With quick steps, the comedian walks out into the pink light on stage. He is dressed in an unfashionable Hawaiian shirt with a black suit jacket on top. To be able to stand in the limelight tonight, he has attended a meeting with the mental health team. He’s been making people laugh for 26 years, but this day he’s frowned. – I thought I had managed to distance myself, but today is the day, says André Ulveseter. His tears are flowing. He blinks them away before they grow large and uncontrollable. On the table at Teaterfabrikken in Ålesund are colorful drinks, beer and bubbles chilled in ice. At the back of the room, a whole stag party of men in their 50s in a festive mood has taken their seats. They are unaware that this was the permanent table of the comedian’s lover. But she will never come again. This is the first anniversary of the car accident that took three lives. On the day of his lover’s death, there are tough hours before André Ulveseter takes to the stage and entertains. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Song “Optimist” at full throttle On 3 June 2022, Kathrine Krogen sat in her original place in the former oilseed factory in Ålesund with old-fashioned sconces, dark beams in the ceiling, the smell of old furniture and crocheted cushions. She sat at a long table, surrounded by friends and family members. They liked to sit far back. The 48-year-old with the long, fair hair was wearing a dress and a denim jacket. Exactly the same outfit as the friends, even if they had not agreed beforehand. She couldn’t bear her name, and everyone called her Katt. It was the premiere party for this year’s edition of the traditional summer show, ironically called “Ni liv”. A mix of stand up, sketches and song elements. In the cramped room behind the stage, with a costume, sofa and fridge filled with beer, André Ulveseter was a little nervous. He wasn’t sure if his lines were correct. He hadn’t seen Katt all week, because he was busy with rehearsals. In any case, there would be enough time for a treat, because on Monday they were going on holiday together. They always packed their suitcases the day before departure, because they knew exactly what would be included. There was always plenty of room in Katt’s suitcase, so she could shop on the go. The fear of not delivering well enough was unfounded. When he came on stage dressed in a yellow reflective jacket and glasses, Katt laughed before the first line. It was she who had the idea to play a sanitation worker. It was Katt who got the idea for the character Brannvald. He works as a renovation worker. Photo: Malin Kjellstadli Korsnes / news Katt actually liked driving rubbish to the recycling station, because there were such fun people there. André heard her laugh past everyone else, even though she was sitting furthest away. – It was a perfect premiere. It went great. It was a lovely evening, says André. The performance even has a sing-along, as is the tradition. “Optimist” by Jahn Teigen was played full-throatedly before the audience left the dark room and went out into the cool summer night. André’s happy feeling ended abruptly a short time later. Bidding separately That’s how the two met. The tongue-in-cheek Bergensar has been doing stand-up since 1997. He has toured the whole country and made people laugh. Among other things, typographical errors. And Katt loves to laugh. In April 2013, she sent the comedian a message to thank her for a funny stand-up. André had no idea who she was, but thanks for the nice feedback. He found out later that she had panicked because she didn’t think he would answer. The two continued to keep in touch and became lovers. André Ulveseter and Kathrine Krogen were in Gdansk in Poland 37 times. Photo: private What they both had in common was that they liked having their own time. Thus, they quickly decided that it was out of the question to become cohabitants, with my children and yours. He with two sons, she with twin daughters and two dachshunds. Instead, they offered a seven-minute drive away from each other. A perfect recipe for keeping the glow on. Don’t lose it in arguments about housework, logistics and everyday hustle and bustle. The plan was for them to get married when she turned 80, one year before André. They also joked that they should live in each other’s old home and visit each other. – She was a wonderful lady with a bone in her nose. She said things exactly as they were. She used to join André around the country on tour. In addition, they traveled 37 times to Gdansk in Poland. – We said we were going to the cabin when we went to Poland. It became our place. It was just cozy and fun, says André. Katt was a tour operator and always made sure that they stayed at a new hotel each time. Although Katt liked to travel, she had a fear of flying. She was actually so afraid of flying that she had suggested driving to Poland. For André it was out of the question. And he had played the lesson that statistically there is a greater chance of dying in a traffic accident on the way to the airport than a plane crash. The two never got as far as the airport on their next trip. The flight was supposed to leave on Monday 6 June 2022. But the car journey home from the summer show was fatal. Comedian André, who has never liked hugging people before, was to become a hugger after that night. Ran to the hospital André wanted to go straight home to his children after the premiere of the summer show, because he had been away from them so much. He was given a ride with Katt, her cousin Kirsti Nedregård and her friend Janice Karina Buen from the folk college. He let them go and drove on. He beckoned to them. Inside the door, he sent a text message to Katt with lots of hearts. He threw himself down on the gray sofa on the living room and fired up the PlayStation. His way of relaxing. From time to time he checked to see if Katt answered, but she hadn’t seen the message. – There was no stress, because they were probably going home to drink some wine and she was going to walk the dogs. While he was playing, he got word from a friend that there had been a serious traffic accident in the Blindheim tunnel. Then everything stopped for André. He had a strange feeling and his pulse rose. It could have been anyone, but Katt was going that way at that exact moment and had not responded to the messages. Now she didn’t pick up the phone either. André called the emergency room to check if she was there, but they couldn’t say anything. He told his sons and ran the entire 2.4 kilometers to the hospital, even though he doesn’t normally jog at all. But he had drunk beer and couldn’t drive a car. On the way he kept tripping over a freshly plowed field and his sneakers were full of mold. He remained standing in the emergency department for over three hours. No one could answer all his questions. Suddenly a priest passed by. It doesn’t bode well. – There were many people involved in the accident, so there was hope, says André. But when he was finally called into a room with a priest, police, nurse and psychiatrist, he understood what message awaited. The worst imaginable had happened. In retrospect, he has had nightmares about that room. – That’s how you see in films when people get these messages. You see everything from the outside and in the third person. This is not real, explains the 48-year-old. Thrown into the tunnel wall Around four hours earlier, at 11.38 p.m., a Mercedes-Benz with four young adults driving entered the Blindheim tunnel. The female driver hit full throttle and skidded, according to the verdict nine months later. She lost control of the car and her friends who had been to the summer show came in the opposite direction. At at least 100 kilometers an hour, she collided with the Suzuki the women were in. The collision was so enormous that the car with the women in it was thrown against the tunnel wall. All four wheels were in contact with the mountain. Neighbors in the area heard a loud bang. Cat sat in the back seat, the other two in the front. Katt was pronounced dead shortly after the collision. Neither did the others in the car survive. André was in shock. The perfect bright summer evening had turned into a nightmare. Darkness took the comedian. The three women who were on their way home from the summer show in Ålesund died in the car accident. Photo: Tipper Why doesn’t anyone bring a vase? At home in André’s flat, there is a single vase at the top of the kitchen furniture. Now he can see the comic in it, even if he thought he could never laugh again. In the days after the death, there was a series of doorbells. Everyone brought flowers. André only had a flower vase and it was quickly taken up. Instead, he stuck the flowers in cut cola bottles. Why does everyone bring flowers, but not a vase? wonders the comedian. The funeral for Kathrine Krogen was organized at the concert venue Terminalen. Photo: Marit Brunstad Now he is writing lyrics for a new performance in the autumn where he will talk about the darkness he ended up in. He often takes his laptop to cafes. The noise of people talking puts his brain at rest. Since Katt died, there is a constant murmur in my head. White noise, he calls it. Melancholy, is the title of the show which premieres in September. He calls himself a crying clown. – There is a lot of humor in grief and the best jokes are written when life is dark and gloomy, says André. Among other things, he will deal with people’s reactions when they meet someone in grief. He has experienced strange situations. Staring people, pitying looks and people who want to talk about their sad fates to show that they understand what he is going through. – As if it helps me to hear other sad stories to put me in a good mood, André smiles. The meeting with the funeral home was absurd. The undertaker used her usual voice when she spoke to a craftsman, but as soon as André appeared, she changed her tone. The tone was assumed to be sad and gloomy. Now André can laugh about the episode. He has learned that there is also a lot of humor when well-grown men have to ask for help from the healthcare system. There is an alarming amount of shame. The comedian likes to sit in a cafe and work. In the noise of other guests, his brain finds peace to think. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news He himself is grateful to everyone who has supported him. Family and friends who moved in and looked after him. Hugs he who has loudly declared that he is not a hugger. Now he has become one. They “forced” him to eat and go for a walk. The municipality’s crisis team came to his home after the accident and followed him up for months. He was in a fog and remembers little from that time. Now he goes to regular meetings with a psychiatric nurse, who has become his vent. Here he allowed himself to break down. – The turning point came when I understood that I have to live with this for the rest of my life. Astrid Overaa runs Teaterfabrikken in Ålesund. She has been an important support player for André Ulveseter after his death. André Ulveseter has been doing stand-up since 1997. The audience is enjoying themselves at the tenth edition of the Summer Show at Teaterfabrikken. André Ulveseter is part of a regular group that puts on shows at Teaterfabrikken every summer. The summer show is a mix of sketches, stand-up and musical elements. Laughter was missing For the comedian, Teaterfabrikken is his second home. It was only four weeks after the accident before he was on stage again. It was a good place to be, surrounded by colleagues who knew how he felt. Even today, on the first anniversary of the accident, they know what it costs to stand here. He is tired in the head before the summer show starts. The day has been so long. The comedian has been to the grave site and said hello to Katt. She has received a bouquet of flowers. She loves all the flowers he brought, as long as they weren’t yellow. At the front of the room are some of André’s supporting players. His mother, son William aged 15, friends, ex-wife and her family. William is perhaps Dad’s biggest fan. He sees the performances many times. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news Now everyone else in the room also gets to know what kind of day it is. André opens the performance by telling that three people are missing from the audience and that they died on the way from the premiere. He is terrified of ruining the good mood, but he is not nervous. After Katt died, there is not one thing he is afraid of anymore. – Tonight we will laugh. Tonight we will clap. Tonight we play for Katt, Kirsti and Janice, says André. Now he has said it. And when he comes out on stage as a sanitation worker with a yellow reflective jacket, there is loud laughter. But a unique laugh from the long table at the back of the room is missing. From her who was already laughing before he said a word. André noticed well that a laugh was missing from the audience. Cat used to laugh already before the first line. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news
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Comedian André Ulveseter lost his girlfriend Kathrine Krogen in the Blindheim tunnel – now grief will become humor – Møre og Romsdal
