Tatu and Patu on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre

Tatu and Patu, the most popular children’s book characters loved by children, will arrive at the Helsinki City Theatre next autumn! The script for the new musical play Tatu and Patu in Helsinki is written by Aino Havukainen, Sami Toivonen and Sami Rannila, who also directs the play. The music for the novelty for the whole family will be composed by Kari Mäkiranta and the fast-paced choreographies will be designed by academician Marjo Kuusela.

Brothers Tatu and Patu from Outola arrive in Helsinki to visit their cousin Jori. Jori is the most successful stranger of all time, but he is so busy that the brothers have their work cut out to keep up with Jori. While adventuring around Helsinki, Tatu and Patu encounter many of the wonders of the capital. How to deal with e.g. the potentially dangerous vest gang members dressed in fenissaries, traffic lights, restaurant days or mud overalls?

“The humour of Tatu and Patu is born from the encounter between the real world of us ‘normal people’ and the world of Tatu and Patu. Tatu and Patu don’t know people’s customs, but they are eager to learn them and adapt to the surrounding culture. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out. When they frantically try to belong, they may behave strangely and strangely, but at the same time, they also make the features and customs of the prevailing culture appear in a slightly different light than usual,” say the creators of their favourite characters, Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen.

The roles of Tatu and Patu are played by the duo known as Liero and Kiero in the musical The Little Mermaid , Antti Timonen (Tatu) and Paavo Kääriäinen (Patu). The other roles are played by Paavo Kerosuo, Sanna Saarijärvi, Sari Haapamäki, Sofia Hilli, Juha Jokela, Kirsi Karlenius, Joonas Luomala, Kai Lähdesmäki, Unto Nuora, Tiina Peltonen, Justus Pienmunne, Emilia Saarinen, Inka Tiitinen, Kaisa Torkkel, Leenamari Unho and Mikko Vihma.

Directed by Sami Rannila, composed by Kari Mäkiranta and choreographed by Marjo Kuusela, the musical play plays with the traditions of children’s theatre and musicals. The enchanting journey of discovery for children is full of speed, surprising twists and turns, juicy humour based on misunderstandings and the visual magnificence offered by the City Theatre’s main stage.

The gravity-defying set design designed by Markus Tsokkinen comes to life with Nuutti Koskinen’s fantastic projections. The costumes of the characters, who exude Helsinkian elegance, were designed by Elina Kolehmainen and the camouflage by Jaana Nykänen. The lighting design is by Petteri Heiskanen and the sound design by Janne Brelih.

The musical play is loosely based on the book Tatu ja Patu in Helsinki (2003), co-written and illustrated by Aino Havukainen and Sami Toivonen. It is the first part of the popular Tatu and Patu book series, which is constantly being reprinted. The translation rights of the book series have been sold to 22 countries, and the books have been published in China, Korea, Russia, the Nordic countries and Hungary, among others. The series has been awarded the Finlandia Junior Prize in 2007 and the Tietopöllö Prize in 2008.

Recommended age from 4 years of age.

Tatu and Patu in Helsinki premiere 9.9.2020 on the big stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5)
Official Tatu and Patu in Helsinki Christmas gift tickets are on sale until 24.12.2019 at a special price in the online store:
adults stalls 35 € / balcony 30 € (norm. 45 € / 40 €)
children stalls 18 € / balcony 13 € (normally 23 € / 18 €)
Note! The Christmas offer is only valid in the online store.

#tatujapatuhelsingissä #hktfi

Helsinki City Theatre ticket office, Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 9 am – 5.30 pm, Eläintarhantie 5 Sat 11 am – 7 pm and one hour before the performance and Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9 am – 9 pm, Sun 10 am – 6 pm, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) 
www.hkt.fi 
 

Press photos can be found in the image bank and press releases in the newsroom.
 

Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests:
Kaisa Pelkonen, Communications Manager, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788
Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki