Asmodeus and 1313 Souls is a fast-paced and edgy new comedy

The first premiere of the spring season at the Helsinki City Theatre will be seen on 26 January on a small stage, when the new Finnish comedy Asmodeus and 1313 Souls, directed by Juha Hurme, takes to the stage. The first half of the play is based on Runar Schildt’s miniature novel, Asmodeus and Thirteen Souls (1915), which was dramatised by Juha Hurme. The second act is a variation of Schildt’s text written by Juha Hurme himself. The role of Asmodeus is played by Vappu Nalbantoglu.

In the story, the demon king Asmodeus makes a bet with the court marshal of hell that he will manage to collect permission from 13 people in three days to sell their souls to hell after death. The first act, based on Runar Schildt’s miniature novel, follows Asmodeus’ first trip to Helsinki in 1913. The second act, written by Juha Hurme , takes place in the year 2026, when Helsinki has been evacuated to Lahti due to the Flood. This time, Asmodeus should be able to collect 1300 souls in three days. It can be done easily.

“I read Schildt’s short story Asmodeus och de tretton själarna for the first time in 1988 and laughed wrong. After a quarter of a century of planning, it has been easy to expand the subject into a full-length comedy in good company,” says Juha Hurme.

The role of Asmodeus is played by Vappu Nalbantoglu and the other roles in the play are played by Sari Haapamäki, Sofia Hilli, Mikko Virtanen, Paavo Kääriäinen, Kai Lähdesmäki, Unto Nuora, Tiina Peltonen, Inka Tiitinen and Mikko Vihma.

The play features music composed by Petra Poutanen , performed by top-notch live musicians Piia Komsi and Ville Herrala, who have also composed, arranged and improvised music for the play. In addition to singing and playing, Komsi and Herrala also act in the performance.

The set design of the play was designed by Katariina Kirjavainen, the costumes by Sari Suominen and the make-up by Maija Sillanpää. The lighting design is by Kari Leppälä, and the sound design is by Eero Niemi.

Juha Hurme is an award-winning director and writer who is also known as the discoverer of old literature and the thrower of Finnish literature. Asmodeus and 1313 Souls is his first and last production at the Helsinki City Theatre. Hurme has announced that he will retire and move to wilderness theatre at the beginning of 2024.

Runar Schildt (1888-1925) was a Finnish-Swedish writer who published eight collections of short stories and three plays in the 1910s and 1920s. His work also made a breakthrough in the other Nordic countries, and Schildt is considered one of Finland’s Swedish classic writers.

Juha Hurme talks about Schildt’s miniature novel Asmodeus and Thirteen Souls at the Helsinki Central Library Oodi on Tuesday 28 February at 5 pm. Read more about the event: Hurme’s classics: Runar Schildt

Read Juha Hurme’s interview on the theatre’s website: One Evening, Two Plays

Asmodeus and 1313 Souls premieres on 26.1.2023 on the small stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5). Tickets: student ticket €19.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket €36 (Mon-Thu), basic ticket €39 #asmodeusja1313sielua @hktfi

Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon–Fri 9 am–5 pm. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 12 noon–5 pm, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11 am–6 pm and always one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9 am–9 pm, Sun 10 am–6 pm, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:

Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja, 00530 Helsinki