The new version of the play Hildur has already sold almost 20,000 tickets – the murder mystery will premiere at the Helsinki City Theatre in January
The Helsinki City Theatre’s new play Hildur has already aroused enormous interest before its premiere and sold almost 20,000 tickets. Satu Rämö’s bestselling detective novel gets a completely new dramatization in the hands of Satu Rasila, which delves into the exciting crime plot of the story and brings Icelandic mysticism to the stage even more intensely. The premiere of Hilduris on 28.1. On the Arena stage.
The play is based on the first and eponymous part of the Hildur detective series (WSOY 2022). In a murder mystery with a Nordic blue spirit, detective Hildur Rúnarsdóttir (Elena Leeve) investigates murders in her hometown together with her Finnish colleague Jakob (Paavo Kinnunen). Hildur, who is struggling with her traumas, and Jakob, who is fleeing his past, find themselves in the middle of a strange web of crimes that is linked to Hildur’s own childhood.
“As the dramatisation is limited to the first book, it focuses especially on the detective plot of the story and the tense question of who is the perpetrator of the numerous murders. The mystery of Hildur’s missing sisters grows as the story progresses and also reveals the fire and ice that lies in Hildur as an Icelandic force of nature,” Satu Rasila describes.
For actress Elena Leeve, immersing herself in the murder mystery has been an intense experience:
“Throughout the winter, my thoughts have been closely focused on Hildur’s world. What fascinates me about the story is the unsolved mystery linked to the family’s past and unspoken secrets. Even though there is a lot going on in the play and there are many characters, at the heart of it all is a tragedy that has happened to the family.”
Actor Paavo Kinnunen has had to learn completely new skills for the role of Jakob. Jakob is an avid knitter both in the book series and in the play – Kinnunen, on the other hand, had never touched needles before. To ensure that Jakob on stage looks credible, Kinnunen has been practicing knitting since last autumn under the guidance of Nina Virkki, the head of the costume department at the Helsinki City Theatre. Watch the video from the knitting class.
In addition to Elena Leeve and Paavo Kinnunen, the stage will feature Sari Haapamäki, Sanna-June Hyde, Linda Hämäläinen, Unto Nuora, Jari Pehkonen, Ursula Salo and Mauno Terävä.
The play has been dramatized by Satu Rasila based on Satu Rämö’s original work and directed by Tuomas Parkkinen. The dramaturg is Ari-Pekka Lahti. The set design is by Antti Mattila. The costumes are designed by Elina Kolehmainen and the camouflage by Jutta Kainulainen. Petteri Heiskanen is responsible for lighting design and video design together with Toni Haaranen. The sound design is by Eradj Nazimov.
Read the director’s interview on the theatre’s website: Murders in rugged landscapes
Satu Rämö’s Hildur book series has become an exceptional success in Finnish literature. The rights to the Hildur book series have been sold to 28 countries and its total global sales are 1.4 million copies. In Finland, the books in the series have already sold a total of more than a million copies.
Hildur premieres on 28.1.2026 on the Arena stage of the Helsinki City Theatre (Hämeentie 2). Tickets: basic ticket 52 €, student ticket 26 € (Mon-Thu) and pensioner ticket 49 € (Mon-Thu) #hildur @hktfi Helsinki City Theatre ticket sales and customer service by phone (09) 394022 Mon-Fri 10-17. Ticket offices First line 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 9-19, Sun 12-16, tel. 0600 900 900 (2 €/min + local network charge) www.hkt.fi In the photo of the press release: Elena Leeve. Photographer Mitro HärkönenFurther information, media ticket reservations and interview requests: Communications Manager Kaisa Pelkonen, kaisa.pelkonen@hkt.fi, 040 552 3788 Helsinki City Theatre, Ensi linja 2, 00530 Helsinki