The beloved classic fairy tale My Brother Lionheart premieres as a new musical theatre adaptation at the Helsinki City Theatre
Astrid LiDgren’s beloved classic fairy tale Brother Lionheart ( 1973) will premiere on the big stage of HKT on 17 November. October as a recognizable adaptation for today’s children and young people. The work, which combines musical theatre, puppet theatre and choreography, is directed by Jakob Höglund and stars Alexander Wendelin and Mikko Kauppila. More than 80% of the autumn tickets have already been sold and reserved, and the performances for spring 2025 arealready sold out..
My Brother Lionheart tells the story of two brothers, Korpus (Alexander Wendelin) and Joonatan (Mikko Kauppila). Big brother Joonatan dies while saving his sick brother Korppu from a fire, and soon Korppu dies as well. 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 dizzying and exciting adventure, during which the fearful Corpus grows into a brave Lionheart.“I love making theatre for children and families! It’s been a while since I last got to do a play for the whole family on a big stage. Astrid Lindgren’s fairy tales and films made an indelible impression on me already as a child – especially My Brother Lionheart. It is a timeless and incredibly touching story, full of excitement, love, sorrow and happiness,” says director Jakob Höglund. Astrid Lindgren’s My Brother Lionheart is a magical fantasy about brothers who carry each other through hardships. It is a story of brotherhood and love, as well as an amazing adventure where everyone finds their courage. The work tells a beautiful story about grief and grows into a magical fantasy adventure full of hope. In addition to Mikko Kauppila and Alexander Wendelin, the cast includes Lumi Aunio, Ulriikka Heikinheimo, Sofia Hilli, Tuukka Leppänen, Lasse Lipponen, Pekka Louhio, Kai Lähdesmäki, Sanna Majuri, Kari Mattila, Reetta Moilanen, Unto Nuora, Samuli Pajunen, Mikko Paloniemi, Tiina Peltonen, Elena Rekola, Inka Tiitinen and Riina Tikkanen. Brand new music composed by Swedish composer Stefan Johansson will be played live on stage by multi-musician Senni Valtonen. He plays about twenty different instruments in the performance. The play is directed by Jakob Höglund and dramatized by Alexander Mørk-Eidem. The text is arranged, translated and lyrics by Rasmus Arikka. The composition and sound design are by Stefan Johansson and the choreography is by Jakob Höglund and the working group. The assistant to the director and choreographer is Johanna Elovaara. The set design is by Vilma Mattila and the assistant set designer is Riku Suvitie. The camouflage was designed by Milja Mensonen and the costumes by Heidi Wikar. Toni Haaranen and William Iles are responsible for the lighting and video design. The puppets of the performance have been designed by Heini Maaranen. The singing coach has been Jukka Nylund and the dramaturg is Ari-Pekka Lahti. The recommended age for the performance is from 9 years of age and up. The language of the performance is Finnish. The performances of My Brother the Lion’s Heart are subtitled in Finnish, Swedish and English via the Subtitle Mobile mobile application. Read the interview with the director and designers on the theatre’s website: My Brother Lion’s Heart – When Love Conquers Death My Brother Lion’s Heart premieres on 17.10.2024 on the main stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5). Tickets: basic ticket 52 €, children’s ticket 26 €, student ticket 26 € (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket 49 € (Mon-Thu) #veljenileijonamieli @hktfiHelsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket offices Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5, Sat (on performance days) 11-18.30 and one hour before the performance and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/from min+local network charge) www.hkt.fi In the photo of the release: 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 3788Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki