Red Nose Company and the National Theatre bring the life and works of Aleksis Kivi to the Great Stage
The work, which is part of the 150th anniversary year of the National Theatre, will premiere on 17 February 2022.The co-production also includes the Chamber Orchestra Avanti!, the City Theatres of Jyväskylä, Lahti, Kuopio and Turku, and the Tampere Workers’ Theatre.
Aleksis Kivi is a comedy about a man who became a monument. Why has Kivi been put on a pedestal in our country? What was the price he paid for his uncompromising dedication to his art and for going his own way?
Aleksis Kivi explores themes related to the national writer, from death to love, from existentialism to money, and from nature to the problems of the modern world. The show also explores the lesser-known aspects of the writer and the people who influenced his life, allowing Kivi to be the artist he wanted to be.
Of course, the Seven Brothers and Esko of the Nummisutarians will be on stage. Kivi’s strong female roles, such as Lea, whose eponymous play (1869) is considered to be the beginning of Finnish theatre, will also have their rightful place.
Red Nose Company actors Timo Ruuskanen and Tuukka Vasama are known for their insightful interpretations of classics and seamless interplay. Their clown interpretations of works by Kari Hotakainen, Ilmari Kianno and Miguel de Cervantes have reached over 40 000 Finns. The performance will be co-directed by Linda Wallgren, whose Kivi interpretations have recently been seen in Turku and Lahti. The performance, which radiates humour and playfulness, highlights Kivi’s versatility as a user of language and a master of style. The script was created in collaboration with Eva Buchwald, dramaturg at the National Theatre. The lyrical text is accompanied by the Avant Chamber Orchestra String Quartet led by Niko Kumpuvaara.
In preparing the performance, the working group has read Kivi’s biographies, contemporary descriptions, letters and criticisms, and above all, Kivi’s complete works, together and separately. “There are many different stories about the life of Aleksis Kivi. We do not know what the truth is about him. But we do have his writings – they are the truth about him for us actors,” says Timo Ruuskanen.
“For me, the most important thing about Kivi is the language,” Tuukka Vasama reflects. “Kivi himself has said that writing is like walking in the forest. And that’s what reading his texts is for me to a large extent, walking in the Finnish landscape.”
First performance on the Great Stage of the National Theatre 17.2.2022
Ten performances at the National Theatre. The production will continue on tour from the Kansallisteatteri to various parts of Finland in autumn 2022. The co-production also includes Jyväskylä City Theatre, Lahti City Theatre, Kuopio City Theatre, Tampere Workers’ Theatre, Turku City Theatre and the chamber orchestra Avanti!
Working Group
Actors Timo Ruuskanen and Tuukka Vasama
Accordion, music direction Niko Kumpuvaara
String Quartet (Chamber Orchestra Avanti!) Eriikka Maalismaa / Terhi Paldanius / Tommi Asplund (violin), Olga Reskalenko / Santtu Podzniakov (viola) / Joasia Cieślak (cello)
Text and dramaturgy Eva Buchwald, Timo Ruuskanen, Linda Wallgren and Tuukka Vasama Direction Timo Ruuskanen, Linda Wallgren and Tuukka Vasama Dramaturg Eva Buchwald Set and costume design Tarja Simone Lighting design Ville Virtanen Make-up design Petra Kuntsi Music arrangement Marzi Nyman and Niko Kumpuvaara
Find out more about the work on the show’s website.
Red Nose Company is a Helsinki-based theatre group, one of the most sought-after touring theatres in Finland. The group’s performances of Don Quixote, Babylon, Red Line and Runway Road, as well as the family performances of The Emperor’s New Clothes and Frankenstein, have captivated audiences all over Finland. In 2019, the group broke its audience record: 22 000 spectators.
