“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in the Kanonhallen in Oslo – Reviews and recommendations

The hidden operations are given free rein when, on the eve of summer, the National Theater invites you to midsummer night in the Kanonhallen in Oslo. Director Sigrid Strøm Reibo has given human desire free rein, and has wrapped it in a rave-inspired nightclub atmosphere. Four young people, love entanglements and a magical midsummer night where elves intervene and turn love upside down. This is how you can quickly summarize the William Shakespeare comedy “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” from 1595. In a romantic play, desire is allowed to unfold. Exploring what only thought knows is quite an alluring starting point. So letting the forest’s possibilities for transcendence be depicted through bewitching ultraviolet light, stage smoke and neon effects is not so silly. Although the costumes are lovely and rave-worthy, the aesthetic means are not felt to be necessary. That said, it’s easy to like Jonas Hoff Oftebro’s sky-high heels and funny outfit in the role of rave maestro Puck, the elf who, at the king’s command, sets the love affair in motion. STRONG ROLE: Jonas Hoff Oftebro’s pearly Puck guides the audience safely through the affairs of enchantment. Oftebro has a strong presence in the role of the forest gnome who confuses the whole thing to everyone’s amusement. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret Or Erland Bakker, vengeful elven king in a leather outfit and with terrifying lens effects on his eyes. Or Titania (Marian Saastad Ottesen), the elven queen who is bewitched and throws herself on a donkey in raw lust. THE LOOK: Oberon’s sinister gaze can strike fear into many a delicate soul. Here we see Erland Bakker as Oberon, behind is Jonas Hoff Oftebro as Puck. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret DONKEY DESIRE: The elf queen Titania (Marian Saastad Ottesen) sleeps sweetly on her stairs under the watchful eye of the elf king Oberon. Little does she know that a donkey desire awaits around the next bend. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret Gets three choices Love is all-consuming. So when the young Hermia (Maria Kristina Hildonen) is forced to marry Demetrius (Patrick Hilmar Ingvaldsen) and she doesn’t want to, she has the following choice: Do it anyway, go to a convent or die. On the sidelines are her chosen Lysander (Jacob Jensen) and her friend Helena (Hanna-Maria Grønneberg). Helena is hopelessly in love with Demetrius (who doesn’t want her, but Hermia). COMPLICATIONS AWAITING: Love is strong between Hermia (Maria Kristine Hildonen) and her chosen Lysander (Jacob Jensen). But the midsummer night offers complications and disturbances for the strong feelings. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret Hermia and Lysander decide to escape to the forest, and there the elves take over. Helena and Demetrius come after the escaped couple. A small drop from Puck’s bottle of intoxicating flower juices puts it all into play. Suddenly everyone wants Helena, and Hermia is left over. At the same time, the elf king Oberon is running a race for revenge against his beloved Titania, which will involve, among other things, donkey sex. In addition, as is often the case with Shakespeare, there is a small amateur theater troupe out there in the forest, a rambunctious bunch who will play theater at Duke Tesev’s wedding. OPEN FOR MOST: Bartek Kaminski as the amateur theater actor Bonnie Bøtta is suddenly transformed into a donkey and ends up in the elf queen’s arms. Lucky that Bøtta is open most of the time. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret More than the rave attitude, it is this troupe that brings the play ashore. Not least because of Bartek Kaminski. He is the overzealous actor who is turned into a donkey by Puck and then experiences a night of elvish love. Playing the plait of the guys The performance does not become convincing until a bit into the second part. The slowness is due to several factors: That the rave approach is fun, but not much more than that. That the text processing is of varying clarity, especially with the two suitors. When the text does not come across clearly enough, it seems as if less is at stake. At the same time, Øyvind Berg’s beautifully translated text resonates very well with others, such as Bakker, Ottesen, Hildonen and Grønneberg. The roles of Hermia and Helena are played strongly. It is the young women who bring out the fury and passion this performance needs. CONVINCING: Hanna-Maria Grønneberg plays strongly and convincingly in the role of Helena in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret In the scene after the bewitchment, they play the braid of their cavaliers and leave the audience with the impression that love is a battle of life and death for them (which it actually is, at least for Hermia). Perhaps these powers are brought forth because the world they live in is controlled by men. But the two had deserved that Jensen and Ingvaldsen parried with a greater sense of holmgang. Now it feels a bit more like you snooze, you lose. Clever and colorful It could have been fresher and wilder at the National Theatre. But the contrast that is played out between controlled everyday life and the uncontrolled interior comes through well. BACK TO REALITY: A rave party, a dream, an excess is abandoned – soon there will be a wedding for the four young people. Front: Jacob Jensen. Back from left: Patrick Hilmar Ingvaldsen, Maria Kristine Hildonen and Hanna-Maria Grønneberg. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret WEDDING: Patrick Hilmar Ingvaldsen, Hanna-Maria Grønneberg, Maria Kristine Hildonen and Jacob Jensen are ready for the wedding. It worked out in the end. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret FINAL SCENE: Dream or reality? Unruly desires or controlled everyday life? Maybe a bit of both is best? Here from the final scene in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Behind: Håkon Ramstad. Front: Hanna-Maria Grønneberg and Patrick Hilmar Ingvaldsen. Photo: Øyvind Eide / Nationaltheatret It is smart, colorful and yet tight. The end is nice, where the newlyweds are bathed in a green, bewitching forest light by Puck – an image that shows how man will always try to rationalize the inexplicable, but must still end up giving in to it. There is grave seriousness and powerful love here – and large doses of humour, especially in the second part. It is also cheerful and ingenious, not least because of an Oftebro-Puck with a strong and fascinating presence. But it could probably be at least as wild in a completely normal, bewitched forest. MORE SHAKESPEARE ON news TV: With the help of animation, paintings, soundscapes and visits to England, we tell the story of the world’s greatest playwright and the king of the time who was among his greatest admirers. The story takes us to both Denmark, Sweden and Norway, and shows how some of the plays draw inspiration from here. news reviews Photo: Øyvind Eide Title: “A midsummer night’s dream” Place: Kanonhallen på Løren in Oslo Date: 3 September–31 October 2022 Length: Approx. three hours By: William Shakespeare – retold by Øyvind Berg Director: Sigrid Strøm Reibo Choreographer: Oleg Glushkov Lighting designer: Mathias Lundgren Set designer and costume designer: Katrin Nottrodt Playwright: Njål Helge Mjøs Composer: Amund Ulvestad Mask designer: Wibke Schuler Actors: Maria Kristine Hildonen, Hanna -Maria Grønneberg, Jacob Jensen, Patrick Hilmar Ingvaldsen, Marian Saastad Ottesen, Erland Bakker, Jonas Hoff Oftebro, Eivin Nilsen Salthe, Bartek Kaminski, Andrine Sæther, Kim Sørensen, Håkon Ramstad, Yusuf Toosh Ibra, Vilde Moberg, Oliver Eidem Nyeng



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