I had the pleasure of seeing a performance in the National Theatre’s temporary stage at Kanonhallen in Løren where I thought: “Wow. What a room!” This time I feel that the room stands in the way of the performance director Maria Drangeid wants to make of Roald Dahl’s classic “The Amazing Mikkel Rev”. It’s a shame for the children. Regnbuehi Mikkel Rev is a sly type in both Thorbjørn Egner and Roald Dahl. But Dahl’s fox is perhaps even trickier. He nibbles on chickens, turkeys and geese from the surrounding farms, and he gorges himself on apple cider when he’s out and about. PARTY IN THE CAVE: The badger likes to visit when the fox family invites. From left: Jacob Stabell, Karin Svihus Knutsen, Vilde Moberg and Trond Høvik. Photo: Erika Hebbert And he often is. So often that the three farmers Boggis, Bunce and Bean decide to take him. But exactly that is easier said than done. In the performance at the Nationaltheatret, the Rev family lives peacefully in a dream of a unicorn-like fake fur den. Until Mikkel comes home without a tail – the farm owners have shot it off. The little fox family is threatened. But sly fox knows advice. Sleipe bønder The performance has a good musical drive through Fredrik Storsveen’s compositions. The soundscape gives the performance a cinematic and danceable feel. The costumes create scary farmers and cute foxes, and “The Fantastic Mikkel Rev” gets a fun boost from funny details in choreography and mimicry. The three farmers, played by Christina Sleipnes, Malin Landa and Anders Mordal, are terribly stupid and suitably scary in good Dahl spirit. Sleipnes and Landa give a lot to the characters through caricatured mimicry, and Landa’s tough, sleazy playing style suits the greedy goose farmer well. TOGETHER AGAINST MIKKEL: Sleek mimicry suits the mean peasants well. Here: Anders Mordal and Christina Sleipnes. Photo: Erika Hebbert The same mimicry is missing in foxes. Well, they are cute when they wink their eyes and lick around their mouths, but fox father’s motivation is certainly not easy to understand. Mikkel Rev (Jacob Stabell) is glossy and smooth in expression. That makes it difficult to get hold of him, and it is fox father who is the key to understanding Dahl’s entire story. Impressive physical gameplay doesn’t make up for the character not opening up. The fox pup has to carry a lot of the load here, and Karin Svihus Knutsen does a fine role. Difficult back game “The fantastic Mikkel Rev” consists of a lot of digging. The foxes who dig for their lives to get away from the farmers, farmers who dig both with shovels and excavators to get them. THE SPRETTEN: Jacob Stabell impresses with a light-footed physical game in the role of Mikkel Rev. Photo: Erika Hebbert This is where the scene falls short. Because even if the inventive use of carpet shows the digging well, the logic in the scene breaks down when foxes and farmers dig around each other and almost collide, even though the audience is supposed to believe that they are in completely different places in the soil layers. This could – and should – have been resolved differently. The stage in Kanonhallen gives nothing for free. The audience sits on two sides of the stage, and the actors have to alternate where they turn. It doesn’t take much back-and-forth before both children and adults get off. MANY DIRECTIONS: The actors in “The Amazing Mikkel Rev” have audiences on two sides of the stage. This means that many central scenes lose momentum. From left: Anders Mordal (from the side), Malin Landa and Christina Sleipnes. Photo: Erika Hebbert What does the fox say? Is it wrong to steal to survive? Should one eat others? “The Amazing Mikkel Rev” asks these questions, but at times digs itself away in trying to address them. The most interesting character is the Fox Pup, who is the only one with misgivings and empathy. She has good ideas, but is rarely heard, she has enough drive, but is hindered. When she first receives an assignment from Mikkel Rev, to kill a goose, she is in great agony. Father is still blunt: “Don’t screw me up, then,” he says to the child. After that follows one of the play’s fine and difficult scenes: Fox cub cooing goose. The fox child’s misgivings, even at the very end, are blown away and disappear. I find myself wondering where the play is going. IMPORTANT ASSIGNMENT: Foxfather has made Foxpuppy (Karin Svihus Knutsen) kill a goose (Malin Landa). Photo: Erika Hebbert There is a lot of singing in “Den fantastic Mikkel Rev” – in part intentionally slightly sour. The songs are not always in a good place for the actors, and then they add little. Aesthetics, choreography and fine details are still not enough in a children’s show that does not address the interesting issues it itself puts on the table. The performance ends up as a cheerfully dark hour that is quickly forgotten. news reviews Photo: Erika Hebbert Title: “The fantastic Mikkel Rev” Place: The National Theater’s stage in the Kanonhallen at Løren in Oslo Original title: “Fantastic Mr Fox” By: Roald Dahl Translated by: Tor Edvin Dahl With: Jakob Stabell, Vilde Moberg, Karin Svihus Knutsen, Trond Høvik, Anders Mordal, Malin Landa, Christina Sleipnes Director: Maria Drangeid Composer: Fredrik Storsveen Scenography: Ida Grimsgaard Costume design: Ida Grimsgaard Lighting design: Agnethe Tellefsen Make-up artist: Marte Billington Playwrights: Hege Randi Tørressen and Eirik Fauske Assistant director: Astrid Olivia Dalsberget Date: September 15-30. December 2023 British animated film. (1:2) Based on Roald Dahl’s popular children’s book Ramperim and wild verses. Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White become best friends. Snow White must fight the evil queen, while Little Red Riding Hood must deal with two hungry wolves.
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“The wonderful Mikkel Rev” at the Nationaltheatret – Reviews and recommendations
