Review

“Foam rules! This can definitely be said about the Royal Cotton Candy working group’s work Whatever Love Means, which premiered at the City Theatre’s studio Pasila.

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