Many Americans know Norwegian
sensibilities only through the gentle, funny filter of commentator
Garrison Keillors reflections on the fictional community of Lake
Wobegon, Minn. But Norways quest for national identity takes the
countrys alleged congenital melancholia to new heights with the
theatrical prism through which author Henrik Ibsen viewed his
native land.
Missing the 100th
anniversary of his birth, Ibsens homeland has now grabbed the next
best centennial, his death, and all things Ibsen will dominate
cultural tourism across Norway this year.
The worlds
most-performed playwright, after Shakespeare, appearing on 130
stages, on average, per week worldwide, Ibsen infused his plays
with psychological tensions and realism that gave birth to modern
drama.
His plays and
epic poems have also served as the foundation for an amazing array
of artistic forms, showcased when Ibsen Year 2006 officially kicked
off Jan. 14 in a televised international gala in Oslo.
British ballet
dancers performed a very erotic interpretation of Ghosts, and there
was an extravagant sequence from Werner Egks Peer Gynt opera that
would give Cirque du Soleil a run for its money.
Attendees
included actresses from Scandinavia, the U.K., Germany, France and
India who have gained renown playing Ibsens heroines on stage and
in film over the years. Ten, including Liv Ullmann and Glenda
Jackson, were given the Ibsen Centennial Award.
The actresses
held court at subsequent galas; sometimes their opinions of Ibsens
relevance today, including an argument with literary experts on how
Ibsen would navigate Hollywood, became heated.
One such event at
the National Library opened a traveling exhibition of sculptures of
Ibsen heroines by Nina Sundbye. A favorite was one of lead
character Nora performing her wild dance in the play A Dolls
House.
Bergen
takes on Ibsen
Ibsen-related
events will be performed throughout Norway, often with tie-ins to
other offerings, such as Oslos Munch Museum (Edvard Munch painted
Ibsen in the citys Grand Cafe in 1898).
On May 23, the
Norwegian Folk Museums Ibsen Museum branch (www.ibsenmuseet.no), set in the artists former home at
1 Arbinsgate in Oslo, will reopen after 16 months of
renovations.
Notable Ibsen
tributes are on offer in Bergen, particularly during the Bergen
International Festival (www.fib.no). Set for May 25 to June 5, the festival is
a cornucopia of performing arts.
Ibsens first big
gig was as Bergens resident theater director and playwright. His
stay there, however, from 1851 to 1857, was not one of his most
stellar creative periods.
According to
festival program director Erling Dahl, Ibsen offerings will include
Peer Gynt and Little Eyolf. The latter, about a child neglected as
both parents focus fully on pursuing their careers, touches Norways
psyche deeply, Dahl said.
If writing today,
Ibsen would also have to contend with the phenomenon of single
parents, as over half of marriages in Norway end in divorce within
10 years, and many young Norwegian mothers decide to skip matrimony
altogether.
And be
forewarned: Travel in this striking, amiable and especially
prosperous nation, particularly in regard to food and drink, isnt
cheap. Oslo is now regarded as the most expensive city in the
world. How would Ibsen deal with his bar bill today?
More information
on Ibsen events can be found online at www.ibsenworldwide.info and www.ibsen.net. Other
helpful sources include tourist board Innovation Norways Web site
at www.visitnorway.com.
To contact
the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail to [email protected].