#varissuo

Musikaalimatkassa-podcastin kevään viimeisessä jaksossa syvennytään suomimusikaaleihin!

Jaksossa argumentoidaan Varissuo-musikaalin uuden tulemisen puolesta (ja pohditaan, miksi niin moni suomimusikaali katoaa teatterihistorian havinaan vain yhden tuotannon jälkeen), muistellaan Tom of Finlandin ansioita esimerkillisenä sateenkaarimusikaalina ja unelmoidaan nimikkomusikaali eräälle suurelle suomalaiselle, jolla ei sellaista vielä ole.

I was hoping someone would ask! I'm definitely willing to talk about Varissuo, what with it being one of my all-time favourite musicals and all.

Here's a synopsis in English, in case some of my non-Finnish followers are curious, and then some thoughts in Finnish under the cut.

Varissuo is an original Finnish musical with music by Tuomo Prättälä, Jori Sjöroos & Jussi Vahvaselkä, lyrics by Paleface, and book by Satu Rasila. So far, it's only been performed in Turun kaupunginteatteri in 2018–19.

In short, it's a musical about reaching for your dreams + the relationships between parents and children, named after and set in the Varissuo suburb in the city of Turku (a real suburb known for its multicultural population; it's sometimes maligned as a den of crime and unemployment, but a study has also shown that its inhabitants are happier than most other people in Turku).

The musical consists of four parallel storylines:

Nadia is a teenage girl that dreams of moving out of the suburb and becoming a pop star, but she lacks the parental support to achieve her dreams: to say her father Asko is emotionally distant is a severe understatement, and all she knows about her mother is that she died when Nadia was a baby. Frustrated, Nadia starts a relationship with Aku, a young recovering alcoholic who has just hit a major setback in his recovery due to his grandmother's death. When the relationship results in an unplanned pregnancy, Nadia craves the support of her father more than ever – but how will he react?

Reijo is a middle-aged karaoke enthusiast with a violent past who's lost contact with his daughter, Noora. He dreams of fixing things with her but has a hard time gathering enough courage to take the first step. Will Noora agree to talk to him again after all he's done, let alone ever seeing him again?

Ilona is the single mother of 12-year-old Ben. She broke up with Ben's father Mikael a decade ago and he hasn't been a part of his son's life ever since, but when she falls severely ill, she's forced to contact him again. Soon enough, Ilona is hospitalised, and Mikael has to start learning how to be a father for real. Will father and son find something to bond over when Mikael decides to share his passion for street art with Ben? And what about Ilona and Mikael? They had a messy separation way back when, but will Ilona's illness make them see each other in a different light?

Rafa is a boxer in his early 20s whose mother Sarita is ready to do whatever it takes to make him a champion – but secretly, he dreams of giving up his boxing career, graduating high school, and living a boring normal life with a house, a wife and a golden retriever. With the support of a dreamy Tinder match called Johannes, will Sarita finally learn to live her own life instead of micromanaging Rafa's? And is Johannes really as great as he seems like on the first date?

I think on paper, it's always bound to sound more clichéd and less interesting than it actually was – but please trust me, it was brilliant. I saw it four times, it's been over three years now, and I still miss it. By far the best original Finnish musical I've ever seen, and as I mentioned before, one of my top ten musicals in general.

Severi Saarinen as Mikael in Turun kaupunginteatteri’s original Finnish musical Varissuo.

Pauliina Saarinen as Ilona and Severi Saarinen as Mikael in Turun kaupunginteatteri’s original Finnish musical Varissuo.

Haza Hajipoori as Sini and Riitta Salminen as Sarita in Turun kaupunginteatteri’s original Finnish musical Varissuo.

Mika Kujala as Reijo in Turun kaupunginteatteri’s original Finnish musical Varissuo, surrounded by members of the ensemble.

Chike Ohanwe as Rafa in Turun kaupunginteatteri’s original Finnish musical Varissuo.

Lisa Nikula as Nadia in Turun kaupunginteatteri’s original Finnish musical Varissuo, surrounded by members of the ensemble.