Review: DEN INBILLADE SJUKE / THE IMAGINARY INVALID at Adelsö Friluftsteater

This year, Adelsö Friluftsteater opened its doors for the first time. A nice little theater on this historic island where Hovgården with the large King's Mounds together with Birka has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1993. An important island for, among others, The Vikings and Magnus Ladulås.

So a trip to Adelsö, which you reach via the car ferry from Munsö, can be both a historical and cultural excursion. We were a little unlucky with the weather because it drizzled lightly when we reached the café at Hovgården where we started with a good lunch while we looked out over the King's Mounds where cows and sheep grazed and rested. At the café there are a couple of smaller cabins with various old objects that are fun to look into. We walked down to Adelsö Church from the 12th century. A nice little church well worth a visit and which is said to be the inspiration for the song Mälarö Kyrka. Then it was time to head to Pannrummet where Adelsö Friluftsteater is located.

There is a small wooden bar at the theater and the theater itself is inside a high wooden fence that reminds you of a medieval castle or something similar. The entrance is also decorated with a sign with Torsborg and the stage is at the bottom with lush trees in the background – a really cozy open air theater. The experience around the theater itself is worth a visit.

This year's play is Molière's classic comedy The Imaginary Invalid from 1673, which has been given a modern touch here. In the original, the imaginary invalid is a man, but here it is the lady of the house, Mamsell Argan (Petra Nielsen), who, with the help of Doctor Diafoirus (Johan Charles), is given one medicine after another and a daily enema to cure her imaginairy illnesses. For the doctor, she is a real goldmine, especially as he and Mamsell have decided that her daughter Angelique (Ebba Irestad) will marry his son Thomas (Annika Herlitz, the Swedish vocie of Elsa in Frozen). But the daughter is in love with the young Cléante (Adam Wilson Wallnäs). As is often the case in plays of this time, there is a maid who sees and hears what is happening and acts up a little cheekily, and here it is the housekeeper Toinette (Thérèse Svensson) who objects, both in terms of illnesses, that Angelique is to be married off, and also that Mamsell's current husband (Johan Charles) only married for his wife's money.

Petra Nilsen (who played Roxy Heart in Chicago both at West End and on Broadway) is convincing as a hypochondriac and skillfully changes mood and brings out a comic vein that I have not seen before. Annika Herlitz's comic side also impressed. She delivers long lines at a fast pace with complex text with a mimicry where seriousness is mixed with imbecility when she, as the newly-minted doctor Thomas, is going to impress Angelique. The others in the well-composed ensemble also attract laughter.

The set design was simple but adequate and was complemented by impressive costumes borrowed from the Östgöta Theatre that transported us back to the time of Molière.

Several talented musical artists were on stage and even though it is not a musical, we got a taste of Ebba Irestad's and Adam Wilson Wallnäs's fine singing voices in a duet. As a musical lover, I would love to see something with more singing and music next year.

The only thing that disturbed the overall experience was the rain that came on more, especially in act two when the raincoats were really needed. The entire audience stayed faithfully because Swedish theater audiences are prepared and if you missed out, there were rain ponchos at the entrance.

This year there are only two performances, August 2 and 3, left and I can really recommend that you get tickets and visit Adelsö Friluftsteater. Then also take the opportunity to see the historical parts and nature as well.

I am looking forward to what will be staged next year.

Få Broadway-nyheter på WhatsApp

Få de senaste uppdateringarna, nyheterna och exklusivt innehåll direkt i appen.