Come!

Allan Edwall (1924-97) was one of Sweden's most known and loved actors, entitled to call himself actor, director, writer, playwright, composer and theatre director – and, after turning fifty, a singer-songwriter, suddenly deciding to record and release four records of his own songs.

In Come! we meet a bitter, hungry for love, despaired, funny, pathetic, but also wise man in the body of Øystein Røger. A man stops. He is just about past the first half of his life. He looks backwards with the wisdom he has gained, and forward with the necessary humour. He paints musical portraits of sex, love, breaking up a life together, childhood, drunkenness, closeness, hope, life without boundaries, and aging.

Øyvind Berg of Baktruppen has aimed to keep the direct and playful language in his adaptations of Edwall's lyrics, and the musicians have led the melodies into new musical landscapes. But all of it springs out from the same source – Allan Edwall. He, who was once named "an explorer in humanity".

On the webpage of POS Theatre Company Per-Olav Sørensen has written the following:

"ALLAN EDWALL – AN EXPLORER IN HUMANITY

The summer of 2003 Øystein Røger picked up a guitar and sang some songs I hadn't heard before. They were written by Allan Edwall. One was named Du och jag* (You and I), the other Plötsligt en dag* (Suddenly one day) and the third was named Lilla bäcken (Little Brook). I got all silent. The songs found way where only a few songs reach. Where Herrens klinkekuler** (God’s Marble) or Slipsteinsvalsen* (The Grindstone Waltz) live. A bit shameful I had to admit I had no idea Edwall had written such songs. But when Øystein wondered whether I wanted to join him in making "something" around Edwall's songs, I responded "yes" without blinking.

When the head of The National Theatre, Eirik Stubø, were three years later as generous as to give the go for the project Come! while deciding an opening date for February 2007, we had to make some choices. What should be in? How should we be able to choose from the enormous treasure chest that is Edwall's production? Should we avoid Edwall's other songs, only to make a concert - or should we try telling a coherent story?

After having read every little piece of Edwall's plays, adaptions, lyrics in all versions, listening to all the recordings of his songs, visited his theatre in the street of Brunnsgatan in Stockholm, talked to his children, seen movies and videos, and read several interviews with "the dad of Emil of Lönneberga" – an idea eventually began to crystallise. Allan Edwall wrote a book called Limpan* (The Loaf). This book he adapted for the theatre, and at some occasions Edwall used several of his songs in combination with the text of the staged production. We felt that the stage text Limpan didn't quite fit our purpose, and the selection of songs weren't among our favourites. But the idea could work. In particular when Edwall had played with it himself!

Thus fell the interest to his one-man play Huset* (The House), one of Edwall's greatest stage successes. This play contains wonderful sequences about the little man s little techniques to survive this "meaningless life", combined with very funny and brutal descriptions of women and the mysterious ways of love. We found that central parts of the Huset text fit very well with many of Edwall's songs. That was when we began to combine texts from Huset with the songs. After a while we also included some sequences from Limpan - in line with the story we were about to build, decided for ten of Edwall's songs – and got Come!.

In Come! another male character than the one in Edwall's original version of Huset appeared. A bitter, thirsty for love, despairing, funny, pathetic,  but also wise man, in the body of Øystein Røger. Øyvind Berg has managed the masterpiece to keep the direct, playful language in his adaption of Edwall s lyrics, and Kristin, Geir and Erland have guided Edwall's songs into new musical landscapes. We are happy to work with this elite of Norwegian musicians.

But it all stems from the same source - the genius of Allan Edwall. He who was once called "An explorer in humanity.""

Come! opened in February 2007 at Torshov.

Later the production was performed in PIT in Porsgrunn, the NONSTOP festival in Moss, the theatres Drammens Teater and Nøtterøy teater, Banken in Lillehammer, the cultural centre of Asker called Asker Kulturhus, the winter festival Vinterlysfestivalen in Mo i Rana, The National Theatre in Oslo (the amphi stage), Stockholm s Culture Festival, Teater Brunnsgatan 4 (Stockholm), SIRENOS International Theatre Festival, Vilnius - Lithuania - October 2008.

Sources:

POS Theatre Company, portheatrecomany.com, 30.07.2010, http://www.postheatrecompany.com/

Porsgrunn International Theatre Festival, pit.no, 30.07.2010, http://www.pit.no/show_details.asp?ID=506

*Not yet translated into English. The title within parentheses is the Swedish title's literal meaning.

**Per Olav Sørensen calls the song Herrens klinkekuler. It’s real Norwegian title is Vårherres Klinkekule and it is written by Erik Bye, Sceneweb's comment.**

Klassekampen:

"Øystein Røger surprises and impresses."

Kulturspeilet:

"A brilliant performance. Run to buy!"

Aftenposten:

"Real and sincere, with a fragile insight, great humour (...) phenomenal musical arrangements"

Dagsavisen:

"Wistful and repulsive, funny and sad."