These are the nine autumn premieres of the Helsinki City Theatre

The autumn season on the big stage opens with the Finnish premiere of Moulin Rouge! Musical. Baz Luhrmann’s The musical, based on the Oscar-winning classic film, is written by John Logan. The work is part of a Nordic co-production and is directed by Anders Albien from Sweden. The role of courtesan Satine is played by Jennie Storbacka, the role of the bohemian young composer, Christian, is played by Martti Manninen, and the nightclub owner Harold Zidler is played by Risto Kaskilahti.

The autumn on the big stage continues on 17 October with the premiere of Astrid Lindgren’s beloved classic fairy tale Veljeni Leijonamieli. The play, directed by Jakob Höglund, combines musical theatre, puppet theatre and choreography.

My Brother Lionheart tells the story of two brothers, Korpus and Joonatan. After their short life on earth, the brothers travel to the beautiful land of Nangijala, where they fight together against the forces of evil. The journey turns into a dazzling adventure, during which the fearful Corpus grows into a brave Lionmind.

The main roles are played by Alexander Wendelin and Mikko Kauppila. The cast also includes Ulriikka Heikinheimo, Sofia Hilli, Tuukka Leppänen, Lasse Lipponen, Pekka Louhio, Kai Lähdesmäki, Sanna Majuri, Martti Manninen, Kari Mattila, Reetta Moilanen, Unto Nuora, Samuli Pajunen, Tiina Peltonen, Elena Rekola, Inka Tiitinen and Riina Tikkanen, as well as musician Senni Valtonen.

The autumn on the Arena stage begins on 12 September with the premiere of the hilarious comedy Surprise Guest, written by Steven Moffat.

Peter and Debbie celebrate their wedding anniversary on a cruise where they meet the easy-going Elsa. Elsa is a little too eager for the couple’s taste, but new acquaintances exchange contact information anyway. Peter and Debbie return home, where their children in their worst teenage years are waiting for them, and everyday life continues. Until, unexpectedly, Elsa is in town and she has decided to come visit. Just before Elsa arrives, Peter and Debbie Google their guests and the search results are shocking. Elsa reveals something that puts Debbie and Peter’s hospitality to the test. How do you get rid of Elsa?

The new comedy is directed by Milko Lehto and stars Sanna Saarijärvi, Vuokko Hovatta, Santeri Kinnunen, Pekka Huotari and Jari Pehkonen, among others.

A novelty for the small stage this autumn, Norwegian Arne Lygren’s Time of Joy is a playful and hopeful depiction of life choices and the attempt to connect with others. The play, which has gathered full audiences in Norway, Sweden and France, will have its Finnish premiere on 5 September on a small stage.

A mother and an adult daughter are sitting on a bench by the river. They meet after a long time and are waiting for the family’s son, Aksle. When Aksle finally arrives, he has news. He has decided to leave his whole current life and disappear. After Aksle’s departure, the mother goes to meet Aksle’s life partner to better understand her son’s decision. The mother ends up at a party, meets strangers, and the answers she receives surprise everyone in the end.

The play is directed by Tatu Hämäläinen and the music of the performance is composed and performed live by the artist Islaja. The cast includes Heidi Herala, Mitra Matouf, Rasmus Slätis, Rauno Ahonen, Jouko Klemettilä, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Ursula Salo and Sauli Suonpää.

Jarkko Mandelin’s new work Silence, which will premiere on the small stage on 9 October, will take Mandelin’s trademark contemporary dance, acrobatics and various martial arts techniques together even further. The work is a collaboration between HKT, Kinetic Orchestra and Dance Theatre Minimi with the support of the New Classics Fund.

Silence is a dance performance inspired by the performance of classical music. The dance group forms an orchestra that follows the traditions of classical music and does everything in its power to bring the parts of the concerto to life. Silence is the moment when a part of the concerto ends, the created world disappears and the completion of the next begins.

The dancers in the work are Jacob Börlin, Sanni Giordani, Manuela Hierl, Mia Jaatinen, Minna Kaaronen, Jyrki Kasper, Kalle Lähde, Suvi Nieminen, Mikko Paloniemi, Justus Pienmunne, Hugo Sellam and Oskari Turpeinen.

From 4 September, Studio Pasila will celebrate life and womanhood with the premiere of Merja Larivaara’s, Satu Rasila’s and Pasi Lampela’s Woman – Always at the Best Age.

Woman – Always in Her Best Age is a musical entertainment evening for all kinds of women and those who love women. On stage, Merja Larivaara, Pertti Koivula, Aino Seppo, Leenamari Unho, Mikko Virtanen and the Kaihon karavaani orchestra offer nostalgia, swing, dance and a carefree, joyful evening that sounds wonderful.

On 31 August, the world premiere of the musical Dancer in the Dark, based on Lars von Trier’s acclaimed film, will take place at Lilla Teatern. The lyrics are written by Patrick Ellsworth and the music is composed by Marie Højlund & The Overheard. At Lilla Teatern, the production is directed by Jakob Höglund and conducted by Eeva Kontu.

Selma is almost blind and works in a factory to support herself and her son Gene. She saves money for surgery for her son, who suffers from the same serious eye disease as she does and is gradually going blind. Selma escapes from her everyday life and reality into the fantasy world of hopeful musical numbers.

The role of Selma is played by Lumi Aunio and the other roles are played by Sofia Hilli, Ulriikka Heikinheimo, Tuukka Leppänen, Iivari Luomala, Sanna Majuri, Unto Nuora, Emil Paloniemi, Mikko Paloniemi, Tiina Peltonen, Pia Runnakko, Inka Tiitinen, Antti Timonen, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius. The Swedish performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.

Lillan’s second premiere of the autumn will take place on 10 October, when Minttu Mustakallio will interpret a performance based on Märta Tikkanen’s work Århundradets kärlekssaga, in which Tikkanen’s world is occasionally escaped to the backstage of the use of power in theatre to explore the relationship between director and actor.

In the performance, an actress named Minttu arrives at the rehearsals for a monologue performance based on Tikkanen’s work. Surprisingly, there is also an audience present, which turns out to be a test audience invited by the play’s director, Raffe. To Minttu’s horror, however, Raffe does not arrive, and soon Minttu begins to receive the strangest instructions via text message.

The work has been dramatised by Aino Pennanen and Riikka Oksanen, who also directs the play. The Swedish performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.

The autumn season premiere of the Nykyesitys stage, which began as a pilot project in 2021 and will continue as part of HKT’s programme from 2024 onwards, will feature Royal Cotton Candy’s contemporary puppet theatre performance Whatever Love Means on 7 August.

In the autumn season, the ever-popular Stones in Your Pocket and the boisterous musical comedy Forever Young will continue on the Arena stage. The stand-up club Club act!one will continue in Studio Pasila. The Senior Soup concerts and the Coffee with a Writer events, which are loved by the public, will also continue in the autumn.

Read the new Teatteriin magazine here.

Next premieres at the Helsinki City Theatre
11.4.2024 Stage of the contemporary performance: Empty Stage, dir. Kaino Wennerstrand
18.4.2024 Marathon Dances, dir. Heidi Räsänen
7.8.2024 Stage for a contemporary performance: Whatever Love Means, dir. Merja Pöyhönen
29.8.2024 Moulin Rouge! Musical, dir. Anders Albien
31.8.2024 Dancer in the Dark, dir. Jakob Höglund
4.9.2024 Woman – Always in the Best Age, dir. Merja Larivaara
5.9.2024 Time of Joy, dir. Tatu Hämäläinen
12.9.2024 Surprise guest, dir. Milko Lehto
9.10.2024 Silence, chor. Jarkko Mandelin
10.10.2024 The Love Story of the Century, dir. Riikka Oksanen
17.10.2024 My Brother Lionheart, dir. Jakob Höglund

In the autumn of 2024, the repertoire will continue with the performancesForever Young, dir. Heikki Sankari
Stones in Your Pocket, dir. Pentti Kotkaniemi
Club act!oneSenior soupCoffee with the authorGuest performances
12.4.2024 New Beginning, Ali Jahangiri, Arena Stage
19.4.2024 Stage of a contemporary performance: Beginning, middle, end, dir. Arni Rajamäki
17.9.2024 Leap into the Fire of Lilacs, Aulikki Oksanen 80th Anniversary Concert, Arena Stage

Helsinki City Theatre’s ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket offices First line 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11-18 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

Press release photo: My Brother Lionheart, in the photo Alexander Wendelin and Mikko Kauppila, photo Otto-Ville Väätäinen

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 2, 00530 Helsinki

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Press release 19.3.2024

Here are Helsinki City Theatre’s nine autumn premieresIn autumn 2024, the Helsinki City Theatre will premiere Moulin Rouge! Musikaali, Astrid Lindgren’s beloved classic Veljeni Leijonamieli, the new comedy Surprise Guest, the playful and hopeful Ilon aika, Helsinki Dance Company’s and Kinetic Orchestra’s continued collaboration Silence and the music evening Nainen – aina parimassa iässä. Lilla Teatern’s autumn premieres are the musical Dancer in the Dark, directed by Jakob Höglund, and The Love Story of the Century, starring Minttu Mustakallio. Nykyesitysn näyttämö will premiere the contemporary puppet theatre work Whatever Love Means in August.

The Main Stage’s autumn season begins on August 29 with the Finnish premiere of Moulin Rouge! Musikaali, a celebration of truth, beauty, freedom and love.  The musical, which is based on Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-winning film, is written by John Logan. The work is part of a Nordic co-production and is directed by Swedish Anders Albien. The courtesan Satine is played by Jennie Storbacka, the bohemian young composer, Christian, is played by Martti Manninen and the role of nightclub owner Harold Zidler is played by Risto Kaskilahti.

The autumn on the Main Stage continues on 17 October when it is time for the premiere of Astrid Lindgren’s beloved classic Veljeni Leijonamieli. Jakob Höglund’s direction combines musical theatre, puppet theatre and choreography.

Veljeni Leijonamieli is about two brothers, Skorpan and Jonathan. After their short life on Earth, they travel to the beautiful land of Nangijala where they fight together against evil forces. The journey becomes an exciting adventure, where the anxious Skorpan becomes brave Lionheart.

The main roles are played by Alexander Wendelin and Mikko Kauppila. The other roles are played by Ulriikka Heikinheimo, Sofia Hilli, Tuukka Leppänen, Lasse Lipponen, Pekka Louhio, Kai Lähdesmäki, Sanna Majuri, Martti Manninen, Kari Mattila, Reetta Moilanen, Unto Nuora, Samuli Pajunen, Tiina Peltonen, Elena Rekola, Inka Tiitinen and Riina Tikkanen and musician Senni Valtonen.

Autumn on the Arena stage begins on September 12 when Steven Moffat’s entertaining comedy Yllätysvieras premieres.

Peter and Debbie celebrate their wedding anniversary on a cruise where they meet the lively Elsa. Elsa is a little too eager for the couple’s taste, but the new acquaintances still exchange contact information. Peter and Debbie return home to their rebellious teenage children and everyday life continues. But completely unexpectedly, Elsa is suddenly in town and has decided to come and visit. Just before Elsa’s arrival, Peter and Debbie Google their guest, and the search results are shocking. Something that puts Debbie and Peter’s hospitality to the test is revealed about Elsa. How do you get rid of Elsa?

The new comedy is directed by Milko Lehto and stars Sanna Saarijärvi, Vuokko Hovatta, Santeri Kinnunen, Pekka Huotari and Jari Pehkonen.

This autumn’s novelty on the Small Stage is Norwegian Arne Lygren’s Ilon aika, a joyful and hopeful depiction of life choices and the quest to find contact with others. The play, which has drawn full houses in Norway, Sweden and France, will have its Finnish premiere on September 5 on the Small Stage.

A mother and her adult daughter sit on a bench by a riverbank. They haven’t seen each other for a long time and they are waiting for the family’s son, Aksle. When Aksle finally appears, he has news. He has decided to leave his entire current life and disappear. To better understand her son’s decision, the mother goes and meets Aksle’s life partner. Her mother ends up at parties, meets strangers and the answers she receives eventually surprise everyone.

The play is directed by Tatu Hämäläinen, and the music in the performance is composed and performed live by the artist Islaja. The cast includes Heidi Herala, Mitra Matouf, Rasmus Slätis, Rauno Ahonen, Jouko Klemettilä, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Ursula Salo and Sauli Suonpää.

On the Small Stage, Jarkko Mandelin’s new work Silence will premiere on 9 October. Silence takes Mandelin’s signature style, a mix of contemporary dance, acrobatics and various martial arts techniques, which became a hit with Gravity, to new levels.

The work is a collaboration between Helsinki City Theatre, Kinetic Orchestra and Dance Theatre Minimi, with support from the New Classics Fund.

Silence is a dance performance inspired by the performance of classical music. The dance group forms an orchestra that follows the traditions of classical music and does its best to bring the different parts of the concert to life. Silence is the moment when one part of the concert ends, the constructed world disappears and the preparations for the next part begin.

The dancers in the performance are Jacob Börlin, Sanni Giordani, Manuela Hierl, Mia Jaatinen, Minna Kaaronen, Jyrki Kasper, Kalle Lähde, Suvi Nieminen, Mikko Paloniemi, Justus Pienmunne, Hugo Sellam and Oskari Turpeinen.

From 4 September, life and femininity will be celebrated at Studio Pasila with the premiere of Merja Larivaara’s, Satu Rasila’s and Pasi Lampela’s Nainen – aina parimassa iässä. Nainen – aina parimassa iässä is a musical entertainment evening for women and all those who love women. On stage, Merja Larivaara, Pertti Koivula, Aino Seppo, Leenamari Unho, Mikko Virtanen and the Kaihon Caravan Orchestra offer nostalgia, swing, dance and a relaxed, lively evening that sounds nice.

At Lilla Teatern, the musical Dancer in the Dark will have its world premiere on August 31. The musical is based on Lars von Trier’s acclaimed film. The lyrics and lyrics are written by Patrick Ellsworth and the music is composed by Marie Højlund & The Overheard. Jakob Höglund directs the performance and Eeva Kontu is the conductor.

Selma is almost blind and works in a factory to support herself and her son Gene. She saves money for an eye surgery for her son, who suffers from the same serious eye disease as her and is gradually blinding. Selma escapes everyday life and reality to a fantasy world filled with hopeful musical numbers.

Lumi Aunio plays the role of Selma, and the other roles are played by Sofia Hilli, Ulriikka Heikinheimo, Tuukka Leppänen, Iivari Luomala, Sanna Majuri, Unto Nuora, Emil Paloniemi, Mikko Paloniemi, Tiina Peltonen, Pia Runnakko, Inka Tiitinen, Antti Timonen, Alexander Wendelin and Joachim Wigelius. The performance will be performed in Swedish and the performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.

On 10 October, it’s time for Lillan’s second autumn premiere, when Minttu Mustakallio interprets Märta Tikkanen’s Love Story of the Century. From Tikkanen’s world, one dives into the power structures of theatre from time to time to investigate the relationship between director and actor.

In the performance, actor Minttu arrives at the rehearsals of a monologue based on Tikkanen’s text. To her surprise, director Raffe has invited a test audience. Raffe himself is conspicuous by his absence, and soon she begins to receive the strangest instructions via text message.

The dramatization is by Aino Pennanen and Riikka Oksanen, and Oksanen also directs the performance. The performance will be performed in Swedish and the performance will be subtitled in Finnish and Swedish.

The Contemporary Performance Stage started as a pilot project in 2021 and has continued as part of the City Theatre’s repertoire from 2024 onwards. The first premiere of the autumn is Royal Hattara’s contemporary puppet theatre performance Whatever Love Means on August 7.

In the autumn, the immensely popular Kivia taskussa and the lively musical comedy Forever Young will continue on the Arena stage. In Studio Pasila, the stand-up club Club act!one continues. The beloved Senior Soup concerts and the Kahvilla kirjailijan kanssa events will also continue in the autumn.

Read the latest issue of the Teatteriin magazine here.

Upcoming premieres at Helsinki City Theatre
11.4.2024 Stage of the contemporary performance: Empty Stage, directed by Kaino Wennerstrand
18.4.2024 Marathon Dances, directed by Heidi Räsänen
7.8.2024 Stage of the contemporary performance: Whatever Love Means, directed by Merja Pöyhönen
29.8.2024 Moulin Rouge! Musical, directed by Anders Albien
31.8.2024 Dancer in the Dark, directed by Jakob Höglund
4.9.2024 Woman – Always in the Best Age, directed by Merja Larivaara
5.9.2024 Time of Joy, directed by Tatu Hämäläinen
12.9.2024 Surprise guest, directed by Milko Lehto
9.10.2024 Silence, chor. Jarkko Mandelin
10.10.2024 The Love Story of the Century, directed by Riikka Oksanen
17.10.2024 My Brother Lionheart, directed by Jakob Höglund

The following performances will continue in the repertoire in autumn 2024 Forever Young, directed by Heikki Sankari
Stones in Your Pocket, directed by Pentti Kotkaniemi

Club act!one
Senior soup
Coffee with the author

Guest appearances
12.4.2024 New Beginning, Ali Jahangiri, Arena-scenen
19.4.2024 Stage of a contemporary performance: Beginning, Middle, End, directed by Arni Rajamäki
17.9.2024 Leap into the Lilac Fire, Aulikki Oksanen 80th Anniversary Concert, Arena Stage

Helsinginberg City Theatre’s customer service is available by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket office at First Line 2, Mon-Fri at 12-17, Djurgårdsvägen 5, Sat (performance days) kl. 11-18 and one hour before the performances start. Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat at. 9-21, Sun kl. 10-18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge/mta) www.hkt.fi

Photo in the press release: Veljeni Leijonamieli, in the photo Alexander Wendelin and Mikko Kauppila, photo Otto-Ville Väätäinen.

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