Elena Ferrante’s novel suite får scenpremiere / Elena Ferrante’s best-selling novels now also on stage
Elena Ferrante’s beloved Naples series takes over Lilla Teatern when My Fantastic Friend has its Finnish premiere on 15 September. The director is Riikka Oksanen, who is making her debut and the play is based on a script by April De Angelis. The Friends are played by Pia Andersson and Cecilia Paul.
Ferrante is considered one of Italy’s most important contemporary writers and the performance is based on her bestselling novels My Fantastic Friend, Her New Name, The One Who Stays, The One Who Goes, and The Lost Child. The story of Elena “Lenú” Greco and Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo has also been published as a TV series and made its stage debut in London. In Stockholm, the show has played to sold-out auditoriums.
Like the books, the play follows the lives of the female friends from their childhood in post-war Naples to the 2000s, when fate took them in very different directions. Ferrante reflects Italian society, social structures and gender roles in parallel, with Lenús’ liberation, break-up and class journey from working-class neighbourhood to academic writer’s career at the centre, in sharp contrast to Lila, who, despite her talent and success, is shackled in her childhood neighbourhood.
“It’s hard to imagine a different life than the surrounding life if there are no alternatives. It’s hard to believe in your potential in an environment where you have no prospects for the future. An important theme for me in the performance is role models, examples and allies, which make us take courage and rebel against narrow societal norms,” says director Riikka Oksanen, whose last director was Lou Salomé at the KOM Theatre.
In addition to her friends, the cast includes Lumi Aunio, Peter Kanerva, Sanna Majuri, Pia Runnakko, Ursula Salo, Rasmus Slätis, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius. The dramatization is by April De Angelis and the translation by Johanna Hedenberg. Vilma Mattila is responsible for the set design and costumes. Sofia Palillo is a lighting designer and Tinja Salmi is a video designer. The sound design is by Ville Aalto and Ilkka Tolonen. Mask by Maija Sillanpää.
The performance is subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.
Right of Conduct: Agency North / Colombine Teaterförlag
My Amazing Friend, premiere 15.9.2022 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, 00100 Helsinki
Press images are available in the image bank and press releases in the press room.
Further information, press tickets and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, Marketer, Ida Virkkunen ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250
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Elena Ferrante’s best-selling novels now also on stage
Elena Ferrante’s beloved Naples series will take over Lilla Teatern when My Fantastic Friend (My Brilliant Friend) premieres in Finland on 15 September. The director is Riikka Oksanen, who is making her Lilla debut, and Pia Andersson and Cecilia Paul are seen as great friends.
Ferrante is considered one of Italy’s most important contemporary writers, and the performance is based on his bestselling novels My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay, and The Story of the Lost Child. The story of Elena “Lenú” Greco and Raffaella “Lila” Cerullo has also been made into a TV series and a play, which premiered in London in 2019. In Stockholm, the play was performed to sold-out halls.
Like the books and the TV series, the play follows the lives of the friends from childhood in post-war Naples to the 2000s. Ferrante talks about Italian society, gender roles and norms, while girls grow from children to adults. Lenú makes a class trip from a working-class block to an academically trained writer, while Lila’s fate, despite her talent and success, is the childhood block.
“It’s hard to imagine your life differently if the environment shows you only one option for the future. It is difficult to see opportunities if there is a lack of prospects in the environment. An important theme for me in the performance is how badly we need role models, examples and allies so that we dare to start rebelling against the narrow roles that the community and society are trying to put us in,” says the director of the performance, Riikka Oksanen, whose latest work is Lou Salomé at the KOM Theatre.
In addition to the friends, Lumi Aunio, Peter Kanerva, Sanna Majuri, Pia Runnakko, Ursula Salo, Rasmus Slätis, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius will shine on stage. The play is dramatized by April De Angelis and translated by Johanna Hedenberg. The set and costumes are by Vilma Mattila . The lighting design is by Sofia Palillo and the video projections by Tinja Salmi. The sound designers have been Ville Aalto and Ilkka Tolonen. The camouflage was designed by Maija Sillanpää.
The performance is in Swedish and it is subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.
My Amazing Friend, premiere 15.9.2022, Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, 00100 Helsinki
Performance rights: Agency North / Colombine Teaterförlag.
Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, marketer Ida Virkkunen ida.virkkunen@lillateatern.fi, 050 357 4250