Text is based on an interview with the director.
A Friend From Ethiopia 2 – The birth of a new musical theatre
A Friend From Ethiopia 2 is a musical theatre that challenges the traditional genre and opens up entirely new ways of telling stories.
The central motif of the work is inspired by global political issues: undocumented migrants, climate crisis and mass extinction. The work is a cry for a world where borders are closing and species are disappearing. It asks: where is the value of life when our very existence is threatened and the means of survival has become the exploitation of the weak?
The work is exceptionally ecological in its execution – nothing is purchased new, but all materials come from the working group’s own immediate surroundings.
Towards a new kind of musical theatre
The work aims to challenge the traditional form of musicals and musical theatre. It combines contemporary dance and contemporary literature with musical theatre in a way that creates a whole new genre. Building something completely new, based on what already exists, is a demanding task: how to communicate to the audience in a new way, so that the work is not traditionally narrative, but still manages to tell a powerful story?
The work builds bridges between displacement and mass extinction: the death of nature is not only a tragedy for ecosystems, but also a crisis for humanity. When species disappear, who are we in post world where all humans are rootless, without a place?
The dramaturgy of the work is by Sannan Kekäläinen, with a text by Kari Hukkila. The strong musical theatre tradition of composer Jussi Tuurna is also involved.
The aim of the working group has been to create a presentation that does not remain only at the conceptual meta-level, but approaches its themes in a clear and concrete way.
A new way of presentation and meaning
The roots of the work go back a long way. Sanna Kekäläinen and Janne Marja-Aho, one of the performers, have been exploring the possibilities of a new kind of musical theatre for years. When Kari Hukkila, known for his post-dramatic text, joined the team, the idea began to take shape, and it really went beyond the boundaries of traditional music theatre.
It was important to build the stage event and the music in such a way that they were not only narrative, but also profound in meaning. At the heart of this piece is the question: can a story be told in such a way that it becomes part of a conceptual world and worldview? The authors’ answer is clear – yes, and they believe they have succeeded.
A new concept in musical theatre
A Friend From Ethiopia 2 is an ambitious mission to bring a new genre and way of writing to the stage. It explores the interfaces between the performing situation and the private and public stage. At the heart of all this is the physicality of the performers, the means of expression and the seamless fusion of music, dance and text.
The work does not offer simple answers, but challenges the audience to experience and discover new ways of understanding theatre, music and movement.
A Friend From Ethiopia 2 is a mirror to our time: a story of disappearance, transition and rebirth.
Premiere at Finnish National Theatre, Taivassali 8.5.2025. Tickets.