Fretti Mercury etsii onnea, from an acclaimed creative team, is Helsinki City Theatre’s new musical treat for the whole family
Based on the children’s book of the same name by Miika Nousiainen and Sanna-Mari Pirkola (Otava, 2020), the fast-paced musical for the whole family Fretti Mercury etsii onnea premieres at Studio Pasila on 23 September. Adapted for the stage by Nousiainen himself, the show explores the search for happiness and the importance of friendship and is brimming with the author’s trademark wordplay. The musical’s exceptionally wide-ranging music is by composer Marzi Nyman and lyricist Mariska.
“Composer Marzi Nyman and I had talked about how much fun it would be to create something together. When plans with Helsinki City Theatre began to take shape, we came up with the idea of a musical. Writing song lyrics isn’t my area of expertise, so we needed to find someone else for the job. My projects have often been guided by chance, and that’s what happened here too. I was having tea in a café when Mariska walked through the door. I waited ten minutes before going over to introduce myself and ask if she would like to write the lyrics for a musical. And she said yes. It was absolutely unbelievable,” says author Miika Nousiainen, whose first stage adaptation is Fretti Mercury etsii onnea.
Best friends Fretti Mercury (Tuomas Korkia-Aho) and Jänis Virtanen (Inkeri Hyvönen) believe they have lost happiness and set off to find it. Along the way, their journey turns into a spectacular adventure as they meet all kinds of creatures who have found happiness in different ways. Could the secret to finding happiness lie in Jon Bon Ovi’s wisdom, Pöllö Miljoona’s rebellious spirit or perhaps Karitsa Mattila’s beautiful singing voice? But has happiness been inside them all along, or is it something that can be displayed on a bookshelf?
“Fretti Mercury etsii onnea is a wonderfully anarchic, multifaceted comedy that is unafraid to explore the extremes of the emotional spectrum. It is filled with sheer joy, playfulness and unabashed clowning, alongside moments of longing, sadness and even a little fear. The production is also visually inventive and guaranteed to be one of a kind. This is a musical for the whole family: its rich world and fast-paced plot will sweep younger audience members along, while the story and humour also have layers that will resonate especially with adults,” says Jukka Nylund, making his directorial debut at Helsinki City Theatre.
The musical’s leading cast includes Inkeri Hyvönen, known from the entertainment show Putous and the Jumppatytöt stage production, as well as Tuomas Korkia-Aho, appearing at Helsinki City Theatre for the first time. The other roles are played by Sari Haapamäki, Sofia Hilli, Juha Jokela, Kai Lähdesmäki, Tiina Peltonen and Inka Tiitinen.
The production’s wide-ranging musical palette covers everything from achingly beautiful ballads to full-throttle anthems. The orchestra features Ville Myllykoski, Tuomo Sorri, Timo Jurvelin and Heikki Selamo.
The play is written by Miika Nousiainen, with music composed by Marzi Nyman. The witty and inventive song lyrics are by Mariska. The production is directed by Jukka Nylund and choreographed by Katrin Vaskelainen, with 2026 Music Theatre Artist of the Year Ville Myllykoski as conductor. The set and costume design is by Aili Ojalo. Lighting design is by Teppo Saarinen, sound design by Sami Lust and make-up design by Ronja Nylund. The dramaturg is Sanna Niemeläinen and the music dramaturg is Eeva Kontu.
Recommended for everyone aged 5 and over.
Read an interview with author Miika Nousiainen on the theatre’s website: A joyful musical about the search for happiness and friendship
Fretti Mercury etsii onnea – premieres 23.9.2026 at Helsinki City Theatre’s Studio Pasila (Ratamestarinkatu 5).
Standard ticket 41 €, children’s ticket 20 € (ages 0–16), student ticket 20,50 € (Mon–Thu) and senior ticket 38 € (Mon–Thu) #frettimercuryetsiionnea @hktfi
Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone: (09) 3940 22, Mon–Fri 10–17. Ticket shop at Ensi linja 2, Mon–Fri 12–17. The box offices at Eläintarhantie 5 and the other venues open one hour before each performance. Tickets are also available from lippu.fi, Mon–Sat 9–19, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + standard call charge) www.hkt.fi
The press release image features Tuomas Korkia-Aho and Inkeri Hyvönen. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen.
Further information, interview requests and media ticket enquiries:
Head of Communications Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki