The theater production “Cape land” at Nordland Teater tells a war story that claimed 34 Norwegian lives. The background for these murders, which were pure executions, is the so-called Majavatn affair. 24 young men from Helgeland and ten prominent expiation victims from Trondheim were executed by the Nazis as revenge for the events at Majavatn. The executions took place in Falstadskogen near Levanger, a few meters from the room where the premiere of “Kappe land” was played. Wrong place, wrong time Nordland Theater also tells another, more hidden story. “Kappe land” is war history seen from a Sami perspective. Because in the middle of the Majavatn affair, a young Sea Sami boy was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Gustav Kappfjell ended up in the crossfire, but saved his life. “Kappe land” tells how he, who was never a hero, lived with trauma from the war stuck in his body. This is how Nordland Teater brings forward together its efforts during the war – something that could have been brought forward more clearly. Only towards the end of the play does Kappfjell say: “When you Germans came, we Sami and Norwegians had a common enemy”. There is much unexplored in this that foresight does not properly address. Missed opportunity Kappe land is a childhood game that many who grew up in the years after the war are familiar with. This is how news explained the game “kappe land” in 1985: The knife game is only presented towards the end of the screening, and it is played with the shoe players partially hidden. It’s a shame, because the fight for land can have many meanings. Here too, the foresight does not take the Sami perspective well enough, the Sami’s struggle for the right to land is only barely mentioned. As a result, this perspective is also little used. Miksa røynd The theater piece is a long way from being based on actual events. The presentation alternates between the Majavatn affair in 1942 and fifty years later. Kappfjell (Bernt Bjørn) is going to pick up a newspaper at the train station, but with the train also comes a young, German woman. She turns out to be the granddaughter of the Gestapo chief in Trondheim, who in the play tortured Kappfjell in 1942. The story of the young woman Stefi (Katja Brita Lindeberg) is made up, but weaves itself into actual events. TOGETHER ABOUT TRAUMA: The young German girl Stefi (Katja Brita Lindeberg) gets to sit with Gustav Kappfjell (Bernt Bjørn) in a boat across Majavatn. Photo: Bjørn Leirvik / Nordland Teater The theater has every opportunity to mix past, present and future. When this woman with old maps, an old tent and a Luger from the war meddles in Kappfjell’s life, memories also come back. In his memories, Kappfjell meets an unsuspecting 1942 version of himself and enters into a dialogue with him. Stefi also has dark experiences she has run away from. But when one spins into the room where several enter into the same illusion, as when Stefi and Kappfjell both meet this infamous grandfather in a dramatic scene, the story slips in the mix between fantasy and reality. I experience Stefi’s story as underdeveloped, too little explained and too poorly motivated. TIME TRAVEL TORTURE: The young Gustav Kappfjell (seated in front) is interrogated and tortured by German Willy Pollack. The incident takes place 50 years later for the elderly Gustav Kappfjell and the German girl Stefi. From left: Kristoffer Hjulstad, Bernt Bjørn, Lucas Sørensen Jünger and Katja Brita Lindeberg. Photo: Bjørn Leirvik / Nordland Theater Red Sami thread It is the Sami that is in many ways the red thread here. There is something nice about Kappfjell sitting there, not in a cardigan, but in normal clothes. He is seafaring and Norwegian and a completely ordinary guy. The Sami, the joik, the longing for home, the love of nature and animals, are organically woven into the game of Bernt Bjørn. I find myself missing more of the Sami fight, at the same time as I appreciate the everyday play in Bjørn’s game. The scenography and sound in the projection are close to nature, the rustle of the forest and the roar of the motorboat are taken from Majavatn, the joik is Gustav Kappfjell’s, the pictures in the scenography are drawn in the area around the same lake. All this hangs well together. UNHAPPY MEETING: Stefi meets his grandfather, the German soldier. In the picture: Kristoffer Hjulstad and Katja Brita Lindeberg. Photo: Bjørn Leirvik / Nordland Theater Bernt Bjørn plays a strong role. He shows how experiences of war took hold in the body and never completely let go. “History is best told by heroes,” says Kappfjell early in the play. But he plays in such a way that he shows that the truth is the opposite: History is most truly told by those who know it. This is how he highlights the value of the stories of those who do not consider themselves heroes. That in itself is valuable. The foresight falters a bit when she mixes real events and fictional characters. But at its best it is a strong and interesting war story. news reviewer: Photo: Bjørn Leirvik / Nordland Theater Title: “Kappe land” By: Ketil Kolstad Choir: Mo i Rana, Grane, Levanger, Bindal, Sømna, Vega, Sandnessjøen, Mo i Rana, Vefsn, Grane, Hattfjelldal, Træna, Meløy, Bodø, Saltdal, Valnesfjorden, Fauske, Sørfold, Hamarøy, Narvik When: 31 October–29 November Cast: Bernt Bjørn, Katja Brita Lindeberg, Kristoffer Hjulstad and Lucas Sørensen Junger Director: Hanne Brincker Composer: Frode Fjellheim Scenography and costume design: Anna Widén Lighting design: Johan Haugan Sound engineering: Aksel Bakken Costume designers: Hallvard Leirvik and Kari-Britt Nilsen Mask: Tove Solbakk Carpenter: Magne Jøsevold Stage master/blacksmith: Herlof Øverdal Props: Sissel Heien and Grete Larssen Production manager: Per Rasmussen Inspector and tour manager: Isabella Flått Tour planner: Jim Ove Marthinussen Duration: Approx. 70 minutes Hi! I review theatre, performing arts and dance for news as a freelancer. Also read my reviews of “Kristin Lavransdotter” at Det Norske Teatret, of the play “Don Juan” at Trøndelag Teater or “Snøsøstera” at Det Norske Teateret.
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“Kappe land” at Nordland Theater – Reviews and recommendations
