How old can you stay young?
The theatre’s doors have been closed for decades, but retired actors regularly get to spend time on the empty stage.
The actors, who are well over eighty years old, are looked after by a nurse who already thinks they are old age fools. But when the nurse leaves the scene, things start to happen. Behind closed doors, the actors hatch into a cheerful and joyful group.
“Forever Young touchingly deals with the fact that we are inevitably getting old through the means of comedy,” says director Heikki Sankari .
Acoustic hits
The musical comedy created by Erik Gedeon from Switzerland is built around the hit songs of the 80s and 90s, which are familiar to everyone, of which a total of twenty can be heard. A few Finnish songs will also be included in the City Theatre’s adaptation.
The music is made on stage accompanied by a pianist, and it is used to convey various memories, emotions and moods that returning to an abandoned stage evokes in the actors.
The characters in the play have the same name as the real actors, but they perform versions of themselves that are several decades older.
“Together with the working group, we want to examine what I will be like when I get older. It is not a question of parodying the elderly, but we are aiming for a great understanding of aging,” Sankari says.
He thinks the play is suitable for everyone who thinks they will get old someday. “It gives me hope when you are over 80 years old and you can be that I will rock you.”
The hero saw Forever Young nine years ago in Berlin, where the entire German audience stood up during the last song and joined in the singing.
The anarchy of aging
Although Forever Young deals with aging, Sankari points out that it is by no means a socio-political play that deals with, for example, the problems of elderly care.
“The starting point is anarchy, forever young. The play ponders whether it is possible to be young even when you are old, even though no one can stay young forever,” Sankari says.
On the other hand, the play may also make us think about the fate of theatres, as cultural funding is constantly being cut: will there be any abandoned stages left at the Helsinki City Theatre sometime in the future?
Above all, however, there will be a boisterous, entertaining and thought-provoking performance in which a person’s life and the passage of time are treated with warmth and humour.
“I hope that the viewer could think that getting older isn’t such a scary thing if you just keep your mind young,” Sankari says.