Jakob Oftebro (37) and Jonas Hoff Oftebro (27) enter the scene laughing. – They are probably laughing at me, says Nils Ole Oftebro to his wife Anette Hoff, and shakes his head. Jakob, Anette, Jonas and Nils Ole will play the Tyrone family in “Lang dags ferd mot natt”. Usually they are also in the family. Photo: Lars Opstad / Oslo Nye Teater The family has just started the reading tests at Oslo Nye Teater. There have never been so many Oftebros on a theater stage before. – A piece of theater history Strictly speaking, it is not the Oftebro family who are on stage, but the Tyrone family in the play “Lang dags ferd mot natt”. – The fact that there is a double family situation, perhaps means that the material comes closer to the audience, Anette Hoff said after the reading tests. Theater manager Runar Hodne is very pleased to have included four Oftebros in his new production. Photo: Trygve Heide / news It was also the idea of theater director Runar Hodne when he got the idea to have the Oftebro family in the lead roles. – I remember getting that idea and thinking: This is an absolutely fantastic idea! This is what I want to do, and I hope we can make it happen. Hodne thinks it will go down in the history books. – I think it will be a piece of theater history. Timeless and universal Even if the laughter is free, older brother Jakob Oftebro tells them that they are dealing with a heavy piece. The mother hides that she is addicted to drugs, while the son Edmund (Jonas Hoff Oftebro) is ill. It takes place at the end of the 1890s, and was written by the American Eugene O’Neill in the 40s. Jonas said that he thought the text would feel heavier. Although he is sad, Jonas believes that there is something familiar and light about him. – It’s about a family who are basically happy with each other, but then things just get worse. There are misunderstandings and love between the characters. The play about the Tyrone family is dark, and deals with themes that can be recognised, even today. Photo: Trygve Heide / news He thinks many people can recognize themselves in it. – We sit and laugh and enjoy ourselves at the reading tests because we recognize each other, because that dynamic is somehow timeless and universal. – A family on thin ice Father Nils Ole Oftebro says that the play is about a family trying to keep their spirits up. – Even if the ice they walk on is thin, and they can fall through at any time. The couple Anette Hoff and Nils Ole Oftebro will play the couple Tyrone at Oslo Nye Teater. Photo: Lars Opstad / Oslo Nye Teater There is much in the play that can seem just as relevant today, even though the play was written a long time ago. – It’s about addiction. We live in a time when there is an enormous amount of drugs floating in the streets. The play is in a way more relevant today than it was when it was written, unfortunately, he says. Shoe players in rows and rows The Oftebro family is “full” of shoe players. 78-year-old Nils Ole has been on stage and in front of the camera since the 60s, where he has played both Shakespeare and Ibsen. His wife Anette Hoff (62) has been involved in productions at the Riksteateret, the national stage in Bergen and at Rogaland Teater, but is probably best known for her role as Juni Anker-Hansen in the soap opera “Hotel Cæsar”. Jakob Oftebro says it is nice to be able to work together with the family. Photo: Trygve Heide / news Oftebro’s son, Jakob, was one of the youngest in history to enter the Theater Academy at the time, only 18 years old. Since then he has had roles in several well-known films, including “Birkebeinarane”, “Max Manus” and “Kon-Tiki”. He has also been on the theater stage together with his father in “Peer Gynt” at Gålåvatnet. Jonas Hoff Oftebro also gathers experience on the cinema screen, as Kjell Jensen in “Olsenbanden jr.”, and with roles in “Børning” and “Bølgen”. Now they will all be on stage together, for the very first time. – I think I’m incredibly lucky, Jakob Oftebro says that he accepted the job right away. He was no stranger to the fact that it was together with the whole family. – I’ve worked with father and Jonas before, so from experience it’s just pleasant. Anette Hoff says that she was a little unsure at first. – The piece is heavy at times, so I was a little afraid that we would simply rent each other. In the Tyrone family there are many misunderstandings. The Oftebro family says much is recognisable. Photo: Trygve Heide / news Father Nils Ole feels lucky that they have had the opportunity to be together more. – These boys here have their own lives, and are not at home once a week exactly. We are lucky if we see them for a quarter of a month. I think I’m incredibly lucky. But he admits that there may be some challenges along the way. – I think it can be challenging because these boys will be so terribly funny, laughs Nils Ole Oftebro. According to dad Nils Ole, there is a lot of banter and nonsense from the zones, and the laughter is free during the tests. Photo: Lars Opstad / Oslo Nye Teater – Easier to enter the dark Most of all, they all think that it will be an advantage for the play that they know each other well. Nils Ole thinks they trust each other so much that it is easier to go into the dark and deep. And they hope that the audience can become a little wiser by watching the play. – The characters in the play struggle to see each other because they are so preoccupied with what is going on inside themselves. It would have been incredibly wonderful if people went out and thought a little about it, concludes Jonas. “Long day’s journey towards night” premieres in January 2024.
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Skodesplar family Oftebro together on stage for the first time – news Culture and entertainment
