GROUNDHOG DAY OPENS IN HELSINKI, FINLAND

In these challenging times, it is a pure wonder to see live theatre. Due to very different virus levels in different countries, many countries are currently completely without any live entertainment. Luckily, Finland has handled this crisis better than many other European country, and theatre are allowed to open and welcome audiences as long as safety measures are taken seriously and care of.

Helsinki City Theatre, the home for my previous productions of KINKY BOOTS and Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, has successfully matched all criteria to reopen its doors to public, and therefore GROUNDHOG DAY the Musical (by Danny Rubin and Tim Minchin) opened on Thursday September 3rd. I had this great pleasure to direct this challenging, clever, and emotional script and story with a stellar team. Audience members, as well as critics, have been overwhelmed by the production, and its philosophical take on life and the meaning of time.

Here are some quotes from the press:

“Samuel Harjanne did it again! Director Harjanne has lifted the Helsinki City Theatre to international musical theatre standards with his previous hits Kinky Boots (2018) and Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2019), and Groundhog Day continues on this same, high-quality road.” – Groundhog Day (2020) / Selina Keränen, Apu, 4/9/2020

“The director of the original London production, Matthew Warchus, stated that whatever [Danny] Rubin was able to think of should be doable on stage – and it seems like our own musical theatre whiz-kid Samuel Harjanne has decided so as well.” – Groundhog Day (2020) / Mats Liljeroos, Hufvudstadsbladet, 4/9/2020

“Harjanne masters the genre of big musicals, and when it comes to majestic numbers, and visual treats, this show doesn’t leave you disappointed.” – Groundhog Day (2020) / Anu Puska, Etelä-Suomen Sanomat, 5/9/2020On this exceptional season, both

GROUNDHOG DAY and Disney’s THE LITTLE MERMAID are playing at the Helsinki City Theatre.