Interview: Eva Rydberg of HJÄLTEN FRÅN ÖRESUND at Fredriksdalsteatern
Final summer for Eva at Fredriksdalsteatern
On June 12th it is time for the premiere of Hjälten från Öresund and the last summer for Eva Rydberg at her beloved Fredriksdalsteatern. A summer in which she will also celebrate her 83rd birthday. A true legend in Swedish showbiz. She will pass on the baton of playing the summer farce at Fredriksdalsteatern to Claes Malmberg who is also in this year's performance.
The first time Eva played at Fredriksdalsteatern was in 1993 when she played against her idol Nils Poppe who then suggested that she take over and run the summer farce at the theater. There have been many farces since then. What has the theater meant to you Eva?
- When you work as a freelancer, it is wonderful to have a permanent job to go to. It means security to have even if you don't get rich from being a theater director. But you get rich from the love from the audience because it is a fantastic audience that comes year after year.
Love from the audience, what do you want to give them?
- I want to give them a fond memory. A warm summer evening with music, singing, dancing and lots of laughter that they can live for a long time. Life needs to be fun!
How come you chose Hjälten från Öresund as the last play?
- It was Mikael Lindell Bohlin who suggested it. It has been performed twice before during Poppe's time and this year marks 100 years since it was written by Franz Arnold and Ernst Bach. But we have chosen to set it in the 1960s. It is so fun because we have ten completely newly written songs (by Niklas Holtne, P-O Nilsson and Anders Aldgård) and when you hear them you think they are from the 60s but they are completely new. Initially it was planned that I would play a different role but since I was playing husa opposite Nils Poppe I wanted to finish by playing husa again. It's a really fun role and it's going to be so much fun to play the role of Claes Malmberg's housekeeper (seed merchant Hilding Blomgren).
What is it like to work with Claes Malmberg on stage?
- It's just like working with your little brother. We have so much fun together. I can be sarcastic to him and he to me. We laugh a lot and it's a give and take when we work on the show. We help each other and test ourselves. The play gets so much better when you help each other, everyone gets better then.
Claes is from Gothenburg, will he bring any of the famouse Gothenburg sense of humor to the stage?
- I haven't thought about that. I worked a lot with Hagge Geigert in Gothenburg so it won't be much of a circle to close that circle when Claes takes over. But I don't think Claes speaks that much Gothenburg. But sometimes he says something in Scanian and then it can be a bit funny, but you can tell he's not from here anyway. I think it's so fun with dialects. I really like Småland and Värmland because they sound so nice. I myself have mostly stuck to my Scanian, otherwise it's not me. "However, in some TV series I have had to speak more national Swedish because the role has required it. If you are going to be angry, it is most effective to do so in national Swedish. You can't even imagine that a Norwegian could get angry because they sound so happy all the time," she says, speaking a little Norwegian.
Your daughter Birgitta is playing here at Fredriksdal, what's it like working with her?
- Yes, both my daughter and her husband Robert are playing. It's so much fun working with them because I feel so safe. Birgitta is such a funny girl and she's much more fun than I am. We once played the same type of character and when we watched it afterwards I laughed so much at her because she's so fun.
Do you prepare in any special way before you go on stage?
- I like to have everything in check so I know it's going to go well for everyone. I rehearse the script both at home and at the theater because I don't want to lose my cool during the performance. But if that happens, I know that one of my co-stars will pick me up. When you're playing a farce, it's important to have the right timing so that it's fun. Then you'll be interrupted by laughter and that's what you want to be, but then it's important to know your lines. I remember once when I was performing in a more dramatic performance, I thought it went so well because I wasn't interrupted until I realized I was missing the laughter. But here at Frediksdal, I want to be interrupted by the audience's laughter. Then I know they're having a good time.
You have a long and solid career behind you, is there anything you remember a little differently?
- I don't think of it as a career. There have been many really fun jobs over the years. For me, it's a job that I go to and that I want to do as well as possible and to entertain the audience. Personally, it was extra fun to be the "backing" for Frank Sinatra, to perform in the circus with Gene Kelly and to meet Sammy Davis Jr. It's been many fun years on stage.
What happens after the last performance is over at Fredriksdal?
- There are a few things going on after that but nothing that I can tell you about now, I'm not stopping! But there won't be any more outdoor theater for me.
Before the last summer at Fredriksdal, is there anything special you want to say to the audience?
- Don't forget to bring your rain gear and sweater! I get so stressed when I see the audience come in their nice, thin summer clothes and don't bring anything else. They can't get cold and wet when they're going to have fun with us. I want this to be a wonderful summer memory for all of us. Lots of laughter, because we need more of that.
Hjälten från Öresund will open the 12th of June and run until the 16th of August.
Tickets are on sale here:
https://www.nortic.se/ticket/event/72210
Photo @Johan Löfquist
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