Name of Show: Wicked The Musical (Finnish Production)
Date: Thursday 14th April 2011
Starring: Maria Ylipää, Anna-Maija Tuokko, Vuokko Hovatta, Antti Lang, Ursula Salo, Heikki Sankari,
Words and Music: Steven Schwartz (Translate into Finnish)
Opened: 26th August 2010
Theatre: Helsingin Kaupungin Teatteri (Helsinki City Theatre)
Seat: 184
Seat Review: Seat was brilliant, all seats have a cinema style view and plenty of leg room.
Price: 51 EUROS (Programme cost 6 EUROS)
Visit number: 3 in London, 1 in Broadway and 1 in Helsinki
Rating out of 10: 7
Recommend: Yes, for any avid Wicked lover
Describe it in 5 words: A loving yet different take.
John from The Public Reviews review:
“Something has changed within me, something is not the same” and these little lyrics couldn’t sum up the experience of seeing Wicked in Helsinki, Finland any better.
When I found out from Jo (Minihobo) that there was a Finnish production of Wicked, which was playing at the same time I would be on a business trip to Helsinki, I set out to get myself a ticket. Now I must point out that I did get my ticket for free as I am currently working with the Finnish National Theatre (you have to have some perks right?) However a top price seat in comparison to its West End cousin or Broadway sister is relatively cheap at only 51 euros.
So what makes this production such an interesting show to see, well for starters it was the 1st non carbon copy production of the show, i.e everything about the production is new, from the orchestrations, the set, the costumes and even a little tinkering of the storyline too.
I won’t go into the storyline of the show as per a normal review as I think everyone who reads Minihobo knows it like the back of your hand, what I will try and do is point out some of the differences both good and bad.
The first thing the struck me as I entered the hideous 1960’s theatre building Helsingin Kaupungin Teatteri or Helsinki City Theatre, for us English speakers (seems like its been modelled on the National Theatre) is that the experience of Oz happens as soon as you walk through the doors into the enormous foyer. For hear you are greeted with an atmospheric soundscape of the howling wind, the chatter and cries of the flying monkeys, and of course some great audience interaction from the Guards of Oz who are reprimanding members of the audience, but you need to be aware what is also going on above you heads as Flying Monkeys trapeze through the air and hang off the balconies causing mischief.
As we enter the auditorium we are greeted with a familiar site, the projected map of OZ and I have to say was a little disappointed not to see a giant Clockwork Dragon, but unfortunately the projection was out of focus and blurry and screamed of a lack of attention to detail…was this the shape of things to come???
Luckily not, as the first bar of music is blasted out from the Orchestra one thing struck me, this is the best I have ever heard Stephen Schwartz’s score, the new orchestrations sound fuller, richer and more intricately formed, whilst the sound balance of the whole production was faultless, every not was heard of every bar whilst not over powering the vocals of the cast, superb!
So onwards and upwards, the director with permission of the original creators have added a few little tweaks into the storyline the main one being the actual physical appearance of Dorothy (with Toto) throughout the show, and this adds a subtle yet immediate reference point of classic moments from the iconic film.
So the set is much simpler and stylised than its rich counterparts; consisting mainly of 4 individual towers which circumnavigate the stage electronically are the main principles of the design however, most of the time they did little to actually enhance what was being performed, ok the chorus would use them to hang off during several numbers but for me although they looked good seemed a little superfluous to the actual needs of the production.
Another major design change is that of the Wizards angry mask façade, which in this production has been replaced by a projected vision of a blood shot eye, which on first impressions seem a little odd but when paired next to the Stalinist portrayal of the Wizard himself ( a brooding and moody Eero Saarinen) then it seems to fit with the ‘Big Brother’ nature of the Russian influence on its neighbouring country.
It has to be said that the costumes of this production are brilliant, with nods to the iconic costumes of the film, but with a touch or originality perhaps provided the design team with the biggest win of the show, as the narrative gets darker and more menacing so do the costumes and this can be evidently seen in Elphaba’s “Bad Witch” costume in Act two with blood red veins running through the dark black and Madame Morribles S&M influenced leather costume.
So what of the performers? Well I must say now that I do not speak a single word of Finnish so it is hard to say how good the interpretations of the script are, but I know the show well enough to be able to follow the story line and know what should be happening at every stage of the way. Although some of the references that stick in mind that didn’t seem to work in front of an audience include ‘Blonde’ in Loathing not really funny when 80% of your audience is in fact blonde!
Well needless to say the performances in general are slightly more exaggerated, but this again is closely linked with the general performance style of Scandinavian theatre. I really enjoyed Ursula Salo as Madame Morrible, who delivers a nicely balanced portrayal which contrasts the nice and evil side of the character brilliantly. Tuukka Leppänen as Fiyero gives a more masculine performance than what we are used to seeing in the UK and this is a breath of fresh air, here we have a character who really does appear to have military experience and it is clear to see why the female characters would fall in love with him, his roguish good looks and husky singing voice moulds into a great rendition.
Taking on the role of Galinda is Anna-Maija Tuokko and she is every bit the blonde female we have come to love about the character, she is ditzy and as comical as the best of them and has a beautiful crisp singing voice that is a delight to hear, but the show is really stolen by Maria Ylipää whose Elphaba also takes on a fresh delivery giving us a witch that is slightly more cheeky than geeky, her expressions are first class and had me mesmerised from the off, It is also right to point out that it is the first time in a production of Wicked that I have perhaps found the character of Elphaba attractive (I don’t know what that says about me!) Ylipää brings a clarity in the role that is so often lost, her transition through the narrative is wonderfully conceived, I could listen to her rendition of ‘Not that Girl’ and ‘Defying Gravity’ again and again.
What stuck out for me about listening to the songs being sung in a foreign language as I listened more intently to what was being played and indeed the pitch of the vocal delivery and this only heightened my appreciation for Schwartz’s compositions.
One of the things that is clear to see throughout the production is that it has been designed with a regionalised audience in mind, and has been designed to include references and cultural aspects which may seem a little odd at first glance to someone from another country. Yes this production lacks the multi-million pound budget that has clearly graced Broadway/Australia/London but it is evident that the team care for the product that they have presented. Some of the decisions are a little strange whilst others work so much better than what we have become accustomed to in the UK.
Let’s start off with the strange choices – the first comes with the Wizard’s Show in One Short Day, which has almost been turned into a hard house club complete with pole dancers, it all seems a little lurid and salacious, perhaps though this is a nod back to the original Maguire novel and its extremely dark undertones that seem to have been missing from the family friendly musical. The other strange decision was the inclusion of dancers clad in body stockings giving a naked appearance and rolling around in blow up balls and moving around the stage during ‘Wonderful’ to this day I still do not have clue what that is about. The final directing bone of contention came during my favourite moment of the show ‘For Good’ this for me is a song that deserves the audiences full attention, the lyrics and sentiment of the whole show rest in this one song, so to have aerial acrobatics going on throughout the first verse and chorus taking away the powerful connection between the two leads seems a little misguided.
What of the good? For most the simplicity of the staging means that focus has to be on the storytelling and as mentioned above the inclusion of Dorothy throughout really benefits the narrative and helps strengthen the sub plots throughout the piece. The next was the staging of Defying Gravity, and for me the way in which it was presented and the flight delivered is so much more effective here the simplicity of actually being flown rather than hoisted on a hidden platform is much more magical, whilst we are on the subject of magical moments Elphaba’s melting scene is brilliantly conceived thanks to the use of smoke and lasers and If I was in charge of the productions around the globe, this would be adopted and implemented in every production as soon as possible.
Overall I really enjoyed my Wicked: Helsinki experience and am grateful that I was able to experience it first hand. If you are a wicked fan then this may be the unique experience you need to relive that ‘first time’ feeling all over again. Although how long it will run is another question altogether as the Thursday night performance I attended was only two thirds full…again though on first instinct that doesn’t seem too positive but from my experience of Finnish theatre, which runs on a system much akin to our old 1960’s style rep, long running shows don’t seem to be a common occurrence, in fact they are extremely rare indeed.
Thanks so much John for sending in this review…it makes me want to buy tickets (and a plane fare) and go and see it right now!! Who else is feeling that after reading it?? John is the Editor of amazing theatre review website www.thepublicreviews.com (where the public review shows) and can be followed on twitter on @publicreviews and @laughingmonsta.
Jo x
Link to the official programme to view online: http://www.b-guided.net/kat/1145.html
