Sofia (Sonja Pajunoja), who defies the moral rules of her time, is not mad. When she meets other patients sent to the Seili mental hospital, she realizes she is not the only sane person on this island of broken hearts. Women isolated from society seek hope in one another. Sofia’s hope lies in Johannes (Petrus Kähkönen). Her beloved will come to fetch her… won’t he?
“If you have someone you can send a letter to, if there is someone out there who might think of you, don’t be afraid of anything.”
— Sigrid, on the island of Seili, 1910
Set in Turku a hundred years ago, the musical tells a story of unjust fates and the hope that sustains the will to live. It is also a story about the legendary island of Seili, from which those once sent there never returned. The jukebox musical by Satu Rasila and Mikko Kouki premiered at the Turku City Theatre in 2014. Now a new version returns, with revised lyrics by Rasila and Kouki and new music composed by Jussi Vahvaselkä.
“Good stories live and evolve with time, and so does this musical. The history of Seili clearly continues to fascinate people and reveal itself to us more deeply. That is why we wanted to bring it back to Turku, where I originally studied the patient records and letters of the women of Seili in the regional archives. Local history belongs on the stage, so that we do not forget,” says Satu Rasila.
