Helsinki City Theatre’s early spring premieres feature top Finnish texts, chilling excitement and one end of the world / Helsinki City Theatre’s spring premieres offer excellent Finnish texts, ice-cold suspense and an apocalypse

On 6 February, the spring premiere on the big stage will be Sinun, Margot, based on Meri Valkama’s award-winning debut novel (2021). The drama, which reflects on current issues and holds its grip, has been dramatised by Tuomas Timonen and directed by Riikka Oksanen.

Vilja Siltanen’s (Satu Tuuli Karhu) father Markus (Martin Bahne) has just died. In his apartment, a bundle of letters from a woman named Margot (Sara Soulié) is found. Vilja’s mother (Sanna-June Hyde) refuses to say anything about the letters, so Vilja has to travel to Berlin to find out who the letters are from. Vilja grew up in the GDR, where her father worked as a foreign correspondent in the early 1980s. The family considered East Germany to be the ideal state. Then the Berlin Wall came down and the family’s happiness was shattered. Why? And who exactly is the Margot of the letters? Yours, Margot expands from the story of an individual and a family into a grand suspense play that examines an entire era.

For the first time, You, Margot brings actors from films and television, Satu Tuuli Karhu, Sara Soulié and Martin Bahne, to the HKT stage. The other roles are played by Helena Haaranen, Vuokko Hovatta, Sanna-June Hyde, Tuukka Leppänen, Lasse Lipponen, Sanna Majuri, Risto Kaskilahti, Samuli Pajunen, Emma Pälsynaho and Raili Raitala.

On 13 February, Jenny Hill, based on Minna Rytisalo’s novel of the same name (2023), directed by Liisa Mustonen, will premiere on the small stage. The play has been dramatised by Henna Piirto.

Jenni Mäki divorces her husband Jussi and moves out of a seaside house in Espoo and into a studio apartment in the city centre. The children are already grown, and now it’s time for Jenni to see who she is under all expectations. Jenni Mäki becomes Jenny Hill, a woman who begins to find her own voice and her own way of life.

Jenni Mäki is played by Sari Haapamäki and the other roles are played by Aino Seppo, Merja Larivaara, Rauno Ahonen, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Sauli Suonpää, Ursula Salo, Sanna Saarijärvi and Elina Hietala.

The spring on the Arena stage will kick off with the chillingly exciting mystery of a closed space, And No One Was Saved, which will premiere on 29 January. An effective, well-constructed and traditional suspense play is Agatha Christie at its best.

And not a single survivor takes them to Soldier’s Island on the coast of Devon, where ten people have been invited. When the party arrives, it turns out that the host couple has not yet arrived. On the edge of the fireplace there is an old rhyme about ten soldier boys and ten soldier statues. In the rhyme, each soldier boy dies, one at a time. Soon, a record starts in which every guest and the servants of the house are accused of murder. Then the members of the party begin to die. With each death, one of the ten porcelain soldier boy statues disappears. Until there is not one left.

The play is directed by Sakari Hokkanen. The cast includes Anna Ackerman, Jesse Gyllynbögel, Heidi Herala, Pekka Huotari, Juha Jokela, Santeri Kinnunen, Jouko Klemettilä, Pertti Koivula, Jari Pehkonen, Kaisa Torkkel and Mikko Virtanen.

On 5 February, Studio Pasila will premiere the carnivalesque musical comedy New Eden, set in post-apocalyptic Pasila. The musical, a co-production of HKT and Q-teatteri, is written and directed by Juho Mantere and the music is composed by Henri Lyysaari.

A global nuclear war has swept across the planet, but by a whim of chance, a theatre in Pasila and its staff have been spared destruction. When the old professions of the theatre people prove useless in the post-apocalyptic reality, they embark on a project to build a new life under the leadership of their resourceful caretaker. On the ruins of the old theatre, a community is born, which they call the New Eden. Together they swear never to repeat the mistakes of the past —but it soon becomes clear that not everything is perfect even in paradise.

The musical, which combines black humour, topical themes and thrilling music, features Miiko Toiviainen, Anna-Sofia Tuominen, Tiina Peltonen, Niki Rautén, Ushma Olava, Leenamari Unho, Unto Nuora and Mikko Vihma.

On 8 February, Lilla Teatern will premiere Twilight 41 – the story of Molly and Henry, directed by David Sandqvist and based on Kjell Westö’s book (2023). The book, which tells the story of a nation at war, love and morality in times of war, has been dramatised by Annina Enckell.

It’s 1939 when Molly and Henry, newly in love, realise that Finland is about to go to war. Henry is too old to be recruited, but he travels to the front to report on the horrors of the war. Actress Molly, on the other hand, will go on tour to Sweden to raise money for Finland. Henry’s honest texts about the war will not be published, because the magazine longs for stories about Finnish heroes who die bravely for the fatherland. At the same time, Molly has to settle for light comedy roles, even though she really wants to deal with the lives of real people and the reality of war. They try to find their way back to their former lives, but the war threatens to suck away all the joy and hope.

The cast includes Elmer Bäck, Saga Sarkola, Vivi Lindberg, Pia Runnakko, Antti Timonen, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius.

In March, the musical Katrina, based on Sally Salminen’s classic novel (1936), will return to Lilla Teatern, which was performed to full audiences on the stage of Lilla Teatern in the spring of 2024. Kaisa Lundán’s dramatisation and Aili Järvelä’s new composition bring Katrina’s touching story to life. The performance is produced in cooperation with Åbo Svenska Teater and Wasa Teater. On stage, we will see Emma Klingenberg in the role of Katrina and musicians Aili Järvelä, Ulriikka Heikinheimo and Senni Valtonen.

In the spring season, the City Theatre’s repertoire will continue on the big stage with Moulin Rouge! The musical and the adventure play My Brother Lion’s Heart. Lemppi, which premieres on the small stage on 21 November, will also continue in the spring season. The stand-up club Club act!one will continue in Studio Pasila and the ever-popular Stones in Your Pocket will continue on the Arena stage. The audience’s beloved Coffee with the Writer events will also continue in the spring in the balcony foyer of the main stage, and the children’s theatre performance Molli’s Evening Hepuli will continue in the foyer of the small stage.

Read the new Teatteriin magazine here.

Next premieres at the Helsinki City Theatre
21.11.2024 Lempi, dir. Miika Muranen
3. and 4.12.2024 Sleeping Beauty – Return to the Future, dir. Jyri Numminen
29.1.2025 And None Was Saved, dir. Sakari Hokkanen
5.2.2025 Uusi Eden, dir. Juho Mantere
6.2.2025 Yours, Margot, dir. Riikka Oksanen
8.2.2025 Twilight 41 – The Story of Molly and Henry, dir. David Sandqvist
13.2.2025 Jenny Hill, dir. Liisa Mustonen Returns to the programme in spring 2025
From 12.3.2025 Katrina, dir. Jakob Höglund

In spring 2025, the following will continue in the programme:
Moulin Rouge! Musical, dir. Anders Albien
My Brother Lionheart, dir. Jakob Höglund
Stones in Your Pocket, dir. Pentti Kotkaniemi
Mollin iltahepuli, dir. Jenny Jumppanen
Club act!oneOver coffee with the author

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–6.30 pm and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon–Sat 9 am–9 pm, Sun 10 am–4 pm, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

In the photo of the press release: Satu Tuuli Karhu. Photo: Mitro Härkönen

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Lilla Teatern, PR & Marketing, Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@hkt.fi, 050 357 4250
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja, 00530 Helsinki

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Helsinki City Theatre’s spring premieres will feature excellent Finnish texts, ice-cold suspense and an apocalypseAt the beginning of the year, Helsinki City Theatre will premiere Sinun, Margot, based on Meri Valkama’s best-selling novel, the funny and emotional comedy-drama Jenny Hill, Agatha Christie’s masterpiece And No Rescue and Uusi Eden, a musical comedy about the end of the world. Lilla Teatern’s spring premiere is Skymning 41 – the story of Molly and Henry, which is based on Kjell Westö’s novel.

The main stage’s first premiere is Sinun, Margot on February 6. The play is based on Meri Valkama’s award-winning debut novel (2021). The current and captivating drama has been dramatised by Tuomas Timonen and directed by Riikka Oksanen.

Vilja Siltanen’s (Satu Tuuli Karhu) father Markus (Martin Bahne) has just died. In his apartment, a bundle of letters is found from a woman named Margot (Sara Soulié). Vilja’s mother (Sanna-June Hyde) refuses to tell her anything about the letters, so Vilja is forced to travel to Berlin to find out who the letters are from. Vilja grew up in the GDR, where her father worked as a foreign correspondent in the early 1980s. The family saw East Germany as an ideal state. But when the Berlin Wall fell, the family happiness was over. Why? And who is Margot? Sinun, Margot develops from an individual and family story into an exciting drama that depicts an entire period of time.

On stage in Sinun, Margot is seen for the first time at the City Theatre Satu Tuuli Karhu, Sara Soulié and Martin Bahne, who are known from TV and film productions. The other roles are played by Helena Haaranen, Vuokko Hovatta, Sanna-June Hyde, Tuukka Leppänen, Lasse Lipponen, Sanna Majuri, Risto Kaskilahti, Samuli Pajunen and Raili Raitala.

On the small stage, Jenny Hill premieres on February 13. The performance is based on Minna Rytisalo’s novel from 2023 and it is directed by Liisa Mustonen. The play has been dramatised by Henna Piirto.

Jenni Mäki divorces her husband Jussi and moves from a house by the sea in Espoo to a studio apartment in the city centre. The children are already grown up and now it’s time for Jenni to discover who she is under all expectations. Jenni Mäki becomes Jenny Hill, a woman who begins to find her own voice and her own way of life.

Jenni Mäki is played by Sari Haapamäki and the other roles are played by Aino Seppo, Merja Larivaara, Rauno Ahonen, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Sauli Suonpää, Ursula Salo, Sanna Saarijärvi and Elina Hietala.

The Arena stage begins the spring with the terrifying mystery And None Were Saved, which premieres on 29 January. The intense, well-constructed and traditional suspense drama is Agatha Christie at her best.

And no one who was saved takes us to the coast outside Devon. Ten people have received an invitation to Soldier’s Island, but when they arrive, it turns out that the host couple themselves are not yet there. By the fireplace they find an old rhyme about ten soldier boys and ten soldier statuettes. In the chant, each soldier boy dies, one at a time. Soon a soundtrack is played in which every guest and the house’s servant are accused of murder. Then the guests begin to die and in connection with each death, one of the ten porcelain soldiers disappears. Until no one is left.

The play is directed by Sakari Hokkanen. Starring Anna Ackerman, Jesse Gyllenbögel, Heidi Herala, Pekka Huotari, Juha Jokela, Santeri Kinnunen, Jouko Klemettilä, Pertti Koivula, Jari Pehkonen, Kaisa Torkkel and Mikko Virtanen.

The carnivalesque musical comedy Uusi Eden, which takes place in a post-apocalyptic Pasila, will premiere at Studio Pasila on 5 February. The musical is a co-production between Helsinki City Theatre and Q-teatteri, and it is written and directed by Juho Mantere. The music is composed by Henri Lyysaari.

A global nuclear war has swept across the planet, but by chance, a theatre in Pasila has survived the devastation. The staff’s previous occupations prove to be useless in the post-apocalyptic reality and under the guidance of their wise caretaker, the staff begins to build a new life. A community that they call New Eden grows out of the old theatre ruins. Together, they swear never to repeat the mistakes made in the past – but it soon turns out that not everything is perfect even in paradise.

The musical, which combines black humour, topical themes and captivating music, features Miiko Toiviainen, Anna-Sofia Tuominen, Tiina Peltonen, Niki Rautén, Ushma Olava, Leenamari Unho, Unto Nuora and Mikko Vihma.

At Lilla Teatern, Skymning 41 – the story of Molly and Henry, premieres on February 8. It is based on Kjell Westö’s novel (2023) and is directed by David Sandqvist. The performance, which is about a warring nation, love and morality during the war, has been dramatized by Annina Enckell.

The year is 1939, when the newly in love Molly and Henry realise that Finland is heading for war. Henry is too old to be drafted, but he travels to the front to report on the horrors of the war. Actress Molly, on the other hand, is going on tour to Sweden to raise money for Finland. Henry’s honest texts about the war remain unpublished, as the magazine seeks stories about Finnish heroes who bravely die for the fatherland. At the same time, Molly is forced to settle for light-hearted comedy roles, even though she really wants to portray real people’s lives and the reality of war. Molly and Henry try to find their way back to their old lives, but the war threatens to suck away all joy and hope.

Starring Elmer Bäck, Vivi Lindberg, Saga Sarkola, Pia Runnakko, Antti Timonen, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius.

In March, the musical Katrina, based on Sally Salminen’s classic novel (1936), returns to Lilla Teatern, where it was performed to packed auditoriums in the spring of 2024. Kaisa Lundán’s dramatisation and Aili Järvelä’s new composition bring Katrina’s touching story to life. The performance is carried out in collaboration with Åbo Svenska Teater and Wasa Teater. On stage, we see Emma Klingenberg in the role of Katrina and musicians Aili Järvelä, Ulriikka Heikinheimo and Senni Valtonen.

During the spring season, the Moulin Rouge continues! Musical and the adventure Veljeni Leijonamieli on the main stage. The play Lempi, which premieres on 21 November, will continue on the small stage in the spring. The stand-up club Club act!one will continue in Studio Pasila, and the timeless favourite Kivia taskussa will continue on the Arena stage. The popular Kahvilla kirjailijan kanssa events will continue in the foyer of the main stage in the spring, and the children’s theatre performance Mollin iltahepuli will continue in the foyer of the small stage.

Read the new Teatteriin magazine here.

Premieres at the Helsinki City Theatre
21.11.2024 Lempi, directed by Miika Muranen
3 and 4.12.2024 Sleeping Beauty – Back to the Future, directed by Jyri Numminen
29.1.2025 And No One Was Saved, directed by Sakari Hokkanen
5.2.2025 New Eden, directed by Juho Mantere
6.2.2025 You, Margot, directed by Riikka Oksanen
8.2.2025 Twilight 41 – The Story of Molly and Henry, directed by David Sandqvist
13.2.2025 Jenny Hill, directed by Liisa Mustonen

The performance that will return to the repertoire in spring 2025
From 12.3.2025 Katrina, directed by Jakob Höglund

Performances that will continue in the repertoire in spring 2025
Moulin Rouge! Musical, directed by Anders Albien
My Brother Lionmind, directed by Jakob Höglund
Stones in Your Pocket, directed by Pentti Kotkaniemi
Molli’s Evening Party, directed by Jenny Jumppanen
Club act!oneOver coffee with the author

Helsinki City Theatre’s customer service is available by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri at noon. 9–17. Ticket office at First Line 2, Mon-Fri at 12–17, Djurgårdsvägen 5, Sat (performance days) at noon. 11–18.30 and one hour before the performances begin. Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Sun at 9 a.m. 10–18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge/mta) www.hkt.fi

Pictured in the press release: Satu Tuuli Karhu. Photo: Mitro Härkönen.

Further information, press tickets and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Head of Communications, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Lilla Teatern, Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@hkt.fi, 050 357 4250
Helsinki City Theatre, First Line 2, 00530 Helsinki