Kjell Westö’s novel Skymning 41 is staged at Lilla Teatern / Kjell Westö’s novel Molly & Henry on the stage of Lilla Teatern!
Kjell Westö’s acclaimed novel Skymning 41 (2023) will have its world premiere at Lilla Teatern on February 8. The dramatization is by Annina Enckell and the director is David Sandqvist. The last time a dramatisation of Westö’s novel was staged in Swedish was Drakarna över Helsinki at Teater Viirus in 2000.
“Twilight 41 is a special book for me. I depict the early 1940s through the two headstrong artistic souls Molly and Henry, but the novel also became my way of greeting my grandfather Erling and my grandfather Gunnar, who were killed in the wars,” says author Kjell Westö.
“I’m happy that Lilla Teatern wanted to take on the story, and proud of the passion the whole team has shown and of the work they have done,” Westö continues.
In the performance, the actor Molly (Saga Sarkola, who is seen for the first time on stage at Lilla Teatern) and the journalist Henry (Elmer Bäck) try to fight for what they believe in, but are forced to become part of the militarized social machinery of the 1940s. Molly plays supporting roles in trivial comedies while Henry’s truthful texts from the front are not published. Artistic ambitions disappear in dumb comedies and the truth in the reports is censored. When the war is over, Henry and Molly meet again. But who has the war made them? Can they create a life together, despite their different experiences?
“The Dusk 41 story of Molly and Henry is a story about a nation that finds itself at war and about a people trying to find their moral compass in the eye of the storm. The performance serves as a mirror for our time, where rhetoric and social discussion are almost imperceptibly militarized. It is also a love story and there is a lot of warmth, love and humor on stage. It’s a show first and foremost about people,” says director David Sandqvist.
The novel has been a bestseller in both Finland and Sweden, and it was nominated for the Svenska Yle Literature Prize in 2023. The novel has also been published in Norway and Denmark.
Westö’s most recent dramatisation of a novel at the Helsinki City Theatre was Missä kuljimme kerran (Where We Once Gone) on the Main Stage in 2008.
Starring Elmer Bäck and Saga Sarkola, as well as Vivi Lindberg, Pia Runnakko, Antti Timonen, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius.
Writer Kjell Westö, dramatization Annina Enckell, director David Sandqvist, set design Peter Ahlqvist, costume design Sari Suominen, lighting and video design Pekka Pitkänen, sound design Niklas Lundström, mask design Jutta Kainulainen, dramaturg Henna Piirto.
Check out the background material we have collected on the Lilla Teatern website: The Twilight 41 Story of Molly and Henry
The Twilight 41 Story of Molly and Henry, premiere 8.2.2025 at Lilla Teatern, Yrjönkatu 30, 00100 Helsinki.
The language of the performance is Swedish. The performance is subtitled in Finnish and Swedish via the Subtitle Mobile mobile application.
Ticket price: normal price €43, student price €21.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner price €40 (Mon-Thu). #skymning41 @lilla.teatern @hktfi
Helsinki City Theatre’s customer service is available by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri. at. 9-17. Ticket office on Första linjen 2, Mon-Fri. 12-17, Djurgårdsvägen 5, Sat (performance days) 11-18.30 and one hour before the performances start. Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat at 9-21, Sun kl. 10-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge/mta) www.hkt.fi
Pictured in the press release: Elmer Bäck and Saga Sarkola, photographer Kasper Dalkarl.
Further information, press tickets and interview requests:
Lilla Teatern, Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@hkt.fi, 050 357 4250
Press release 20.1.2025
Kjell Westö’s Molly & Henry premieres at Lilla Teatern!
Kjell Westö’s acclaimed novel Skymning 41 (in Finnish. Molly & Henry, 2023) will premiere at Lilla Teatern on 8 February. The play, dramatised by Annina Enckell, is directed by David Sandqvist. Westö’s novel dramatisation was last seen in Swedish in 2000, when Drakarna över Helsingfors (Kites over Helsinki) was performed at Teater Viirus.
“Skymning 41 is a special book for me. I depict the early 1940s through the eyes of two eccentric artists, Molly and Henry, but the novel was also my way of greeting my grandfather Erling and my grandfather Gunnar, who fell in the wars,” says author Kjell Westö.
“I’m glad that Lilla Teatern wanted to take on the story, and proud of the passion shown by the entire team and the work they do,” Westö continues.
The performance follows the attempts of actress Molly (Saga Sarkola, who will be seen for the first time on the stage of Lilla Teatern) and journalist Henry (Elmer Bäck) to hold on to their principles as they become part of the militarized society of the 1940s. Molly plays supporting roles in petty comedies and Henry’s truthful texts from the front are not published. Artistic aspirations disappear into idle comedies and reportage is censored. When the war ends, Molly and Henry meet again. But how have the experiences of the war affected them? Can they build a life together despite their different experiences?
“Twilight 41 – the story of Molly and Henry, is the story of a nation caught up in war and a nation trying to find its moral compass in the eye of the storm. The performance serves as a mirror to the present day, where rhetoric and social debate are militarized almost imperceptibly. It’s also a love story, and there’s a lot of warmth, love, and humor on stage. Above all, the performance is about people,” says director David Sandqvist.
The novel has been a bestseller in both Finland and Sweden, and it was nominated for the Svenska Yle Literature Prize in 2023. The novel has also been published in Norway and Denmark.
Westö’s previous novel dramatisation at the Helsinki City Theatre was Where We Walked Once Upon a Time on the big stage in 2008.
Cast: Elmer Bäck and Saga Sarkola, as well as Vivi Lindberg, Pia Runnakko, Antti Timonen, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius.
Author Kjell Westö, dramatization by Annina Enckell, direction David Sandqvist, set design by Peter Ahlqvist, costume design by Sari Suominen, lighting and video design by Pekka Pitkänen, sound design by Niklas Lundström, camouflage design by Jutta Kainulainen, dramaturg Henna Piirto.
Check out the background materials we have compiled on Lilla Teatern’s website: Skymning 41 – berättelsen om Molly och Henry.
Performed in Swedish. The performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish via the Subtitle Mobile mobile application. Dusk 41 – the story of Molly and Henry premiere 8.2.2025 at Lilla Teaternissa, Yrjönkatu 30, 00100 Helsinki.
Tickets: basic ticket €43, student ticket €21.50 (Mon-Thu), pensioner ticket €40 (Mon-Thu). #skymning41 @lilla.teatern @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–6.30 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: Elmer Bäck and Saga Sarkola, photographer Kasper Dalkarl.
Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Communications Planner Ida Virkkunen, ida.virkkunen@hkt.fi, 050 357 4250