The carnivalesque musical comedy about Pasila after the end of the world makes you laugh, cry and thrill
On 5 February, Studio Pasila will premiere the new musical New Eden, written and directed by Juho Mantere and composed by Henri Lyysaari. The musical comedy, which combines black humour, topical themes and catchy music, is a co-production of Helsinki City Theatre and Q-teatteri.
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. In theatre and love, all means are allowed, but where is the line when it comes to one’s own survival and belief in a better future? “I love both musicals and flamboyant social theatre, and New Eden was born out of a desire to combine these two elements. The end result is a musical experience that both makes you laugh and touches you. The presentation is about how far we are willing to go in the fight for a better world. What happens when the growing confrontation escalates into murder? If it is right to kill for goodness, who defines what is good? And finally, is a person’s need to be loved always greater than their moral aspirations?” ponders director Juho Mantere. “In the new Eden, Disney musical music meets rock aesthetics and Finnish schlager music. The style choices are related to the characters and situations. Juho and I have been developing the musical for five years now. Juho has written a wonderful world with all its characters, which has been really great, fruitful and, above all, fun to compose. I hope that the composer will laugh, cry and thrill the viewer, sometimes all of this at the same time!” says composer Henri Lyysaari. The cast includes Miiko Toiviainen, Anna-Sofia Tuominen, Tiina Peltonen, Niki Rautén, Ushma Olava, Leenamari Unho, Unto Nuora and Mikko Vihma. The orchestra consists of Henri Lyysaari, Ossi Maristo/Atte Aho, Maria Lamminen/Saija Hostikka and Juhana Kiiski. The musical is written and directed by Juho Mantere, and the music is composed by Henri Lyysaari, who also acts as the orchestra’s conductor. The lyrics of the songs are written by Juho Mantere and Henri Lyysaari. William Iles is responsible for the set and lighting design, and Jaakko Virmavirta is responsible for the sound design. The costume design is by Riina Leea Nieminen, the camouflage is designed by Aino Hyttinen and the choreography by Johanna Elovaara and the working group. The dramaturg in charge has been Ari-Pekka Lahti. The new Eden is an experimental production of the Green Book of the Theatre. Read the interview with the director and composer on the theatre’s website: Joyful and Carnivalesque Dystopia New Eden premieres on 5.2.2025 at the Helsinki City Theatre’s studio in Pasila (Ratamestarinkatu 5). Tickets: basic ticket €41, student ticket €20.50 (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket €38 (Mon-Thu) #uusieden @hktfi Helsinki 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: Tiina Peltonen, Miiko Toiviainen and Anna-Sofia Tuominen. Photo: Otto-Ville Väätäinen. Further information, media ticket reservations and interview requests: Helsinki City Theatre, Communications Manager Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788 Further information: Q-teatteri, producer Aara Tahkokallio, aara.tahkokallio@q-teatteri.fi
