New LC musical in Finland

[jarkko]

The premiere of the new musical "Tänä iltana kaikki hyvin" (Tonight will be fine) will be on September 13
at the City Theater of Hämeenlinna. The city is located 100 km north of Helsinki.
The play is based on 24 LC songs in new Finnish translations by the well-known singer-songwriter AP Sarjanto.
I had the pleasure of helping them to establish contact with Leonard and Sony. Eija and I will go to
Hämeenlinna with some other Finnish Cohenites to see the first night!

Color photo: rehearsal / below: a promotional poster

[lizzytysh]

Now why do I have the feeling this is going to be wonderful? Let me count the ways...


~ Lizzy

[Alan Alda]

Hey Jarkko~

This is very cool.

Is it like "Mama Mia" where they took ABBA's songs and built a storyline out of them?
A few weeks ago, when I was listening to M. Camembert's great new cd of Cohen songs I thought they sounded very theatrical and pondered if anyone had thought of doing a "mama mia" sort of musical with Leonard's songs...And maybe, here it is....I'd ask for an abbreviated synopsis, but you have enough do to already

Enjoy.

Laurie

[jarkko]

Is it like "Mama Mia" where they took ABBA's songs and built a storyline out of them?

**indeed their original plan was to write a play so that the songs are built into the story line, but I have understood from AP Sarjanto that
in the final product the songs are even more important - it will be exciting to see how they did it! Will give a summary here in September!

[Alan Alda]

Thanks Jarkko~ Look forward to your report.

L

[jarkko]

Yesterday Eija and I went to Hämeenlinna (100 km north of Helsinki) with some other Finnish Cohenites to see the premiere of the new play. We had heard so much about the play that we had high expectations - but what we saw was much more! This play/musical is a direct hit - a brilliant compilation of Leonard's songs and at the same time a continuous story of the life of a man and his women. There are no spoken lines between the songs at all - but the songs are selected, put in order and performed in such a way that a story is being built in your imagination - a story that also can be understood in many ways; I believe everybody in the audience interprets it through his/her own life experiences.

I was also happy to note that they had used several songs not often heard performed live - like Hunter's Lullaby - and recent songs like The Faith, Alexandra Leaving, Nightingale, The Letters, Undertow. Of course many of the best known classics were included, like absolutely wonderful renditions of Take This Waltz & Dance Me, and intimate versions of songs like Suzanne and The Partisan. Some songs were used in very different way than we are used to. Diamonds In The Mine got a screamingly funny treatment (performed by the drunken hero), and the show ended with - of course - Closing Time.

AP Sarjanto has translated the lyrics into Finnish in excellent way, showing a deep understanding of their message. And he has changed nothing in favor of the plot!

There were eight actors/musicians involved, and we can only praise their skills! After the 2 hrs show the team got standing ovation and lots of flowers. We were invited to have a dinner with them, and all were eager to hear our comments and opinions. I had burned Leonard's San Sebastian concert on DVD for every of them, so that they can also experience Leonard's original interpretations (none of them has seen Leonard live!). The director wanted to raise a toast to "The Man in Los Angeles".

The show will continue until the end of November in Hämeenlinna, but it is very possible that guest performances will be planned for other cities in Finland.

[Alan Alda]

Hey Jarkko~

Thanks for the report!

Sounds like it could not have been better.

The "Diamonds in the Mine" sounds like a hoot. It is such an angry sort of delirious piece. I can easily envision it being sung by someone who is drunk.

The whole premise of making a storyline out of these songs is wonderful. Hopefully one day it can be translated back into english and made available...on Broadway

cheers,
Laurie

[lizzytysh]

Now why do I have the feeling this is going to be wonderful? Let me count the ways...


~ Lizzy
"Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."
~ Oscar Wilde

My feeling was exactly right, Jarkko . Between the two pictures such excellence and ebullience of presentation were conveyed. Thank you SO much for your great report! Oh, to live closer...


~ Lizzy

[Alan Alda]

Yes, Lyz, it is almost eery the way you predicted ("exactly right"!) a Cohen inspired event would be "wonderful." Who woulda thought?!?!?!!!

And congrats. I have allowed you to annoy me for the last time.

toodles,
Laurie

[lizzytysh]

In fact, I thought of you when I said it ; however, not when I originally predicted it.

Sometimes, there's an exuberance and excellence that shows in photos, such as the one on the top, in fact... and a classiness that shows in posters, such as the one on the bottom, in fact . I'm so happy to have been exactly right .

Thank you, again, for your wonderful [and confirming] report, Jarkko. I could have been wrong.


~ Lizzy

[Anne]

It sounds like it was a great show, Jarkko. I am sure it was a lot of fun.

[jarkko]

Follow this link to see a selection of photos of the new play:
http://www.hameenlinnankaupunginteatter ... cohen.html



We have a number of Forum members who can read Swedish. Here is a review of the show from
Hufvudstadsbladet.


Lysande Cohen-tolkningar i Tavastehus
Strålande. Lysande. Jag är full av beröm för Tavastehus stadsteaters föreställning kring den legendariske, kanadensiske poeten Leonard Cohens odödliga sånger. Livets viktiga frågor passerar revy och lyssnaren får själv tolka det konfliktfyllda livet fullt av glädje och lust men också hopp och besvikelser.
En stor del av teaterns Cohen-tolkningar på finska är lika enkla och avskalade som originalen. Jag tänker då främst på Tään valssin (Take This Waltz), Suzanne, Marianne och Tanssi loppuun rakkaus tää (Dance Me To the End of Love), som alla börjar med stillsamma gitarrackord men växer mot slutet i intensitet och styrka.
AP Sarjanto har gjort en verklig kulturgärning då han har lyckats fånga Cohens ofta svåröversättliga bildspråk på finska. Och hela ensemblen gör en stark insats, då den långsamt väcker sångerna till liv. När de närmare fyrtio sångerna tar slut vill publiken definitivt ha mera.
Låt vara att den dramatiska scenframställningen är något tunn. Låt vara att några jazz-och bluesarrangemang ger en onödigt glättig ton åt Leonard Cohens allvarstyngda, filosofiska sånger. Låt gå att en av sångerna är mixad som en purfinsk folklåt. Och låt gå att de kvinnliga ljusa stämmorna inte alltid lämpar sig för det tungsinta i Cohens sånger. För detta glömmer publiken snabbt, eftersom alla på scen ger så starka sångtolkningar och förmedlar så tydligt Cohens värld.
Cohens värld är sist och slutligen männens värld och därför står också de manliga skådespelarna och musikerna för de mest övertygande insatserna. Förutom Lasse Sandbergs proffsiga huvudroll är gitarristen Tommi Vikstens genuina tolkning av "Kaikki tietää sen" (Everybody Knows) en definitiv höjdpunkt. Den är precis lika bra som Rufus Wainwrights moderna engelska tolkning. Också basisten Aleksi Aromaas finstämda tolkning av sångerna Marianne och Halleluja är små pärlor i föreställningen
För regin svarar Hannu Matti Tyhtilä och för de gedigna sång- och musiktolkningarna svarar Lasse Sandberg, Liisa Peltonen, Maija Sydänmaanlakka, Aleksi Aromaa, Kalle Penttilä, Tommi Viksten, AP Sarjanto och Marko Aarnio.
Tavastehus stadsteaters föreställningar av "Tänä iltana kaikki hyvin – Leonard Cohenin lauluja" ges på Sokos Hotel Vaakuna i Tavastehus fram till mitten av november.
Stig Granfors

Bildtext: 
Tavastehus stadsteaters föreställning kring den legendariske, kanadensiske poeten Leonard Cohens odödliga sånger är fylld av gedigna sång- och musiktolkningar om livets viktiga frågor.

[lizzytysh]

Jarkko ~

Do you happen to know if they made a dvd of their play? I'm wondering if it'll [at least eventually] be available in that form. Super photos !! Thanks for posting them.

I had anticipated that this play would be closer to "Sincerely, L. Cohen," which we saw in New York [and which I consider to be more 'Broadway'/'off-Broadway' than Glass's], than to the "Book of Longing" production. I can see that this is true. It appears to be midway between the two. Much more satisfying for me to watch than Glass's. Who's that little kid in suspenders, looking 13 ? How old? Especially in the first photo on this thread, the straight-haired, blonde woman really resembles our own Frauke, Nathalie's mom, from Germany [with us on Hydra this past summer].


~ Lizzy

[jarkko]

"Sincerely, L. Cohen" in New York was a combination of music and poetry. This Finnish play is based solely on music. I'd say New York was a bit more literary production - both are excellent in their own genre. The guy who looks 13 yrs old to you is somewhere around 25 years (I'm sure he will love to read this!) --- Indeed Maija Sydänmaanlakka resembles very much "our" Frauke!

[lizzytysh]

"Sincerely, L. Cohen" in New York was a combination of music and poetry.

True. I meant the 'theatrical' production aspect vs. more of 'chamber music'/'recital' ones. Not being AT ALL familiar with Glass's work [beyond a snippet of an actually rather melodic piece of his, along with those of two other composers, on NPR], when I had read that Glass's would involve movement around the stage, I anticipated interpretive dance/movement with props [akin to "Sincerely . . . " and the Finnish production]... and I imagined that Leonard's artwork would be free standing at various angles on the stage, as well... and that they would be moved about, too. Well, all my imaginings didn't do me a lick o' good on his production. On this one, however, I fared far better !! My vantage point [if I can ever figure out how to post the photo ] did NOT help in my enjoyment of "Book of Longing" . I hope people paid the extra for better seats [though none of the other venues will have a third story, where I sat ]... so that theirs will be a fairer assessment.

Continuing with resemblances, in the top photo, though he appears to be taller, the guy singing at the mic bears a resemblance [in that photo, at least] to 'our' Ron Buitenhuis.


~ Lizzy