Perhaps the best I've seen at Kilden this year
- The premiere of the musical from the book by Alexander Rybak -
Briefly summarized: watch this one.
By Marthe Wilhelmsen | Published on unikumnett.no | 29.11.2019 | Photos in the cover picture: Dag Jenssen/Kilden Theater and Concert Hall
Translated by Mónika Menyhért (who is not native either in Norwegian or in English language, so any correction is welcomed and appreciated)
This is some of the best I've seen at Kilden this year. Who would have thought that a children's show that lasted almost three hours would make me say "wow" loudly when the wolf came out, clap several times along the way, get enchanted and cheer loudly? They have managed to create a magical universe at all levels. The scenography, lighting and costume were almost worth the ticket alone. The music was catchy and versatile. Clearly with references to fairy tales and Norwegian folk music, mixed with a scary undertone. I got associations for the "Anastasia" movie of the 90s, with scary but catchy songs, and a humorous and nasty villain.
And then there were the actors. It was humor and depth. Variety and timing. I particularly liked that there was so much physical action. Not just dance, but physical playfulness in characters. The parts of spellbinding were particularly good. All honor to the choreographer. This was exciting to watch!
As mentioned, the wolf was incredibly fascinating, and the protagonists did a fantastic job. But the one that stood out was Stig-Werner Moe as the Hulder King. The first thing I did when the show was over was to look in the program sheet to find out who it was. He didn't come in until the second act, and at first I thought it was a strange and confusing choice to introduce the bad guy so late. The first act was about the human world and that they believed Trolle was an enemy and wanted to hunt for him, and then they introduced the Hulder King. But it did not affected the story at all. The shift from the bad guy who was feared by humans to becoming the Hulder King was easy to follow. In addition, I thought it could be too scary with dark shadows, huldra, fog and malevolent beings for the kids. But they balanced the scary and the humorous in a wonderful way.
They jumped between different places in the human world, different places in the forest and the hulder forest. This in turn contributed to the already varied and dynamic performance.
I laughed out loud several times, felt that I was cheering for Alva and Trolle and wanted to see even more of the Hulder King even though he was really bad. They have managed to make interesting even the "little moments" of people's everyday life through wonderful characters and fun elements. Alva was a dream to listen to, and was a strong girl figure full of girl power. I was skeptical of playing Trolle by Alexander Rybak, but I was quickly disproved. He brought humor and tenderness into the lovely Trolle character.
It was wonderful to see that there was a lot of message, without pushing them on us. It was about friendship, the fitting in, the strength to speak mind and dare to be different. The story was easy to follow, though not simple. There were several layers and depth, without getting confusing.
In the description of the play it says that the show has "... spectacular scenography and captivating music that will captivate from start to finish". Pompous words I was skeptical of, but I got it all confirmed without a doubt. No matter how old you really are, watch this one. Whether it is to listen to catchy music, see stylish choreography, laugh at strange characters or be seduced by a story everyone can recognize in one way or another. Just watch it.
Read all reviews about the musicals HERE
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