A fantasy adventure for the whole family My Friend the Pelican at the City Theatre
In October 2022, Helsinki City Theatre will premiere My Friend the Pelican, a fantasy adventure for the whole family suitable for all lovers of heartfelt stories. Paula Salminen’s new dramatisation of Leena Krohn’s novel In Human Clothes tells the story of the encounter of two strangers in a big city, a surprising friendship, homesickness, humanity and the relationship between man and nature. The wise play about the wonder of life is directed by award-winning Irene Aho, and the main roles are played by Ylermi Rajamaa and Elias Salonen.
When Emil’s (Elias Salonen) parents divorce, the boy moves to the city with his mother. There, Emil meets his new neighbor, the mysterious Mr. Hyyryläinen (Ylermi Rajamaa), who turns out to be a pelican in human clothing. The boy and the pelican become friends, end up on exciting adventures and teach each other to see the world with new eyes.
The other roles in the play are played by Sari Haapamäki, Sofia Hilli, Inkeri Hyvönen, Juha Jokela, Pertti Koivula, Sanna Majuri, Kari Mattila, Unto Nuora, Aino Seppo, Marjut Toivanen and Kaisa Torkkel.
"When learning about human life, the pelican gets excited about science and falls in love with the arts. The play is also about the fact that we humans need art in order to experience life as meaningful. In exceptional times, when people are isolated from art and from each other, life feels inadequate. We also need nourishment for the soul," says director Irene Aho.
The play’s rich and imaginative world is created in collaboration with a top professional team. The set design for My Friend the Pelican was designed by Antti Mattila, the costumes by Kirsi Manninen and the camouflage by Tuula Kuittinen. The lighting designer is William Iles and the video designer is Toni Haaranen. The composition and sound design of the work is by Aleksi Saura.
The performance is suitable for the whole family, from schoolchildren upwards.
My Friend the Pelican is Irene Aho’s first production at the Helsinki City Theatre. In 2020, Irene Aho was awarded the Eino Kalima Incentive Prize for her work Koiramäki’s Finnish History, which was her previous children’s theatre direction (Finnish National Theatre, 2019).
The premiere of My Friend the Pelican on 12.10.2022 on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5).
Tickets: children’s ticket 19 €, student ticket 19,50 € (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket 36 € (Mon-Thu), basic ticket 39 €
#ystävänipelikaani #hktfi
Helsinki City Theatre ticket office, Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m., Eläintarhantie 5 Sat 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sun 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (€2/min + local network charge) www.hkti.fi
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Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Communications Manager Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki