Try to separate Marve Fleksnes from Rolv Wesenlund. Flode from Trond-Viggo Torgersen. Or Elling from Per Christian Ellefsen. It doesn’t work. They are somehow woven together. Therefore, it is almost a matter of course that the Riksteatret has brought Ellefsen on board when Ingvar Ambjørnsen’s famous novel character makes his last journey in the theatre. THE ARCHIVIST: Per Christian Ellefsen again plays the popular, neurotic Elling. On stage, he continues to work on a project that many in the audience can recognize from before. Photo: JONATHAN VIVAAS KISE Indispensable Ellefsen This is no small journey. The performance “Bare Elling” will be played at over sixty venues until Christmas, and in the spring of 2025 it will land at the Central Theater at Oslo Nye Teater, where Ellefsen’s adventure with Elling began 25 years ago. Since then, there have been three films, one of which was nominated for an Oscar. And the plays about Elling have been performed in several countries – even though the Broadway production was pulled from the poster after just one week. Now Elling is back on the theater stage, with the same script and direction crew as before: Axel Hellstenius and Petter Næss. And indispensable Ellefsen in the lead role. ELLEFSEN BæRER: But there is a lot the main character has to cover in just over an hour and a half. Photo: Jonathan Vivaas Kise Tamt og unfocused The show’s script is written freely based on the novel “Ekko av en venn” in addition to selected Elling blogs by Ambjørnsen. In “Bare Elling” Elling moves into the basement apartment of the widow Annelore Frimann-Clausen at Grefsen in Oslo. Here the plan is to live peacefully for the last part of his life and to complete his large archive project on Gro Harlem Brundtland. But things don’t quite go according to plan. Elling is exposed to constant disturbances, and the archive work does not go as he had imagined either. CHAOS, BABY! Elling’s project does not go quite according to plan. Photo: Jonathan Vivaas Kise The older Elling is less lonely, less neurotic and more settled than in younger versions. In the performance, he is also not given time to become particularly neurotic, anxious and lonely. There is so much he has to do: Trips to the doctor, trips to the shop, neighbors come to visit – and the widow visits quite often. There are many who want a piece of Elling in this performance. It gives the secondary characters a caricatured feel while the audience never gets an understanding of what is really at stake. NEW TO ELLING UNIVERSITY: Annelore Frimann-Clausen (Anne Marie Ottersen). Photo: Jonathan Vivaas Kise The story is classically constructed, but still lacks a kind of drive. That makes “Bare Elling” unfocused and tame. Scenography, lighting and video design contribute to the somewhat unfocused feel. There are many rooms on stage (more than are needed), and when Elling changes the environment, it is not so easy to follow along as an audience member. Video projection of nature into the plinth apartment gives little sense of displacement. The widow always comes by. Elling and the widow. And Gro then, on the left. MORE PEOPLE: Always new to deal with, not least when Elling is moving. Melancholy But in all this stands Per Christian Ellefsen and plays a brilliant role. He carries the whole performance, and every word, every gesture is well thought out and has meaning. Where the fellow players can seem stiff and stilted, Ellefsen raises the impression. Perhaps not so strange: He has Elling under his skin – after all, he is Elling. A performance about Ambjørnsen’s aging Elling is probably never meant to be a thriller. According to Petter Næss, this is a melancholic experience. And the performance probably appeals most to those who remember Elling from films and theater in the early 2000s, although his commitment to Gro Harlem Brundtland might have appealed to those who have seen “Makta”. BRILLIANT: Per Christian Ellefsen has Elling under his skin, writes news’s critic. Photo: Jonathan Vivaas Kise “Bare Elling” gives an experience of swiping into a universe that is much deeper than the theater performance can achieve within the framework of one hour and 40 minutes. Nevertheless: Experiencing Ellefsen as Elling in the theater is a really nice experience. Perhaps it is as author Tore Renberg has said, that the character Elling has become bigger than the work: almost like someone we believe exists in real life and that we know. The character Elling is at least bigger than the play written about him this time. See reviewer Karen Frøsland Nystøyl in news Nyhetsmorgen: Trusty “Bare Elling”, but played sparklingly. Says reviewer Karen Frøsland Nystøyl about the traveling performance at the Riksteatret. news reviews Photo: Sebastian Ludvigsen Title: “Bare Elling” Where: Riksteateret in collaboration with Oslo Nye Teater Director: Petter Næss Playwright: Axel Hellstenius Composer: Lars Lillo-Stenberg Cast: Per Christian Ellefsen, Anne Marie Ottersen, Anne Regine Ellingsæter, Thomas Bipin Olsen Scenographer/Costume designer: Dagny Drage Kleiva Lighting designer/Video designer: Oscar Frostad Udbye Sound designer: Kolbjørn Lyslo Dramaturg: Toril Solvang-Kayiambakis Producer: Anita Basmo Bjørnstad Hi! I review theatre, performing arts and dance for news as a freelancer. Also read my reviews of “Det mørke fortet” by Riksteatret, “Vildanden” by the National Ballet in the Opera, or “Moby Dick” by Det Norske Teatret. Published 30.08.2024, at 15.05
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“Bare Elling” at the Riksteatret – news Culture and entertainment
