Tove Jansson’s Summer Book Makes a Comeback at Lillan / Tove Jansson’s Summer Book Makes a Return to Lillanii
Tove Jansson’s beloved classic The Summer Book returns to Lillan on February 22. The performance had its Finnish premiere on January 31, 2018 at Lilla Teatern and was praised by both the audience and the reviewers. New for this spring’s performances is that they are subtitled, in addition to Swedish and Finnish, now also in English. This makes it possible for the ever-growing number of new arrivals in the capital region who speak English to take part in this Finland-Swedish cultural gem more easily.
What is special about this production is that all sounds are made live on stage, visible to the audience. The actors play out the world of sound together with sound designer Hanna Mikander, who was nominated for the Säde Prize 2019 for the sound design in the Summer Book. The motivation reads as follows:
“In the Summer Book , Tove Jansson describes the events in her surroundings with the help of sound. So does sound designer Hanna Mikander in the performance. Mikander delicately creates the sounds on stage in real time, together with the actors, using everyday objects. The sound design is inventive, playful, atmospheric and plays a very central role in the performance. The end result is a high-quality and sophisticated soundscape.”
The award ceremony will take place on March 11, 2019 during the Thalia Gala.
The performance describes the budding friendship between a little girl who has her life ahead of her and a very old grandmother who has her life behind her. On Lillan we see Jessica Grabowsky play the little girl Sophia who, after her mother’s death, spends summers on the island together with her somewhat harsh grandmother, played by Sue Lemström. The dramatization is made by Pipsa Lonka.
Jakob Höglund is a director who has made a name for himself through great successes, such as Hansel and Gretel at the Swedish Theatre and the musical Billy Elliot at the Vaasa City Theatre.
In both productions, he has collaborated with set designer Sven Haraldsson , who also makes the costumes for The Summer Book. The duo’s view of theatre is characterised by stage fantasy, play and visuality.
During the spring, only 14 performances of The Summer Book will be given and the last one will take place on May 18.
Right of Conduct: Agency North / Moomin Characters
Tove Jansson’s Sommarboken returns to Lillan
Sommarboken (Summer Book), based on Tove Jansson’s beloved novel, returns to Lillan’s stage on 22 February. The play, which was praised by both audiences and critics, had its Finnish premiere at Lilla Teatern on 31 January 2018.
Sommarboken is a depiction of the friendship between a young girl Sophia and her grandmother and spending the summer together on an island in the Gulf of Finland. While one person’s life is already starting to fade, the other is still completely ahead of it. The play, dramatised by Pipsa Longa and directed by Jakob Höglund , stars Jessica Grabowsky and Sue Lemström.
Sound designer Hanna Mikander has been nominated for the Säde Award by the Finnish Association of Lighting, Sound and Video Designers for her design of Sommarbokensoundscape :
“In her book Sommarboken , Tove Jansson describes the environment of events with the help of sound. This is also what sound designer Hanna Mikander does in the play. Mikander creates the sounds in real time on stage, together with the actors, making subtle use of everyday things. The sound design is inventive, playful, atmospheric and plays a very central role in the performance. The end result is a high-quality and sophisticated soundscape.”
The Säde Awards will be presented at the Thalia Celebration on 11 March 2019.
Lilla Teatern also offers this Finnish-Swedish cultural gem to English-speaking audiences, as Sommarboken is subtitled in English in addition to Finnish and Swedish.
Director Jakob Höglund has become known for major musicals such as Hans och Greta at the Swedish Theatre and Billy Elliot at the Vaasa City Theatre. In both productions, the partner was set designer Sven Haraldsson, who is also responsible for the set and costume design of Sommarbok. The duo’s vision of theatre is imaginative, playful and visual.
During the spring, there are only 14 Sommarboken performances and the last performance is on 18.5.
Rights: Agency North/ Moomin Characters.
Tickets/tickets 34 €.
Ticket sales at Helsinki City Theatre, First Line 2, Mon-Fri at noon. 9-17.30, Djurgårdsvägen 5, Sat 11-18 (only for performances), tel. (09) 3940 22, Lippupiste Mon-Sat 9-21, Sun 10-18, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 e/min local network charge), lippu.fi.
Press images and press releases can be found in the image bank.
For more information, please contact: Fredrik von Koskull, 040 773 1071.