#Vampyyrien tanssi revival

[wilwarien]

Kootut heitot - Puns translated

Majatalossa

Chagal: “Tuuli se vain on -- vastatuuli.” - It’s just the wind - head wind.”

Kauniin tyttären jos Luoja antaa

Chagal: *kantaa lautoja kylpyhuoneeseen* “Pientä pintaremonttia.” - *carries staves to the bathroom* I’m going to do some redecoration. (There’s a redecoration show in Finland called “Pientä Pintaremonttia”.)

Aamu/Järki

Abronsius: “Hienoa, rouva -- kun lisäätte vielä äänen puhallukseen, siitä tulee melkein vihellys.” - Excellent, Mrs Chagal -- once you add the noise to the blow, it’ll become a whistle.

Kutsu keskiyön juhlaan/Jos voisin lentää

Abronsius: “Hempskutarepale!” - not translatable, but basically means something like “Oh my God!”

Chagal: “Nyt kaikki vaatteet päälle ja nukkumaan!” - Put on all of your clothes and go to bed!

Kynsilaukka (reprise)

Abronsius: “Siitä voi tulla tikkuja!” - (when being threatened by Rebecca with a stake) You might get splinters from that!

Linnan edessä

Alfred: *tekonaurua* En ymmärtänyt. - *fake laugh* I don’t get it. (after Krolock’s angsty tirade and his little laugh at the end of it.)

Krypta

Abronsius: “Voi gaudeamus igitur!” - Oh gaudeamus igitur!

Abronsius: “Haluatko sinä että tuo Krolockien vaari kuulee kaiken?”  - Do you want Granddad von Krolock to hear everything? (He’s talking about Koukol.)

Abronsius: “Älä nyt vatuloi siinä vaan tule ja auta minut irti tästä kreivin katalasta ansasta.” - not easily translateable, as the verb “vatuloida” refers to the current Finnish politics. But basically this means something along the line: - Don’t just waste time there, get up here and help me out of this count’s wicked trap.

Abronsius: *hieroo polveaan* Ai että kun ehtikin puutua! - *rubs his knee* Oh dear, it got so numb already!

Chagal: *lyö nenänsä arkunkanteen* “Ai saatana.” - *hits his nose on the coffin lid* Oh fuck. (may sound lame, but the situation combined with how the line was delivered, it was golden.)

Kirjat, kirjat

Abronsius: “Verisiä valkolakkeja - vampyyrien vappurieha valokuvina” - Bloody graduation hats - the vampires’ May Day event in photographs

Alfred: Ei taas tätä laulua! - Not this song again!

Kun rakastut

Alfred: *astuu kylppäriin, huomaa Herbertin* “Väärä kylpyhuone!” - *steps in the bathroom and notices Herbert* Wrong bathroom!

Herbert: “Tanssi, poika, tanssi!” - Dance, boy, dance!

Abronsius: “Nahkavarjo lepotilaan niin kuin olisi jo! Takaisin sarkofagiin pötköttämään! Ja makaakin mahallasi!” - (to Herbert) Put your leather umbrella to rest at once! Go back to your sarcophagus! And make sure you lie on your belly!”

Hei hoi hei (reprise)

Alfred: "Hiljaiseksi meni!" - Well he got quiet! (after Abronsius line about preserving Krolock in spirits.)

Nyt voimme lentää

Alfred. “Näyttää pahalta mutta tuntuu hyvältä.” - Looks bad but feels good.

Finaali

Abronsius: No pitikö nyt tähän jäädä luennoimaan! - *while he’s getting bitten* Did I really have to stay and give a lecture right here?

[armyofdawn]

Tanz Problems

Help! Pulassa ollaan! Me and my friends are going to see the new Vampyyrien Tanssi at Helsinki, but we can’t decide which cast to choose.

Kreivi von Krolock: Jonas Saari Sarah: Anna Victoria Eriksson                            Alfred: Miiko Toiviainen Abronsius: Tuukka Leppänen                          Chagal: Kari Mattila Magda: Sanna Majuri Rebecca: Leenamari Unho

OR

Kreivi von Krolock: Mikko Vihma                    Sarah: Raili Raitala Alfred: Petrus Kähkönen      Abronsius: Antti Timonen Chagal: Risto Kaskilahti                Magda: Laura Alajääski                                          Rebecca: Leenamari Unho

I’d love to see the show twice but we are too broke to do that. So it has to be just one. What say you fellow tanzfans?

[wilwarien]

Vampyyrien tanssi Derniere and general thoughts on the production

So, it’s over. What am I going to do with my life now?

I’ll try to put down some thoughts, but as I’m still tired as hell, this is probably going to be a garbled ramble (I travelled to Helsinki just for one day and was home around 3:30 am).

HKT Tanssi was one wild ride. Not as thoughtful or dark as Seinäjoki was, but it had a lot of good things of its own, and it was different from the usual replica productions. Yet in the heart of its hearts, it’s still the good ol’ Tanz.

I was not able to make it to the second to last show, which was Tuesday, and I’m guessing it’s going to bother me I never got to see the other cast on stage. For one, I’ve heard a lot of good things about Tuukka Leppänen’s Professor and Anna Victoria Eriksson’s Sarah. Not to mention, Sanna Majuri’s Magda was insanely good. She actually seemed happy when Chagal died, and her treatment of him in the crypt was borderline contemptuous. She quickly made friends with Herbert, which is something I usually like in Tanz. Meanwhile, I didn’t get much from Alajääski’s Magda. At least in derniere, she didn’t seem to feel much at Chagal’s death, and yet to me it looked like she was almost offering herself for him to bite. Meanwhile, Kaskilahti’s Chagal was his usual annoying self, even though he had a couple of funny lines (telling Sarah to dive when realising she’s in the bath tub, and groaning “ai saatana” when he hits his nose on the lid of the coffin in the crypt. that would translate into something like “oh shit”). Also, Professor called Koukol “the granddad of Krolocks”, and when Magda and Chagal’s coffin appeared, both him and Alfred shrieked “Mother von Krolock!”

Overall, the cast gave an energetic, fun show. Vihma looks like he has really grown into Krolock’s role, and it’s a pity we don’t get to see what else he might do with the role. I had my doubts in the beginning, but I’ve grown to like his wry, wicked Krolock. An important part about the character (and the actor) for me is that I need to believe there’s an actual vampire on the stage, and that he might jump down to bite me any second. Vihma truly succeeded in that.

Raitala remains THE Sarah for me, and Kähkönen’s Alfred has grown on me as well -- I loved the way he delivered the character’s arc and growth. And there’s the fabulous Samuel Harjanne! As for Timonen’s professor, he too was a thing that eventually grew on me. When seeing the shows, I found myself looking forward to what he’s going to come up with this time.

I was rather surprised there were not many derniere jokes. I had rather expected them to go completely nuts, considering how much they’ve been coming up with jokes and puns during the production. There were a few things, like when Herbert is dancing with Alfred, he told him “Dance, boy, dance!” Altogether Herbert and Krolock seemed to have something more going on, considering how touchy feely they were in Vor Dem Schloss, and their little kiss in Tanzsaal (actually I think several vampire pairs in Tanzsaal were doing little kisses). Apparently there were a few shippers in the audience, too. Can’t say I expected that. And I heard someone was wearing two hats in Tanzsaal, though I didn’t see that myself. Maybe one of the most glaring jokes was Tuukka appearing in Finale wearing a dress and pigtails, and then staring and pointing at Antti Timonen (Tuukka was the other Professor).

Though everyone who has been following me for some time knows I absolutely loved (and still do) the original Seinäjoki production, I must admit I’m going to miss HKT’s Tanssi. It truly took the show to its roots as a parody of vampire genre. It was also a breath of fresh air, doing things you don’t normally see done with this show. Not to mention, their social media shenanigans were just wild, and I loved the way they included fans and allowed these meets and greets after the show. Because of all this, I’m disappointed on the behalf of the cast and crew: they would have deserved bigger audiences and a longer run. But as we talked last night, it was probably due to insufficient advertising, a difficult stage and the wrong season. The campaign didn’t reach the young adults very well, and the expensive tickets were likely a deal breaker for many of them. Personally, I think the show should premiere in autumn, because vampires + spring + growing light doesn’t really work that well. Not to mention, autumn has Halloween and Christmas season, and I think vampires in glittery costumes, bombastic music and castles in shadowy woods are just made for that time of the year. And there’s Peacock Theatre, while not bad stage per say, maybe it’s just difficult to get people there instead of the actual main stage (where there would have been much more space and potential for bigger props). Anyway, now I’m afraid that other theatres will take this as a sign Vampyyrien tanssi is too risky to be performed, and the show won’t be revived at least any time soon in Finland. Well, there’s still Seinäjoki, which showed that this show can also be wildly popular when done at the right time and right place.

In the end, I must admit the Finnish productions have truly ruined me for the replicas. I don’t know what it is but both Seinäjoki and Helsinki brought something distinctively different to the show, and I shall remain hoping that in a couple of years, another Finnish theatre will try their hand at this strange, wonderful show.

[wilwarien]

hktfi This Krolock doesn’t have all his bats up in the tower either.

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

what was I saying about that Rocky training montage

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

Serious musical, brought to you by serious people.

Photos by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

What even is this cast? (what are they smoking and where can I get some)

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

Miiko Toiviainen (aka HKT!Alfred’s angelic curls)

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

@henriikkakos 😄 I feel like in Alfred’s case he may have just forgotten the handkerchief in his nose after blowing.

Photo by Helsingin kaupuginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

“Krolock’s confused teenager years. Or maybe rather Mikko Vihma in the villager role.”

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

are you imagining Krolock wandering in the castle in sweatpants and with a coffee mug in hand because I surely am

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram.

[wilwarien]

Mikko Vihma in the middle of acts.

Photo by Helsingin kaupunginteatteri’s instagram

[wilwarien]

The hand program of Vampyyrien tanssi can be found at above link. The text is in Finnish, but there are some very lovely shots. Go and take a look!

[wilwarien]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Helsingin Kaupunginteatteri (@hktfi)

Yeah, that’s Vihmalock yelling at the empty auditorium.

Video by @toimiiko

[wilwarien]

No, I’m not imagining Graf jogging through the graveyard or doing push ups in Rocky Training Montage style.

Photo by @henriikkakos

[wilwarien]

Vampyyrien tanssi in Helsingin kaupunginteatteri, Part 2

Onwards to the second part! Here I will be talking about the little details of the show and changes that make it a bit different show than what has been seen before. Obviously, I may not have noticed everything or remember all that I saw, but I'll try to be as comprehensive as I can. Beware, for here be spoilers.

The show starts with our dearly beloved Overture, which is "performed" by Koukol the Phantom of the Opera on his pipe organ. Loved that little jab at POTO!

I was kind of sad to see they did not include "Dorfstrottel". One of the villagers did deliver the line about the count's castle and was called "the village idiot" by Chagal, but otherwise he was not recognisable as the local weirdo.

In "Nie Geseh'n", the action at the background as Sarah and Alfred sing in the front was not as intense. That was a pity, because I do rather love the bit about Abronsius sneaking about in search of vampires. Also, where in Seinäjoki production Rebecca would also hear the vampires, in HKT she is oblivious to their voices. It may not affect things at large, but to me it was an important bit that gave depth to the character and to the story.

"Einladung Zum Ball" was bit of a disappointment to me, though at first I did not entirely realise why it was so. For one, those wings. I disliked them in the pictures and resented them on stage. Moreover, they did not seem to work very fluidly, making Krolock look a bit like he was descending from heavens in his very own Batmobile. After the show when I talked with my sister (who came to see the show as well), she explained very well what is lacking in the scene. She said that Krolock was not concentrating on Sarah but rather the audience, he was not seducing her the way he should. Again to bring up Seinäjoki, I liked how he was solely focused on her, and vice versa she wasfocused on him. In HKT, she'd occasionally turn to look at audience, and in my opinion if you are not strictly focused on a guy in leather pants appearing in your bathroom while you're naked, he's doing it wrong.

"Die Roten Stiefel" was visually quite stunning. As I said in the previous post, the dancers of the show are very good and enjoyable to watch. A bit confusing thing was Krolock actually making an appearance on the stage when he sang his part. I wasn't sure if it meant he was really there, or if Sarah was just imagining him? Anyway, at the end of the choreography, Krolock joined the other Dream!vampires and carried Sarah double off the stage and into the darkness.

"Das Gebet" is a powerful piece, but again I found myself thinking of how it was done in Seinäjoki. I always loved how Rebecca and Magda came to directly sing at Sarah, her hesitation and Rebecca's horror when she realises her daughter is going to follow Krolock, and how Magda pleads her not to go. That was always a powerful, poignant moment and I truly missed it -- however, this is of course just my view.

"Vor Dem Schloss" is one of my favourite moments in the show. Vihma was great as this arrogant master of the castle who knows he’s Better Than You, and I loved his interaction with Herbert. Often Krolocks act like they're so done with Herbert's little show, but Vihma only looked like he was terribly proud of his little princeling. Through the entire show it seemed like bringing Sarah, Abronsius and Alfred to the castle was their shared evil plan, which they were working to complete. Vihma and Harjanne were truly a wicked little team, so to speak. :D Also, where Jyrilock used something like mind control/hypnosis to lure Alfred, it seemed to me that Vihma was doing some good old-fashioned seducing to make him fall. Altogether it seemed to me Vihma was going for a Krolock who uses sexuality to beguile victims (both male and female) into giving their blood.

In "Totale Finsternis", Krolock does not actually lead Sarah away, or disappear with her into darkness. After resisting her blood, he simply leaves her there alone, and she remains behind looking quite the image of sexual frustration.

Personally, I have always liked how "Carpe Noctem" is staged, and the inclusion of Black Vampire and White Vampire. I like how Alfred is seeing the reflections of himself, Krolock and Sarah, how he's a spectator in that scene. In HKT's production, there is no BV or WV, but Sarah double is. Rather, the moments where it might be BV or WV, there's rather Krolock himself or Alfred. Obviously, as the actors are not professional dancers, they can't do as much as their doubles could. Still, they did a good job and I thought "Carpe Noctem" had some of Vihma's best moments, and he was great as this puppet master of Alfred's nightmare. During the song, Sarah is not actually bitten at all, not by Krolock or Alfred. Rather, the one to get bitten in the end was Alfred himself! It was quite an interesting peak into Alfred's mind, what with Krolock parading in what looked like a torn shirt.

"When you don't get out of your clothes at night, you get more time for ballads in the morning."

In "Ewigkeit", Herbert and Magda arrive at the graveyard, and they are the ones to wake up the vampires hibernating in what looks like one big grave in the ground. These vampires seemed to be quite in control of themselves and not very stiff at all. They appeared beastly, but energetic beasts at that. Herbert and Magda actually stayed on stage all through the show, joining the song with the rest of the vampires. Krolock also came to the stage at the end of the song, which then proceeded into "Die Unstillbare Gier".

In “Tanzsaal”, Herbert is there to lead Sarah down the stairs. He and Daddy truly are in an evil league! :D But Herbert does not do this alone: Chagal also came to lead her down, which is really quite creepy and tragic, considering what happens to her next.

Though I would have liked Vihma to build up the bite somewhat more, he did a great job of showing his utmost contempt of Sarah just afterwards. Once he has bitten her, he simply lets her fall and then, after wiping his mouth clean, dumped his handkerchief on her. God, that was cold!

During "Draussen Ist Freiheit Reprise", Abronsius is not on the stage at all. Rather, he appears after Sarah and Alfred have gone, and as you probably know by now, is eventually bitten by Herbert and Magda. While it was unexpected ending, I had mixed feelings about it as well. I always liked the idea that even though Sarah and Alfred are taking the vampire curse into the outside world, Abronsius was also taking with him all the data he had gathered and thus making it possible to fight the vampires. In my ideal version, Abronsius returns to the village and goes off to slay vampires with Rebecca!

Abronsius dancing in "Der Tanz der Vampire" is wild. The guy is clearly having the time of his life, which is both good and bad. Good, because it's fun to watch, but bad because I'm not sure one should try to steal the show in a piece like the finale of the show. Still, it was fun how he acted when Krolock came to his side, and how he was trying to emulate the Count. I’m pretty sure they’re going to be frenemies forever. Anyway, the cast and ensemble don't actually change into any goth costumes straight out of some nightclub. I'm not sure what to think of that, because on the one hand, the goth club costumes are more from when the show first premiered in Vienna, and yet on the other I always liked how it looked like. Be it as may, it was kind of nice that the entire cast and ensemble came to join the last song.

That's about it for now. I'm kind of tired from the weekend and today's work, so it could be I forgot something, but I'm going to see the show at least once more -- maybe I'll pick up more stuff then!