Review: Uusi Eden
New Eden (Helsinki City Theatre)
New Eden, performed at the Helsinki City Theatre’s Studio Pasila, is a co-production of the Helsinki City Theatre and Q Theatre, which premiered in early February. It’s always a pleasure to witness a new Finnish musical! However, this musical is a joy anyway.
The script and direction of New Eden are the work of Juho Mantere, the music is composed and arranged by Henri Lyysaari and the lyrics of the songs are their collaboration. The dramaturg in charge has been Ari-Pekka Lahti.
The story of a new, tiny humanity after a nuclear disaster is unapologetically hilarious and grotesque, at times even brutal, but also taking a stand. Even in a revolutionized world, human nature is what it is; A person is not a wolf to a person, but a person – and it is not always a step for the better. On the other hand, there is also a need for something more than fulfilling basic needs – such as art. The performance contains sharp snaps of several contemporary phenomena as well as a lot of breaths of modern power. Even though the story twists a little here and there, it holds together very well and the arc of the story is downright Shakespearean controlled. The direction is concise and takes pleasure out of the absurdity of the text – and, of course, the skilful creators.
The cast is full of steel and diamonds in their expressiveness, throwing themselves into it, their glow – even if the characters deliberately look a bit shabby. Who would always shine in nuclear fallout ash. Miiko Toiviainen In the role of Petteri, he empathizes nicely with a young man who, on the one hand, has to react to very confusing situations and feelings, and on the other hand, embodies a sincere pursuit of good – in his own way. Anna-Sofia Tuominen In the role of Sonja, she draws a picture of a woman who longs to express her creativity, to be admired and thus to fill her experience of emptiness. Tiina Peltonen as a mother does a successful role as a sturdy leader of the community, whose task is to take care of the community on the one hand, but also to keep the “reins tight” on the other. As his child, Tuiskuna Niki Rautén aptly captures the gestures of a teenager who may already be on the verge of adulthood. Unto Nuora is a very sympathetic elder of the village. Ushma Olava is a stubborn chef who knows his worth. Leenamari Unho as the costume designer realizes the fuss and kind-heartedness inherent in the role. Mikko Vihma is relaxed but matter-of-fact in his role as the roadie – not forgetting the hilarious references to the dramaturgy.
All the actors sing absolutely wonderfully and the performance includes many great solos and handsomely resounding ensemble numbers. The music of the performance is also completely new, and I liked it very much. The music is diverse and varied. Henri Lyysaari himself is the conductor of the orchestra, and the four-piece band plays skillfully. The sound design is by Jaakko Virmavirta, who has created a soundscape suitable for the story. In the songs, however, some of the lyrics seemed to be covered by the playing, even though the voices of some singers were always heard briskly.
The choreographies are also versatile. They have been designed by Johanna Elovaara together with a working group. There is room for a wide range of activities, including musical fan waving and tap.
The set design of the new Eden uses and fills Studio Pasila’s stage from end to end, from top to bottom. In the set design, the band is also nicely at least partially visible. The staging is very successful, offering many different venues and passageways where you can move quickly and even grandly. And nothing is too cool. Of course, lighting is also an essential part of the stage view. An insightful moment is, for example, the dialogue between the actor and the light, the longing for visibility. The set and lights were designed by William Iles.
I could imagine that the costume design of the musical has been fun in the sense that it (also) has allowed me to develop a lot of things. The costume design is by Riina Leea Nieminen. Similarly, more visible work has been done in camouflage, especially with the elder of the village (Unto Nuora). The costumes and camouflage together create a suitably shabby look for the characters in a situation where there may not be much choice in terms of clothing – but there is still sparkle when needed. Each character is unique, and the whole thing is very successful.
The new Eden is surprisingly funny. Many opinionated and topical issues make me laugh in this context – that’s the skill of the creators, to bring out the ridiculousness. Theatre, both as a place and as an art form, is an essential element of this theatre performance. Theatre makers have the ability to laugh at themselves, a musical parodies a musical and airs the dust behind the scenes – and long live Shakespeare, even beyond the end of the world! The story is refreshingly eccentric. However, it has age-old themes of caring, love and companionship. It also brings out darker shades of loneliness, the longing for fulfillment, the desire for power, intrigue, the pursuit of self-interest – the many corners of human existence, some very sharp, are revealed, where you can hurt yourself.
I warmly recommend seeing this all-around skillfully made, delightful, many times surprising, slightly abrupt and even boundary-testing new musical, definitely worth watching! “Love, harmony!”