The musical drama The Story of the Laughing Vagabond, which tells the story of Vesa-Matti Loiri’s life, will have its long-awaited premiere on the big stage

The story of the Laughing Tramp is a touching, funny and poetic song of praise to art and entertainment, told through the story of Vesa-Matti Loiri (4.1.1945-10.8.2022) and with the timeless music he performs. What was behind the songs loved by the audience and the comic and tragic roles that have gone down in history? On the big stage, we will see Vesku’s best-known characters, meet people who are important to Vesku, and examine the time frame in which Loiri’s art and works were born.

“The Story of the Laughing Tramp is a story about an artist who frantically searches for the truth, and he becomes loved by the whole nation. But no matter how much he throws himself into following his passions, and eventually finds almost everything he is looking for, he still doesn’t seem to find peace. At its best, however, art attracts us all to the light and reminds us that there is beauty in the world,” says director Paavo Westerberg.

“This performance celebrates the performing arts and reminds us all of the incredible power of coming together around important issues,” Westerberg sums up.

The focus of the play is on the 1970s and 1980s, but there are also glimpses of Loiri’s earlier years and later life. The play delves into the era of a unified culture, when art and entertainment were often seen against each other.

In the work, Loiri is played by Santeri Kinnunen and the young Oliver Kollberg.

“I’ve looked at my role from a respectful distance, because no imitation is being made. All the points of contact with Loiri are written in the text, and my task is mainly to create a person inside. The journey has been interesting,” describes actor Santeri Kinnunen, who also knew Loiri as a private person.

“I’ve tried to figure out what is the core of Vesa-Matti Loiri that explains how his performance was so special. I think it goes hand in hand with what kind of person he was. It has also been extremely interesting to mirror my own performance against this. It is at times an absurd challenge to play Vesku, such a sovereign performer. You can’t just let play and freedom take you!”, says actor Oliver Kollberg, who is visiting the Helsinki City Theatre for the first time.

In addition to Santeri Kinnunen and Oliver Kollberg, the cast includes Maria Ylipää, Joel Hirvonen, VuokkoHovatta, Jouko Klemettilä, Lasse Lipponen, Ella Lymi, Vappu Nalbantoglu, Jari Pehkonen, Ursula Salo, Antti Timonen and Kaisa Torkkel.

There will be a live band on stage, consisting of Varre Vartiainen, Jussi Lehtonen, Ilmari Rönkä and Joonas Tuuri. In addition to the band, the pieces of music that are important to Veski and performed by him are interpreted by a 13-member ensemble of actors. The play features compositions based on poems by Eino Leino and Uuno Kaila, among others, as new arrangements and embedded in the story.

The play is written by Sami Keski-Vähälä. The arrangement and direction is by Paavo Westerberg. The dramaturg is Ari-Pekka Lahti. The music dramaturgy and music arrangement are by Eeva Kontu. The set design is by Antti Mattila and the costume design is by Tiina Kaukanen. The choreographer is Valtteri Raekallio. The lighting design is by Aku Lahti, the video design by Timo Teräväinen and the sound design by Jaakko Virmavirta. The camouflage was designed by Milja Mensonen.

Vesa-Matti Loiri was a legendary actor, comedian, singer and musician known to the whole nation. He worked as an actor at the Helsinki City Theatre from 1965 to 1971 and as a guest in Dostoevsky’s The Demon, directed by Kalle Holmberg, in 1989.

Read the interview with director Paavo Westerberg on the theatre’s website: A Song of Praise for Art and Loiri’s Special QualitiesThe Story of a Laughing Tramp premieres on 30.9.2026 on the main stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Eläintarhantie 5).

Basic ticket 64 €, student ticket 32 € (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket 61 € (Mon-Thu) #nauravankulkurintarina @hktfi

Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 3940 22 Mon-Fri 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ticket office Ensi linja 2, Mon-Fri 12-17, Eläintarhantie 5 and other stages ticket sales always one hour before the event in question. stage performances and Lippu.fi, Mon-Sat 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi

In the photo of the release: Santeri Kinnunen. Photo by: Ilkka Saastamoinen

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