Norra Skåne 190921
By: MARIA ZANDIHN
“It was so unreal. I felt both ill and cheered, and immediately got the feeling that I had been given the chance on earth at every level”.
Only 25 years old, Helen Sjöholm became Kristina with the entire Swedish people (…)
– Malmö Opera means a lot to me, it carries on the whole dream of my youth, which came true, says Helen Sjöholm.
The year is 1995 and the day is October 7. In the backdrop of the big stage stands Helen Sjöholm, Anders Ekborg, Peter Jöback and the rest of the ensemble in Kristina from Duvemåla, waiting to enter the stage, ready to create musical history.
– It was such a great joy and excitement. We had made changes to the show as late as the night before that we had not been able to repeat, so we were a little nervous to say the least. But oh how concentrated we were, we were really on our toes, Helen Sjöholm says with a laugh.
(…)
– I’m so glad that it was Malmö Opera, or Malmö Musical Theater it was called then, that got the opportunity to set it up first. It´s a very special stage with so much leeway. There is no such thing in Sweden or many other countries. And Malmö means a lot to me in general, Helen says.
Helen Sjöholm came to Malmö as early as 1992 to play a role in Elvira Madigan, even the one at Malmö Opera or Malmö City Theater which the opera was called at the time.
– I was in a theater group in Stockholm, Enskedespelet, and there I got in touch with director Georg Malvius who would set up this musical. It became my first professional debut on a major theater scene so this was incredibly big for me. Slightly unreal actually. And to come to Malmö, it was a whole new vegetation for me coming from Norrland. I arrived in April and by then it had already started to get hot – really exotic! Helen laughs.
Helen Sjöholm stayed in Malmö and played a role in Volpone where she played against Lars Humble. At the same time, she applied for the drama school in both Malmö and Stockholm but did not enter. Instead, it became the cultural science line and the vanload of furniture
returned to Stockholm. It was when the phone call came that would change Helen Sjöholm’s life for all time.
– Benny Andersson had seen me play in Enskedespelet and got my contact information from a common acquaintance. He wanted me to sing some demos and at the same time invited me to apply for a musical that he and Björn would put up.
Helen followed the advice and was one of more than a thousand applicants for the Kristina role.
– I had no great hopes of getting the role because there were auditions across the country to really find the right Kristina.
(…)
– When I got the message that I was given the role, yes it was barely able to take in. It was surreal. I felt both ill and rejoiced, and immediately got the feeling that I had been given the chance on earth at every level – think about being part of something like this! I now realize in retrospect how much I learned during that period, from everyone I worked with. Just such a thing as keeping with the voice. I had never attended a singing teacher. That’s how you think about it now and that’s where my education took place.
People still talk about how magical Kristina from Duvemåla was. What do you think affected so much?
– We worked out something that didn’t exist, everything could be shaped piece by piece and the music was even written for us who performed it. Björn Ulvaeu’s way of writing lyrics was outstanding. There was a weight in them that we all experienced. But we never thought that this was going to be a success, but more that this was something we had to cherish because it was so unique. It really must not fail.
What was your relationship with the character Kristina?
– The relationship grew very much and I felt strongly attached to her. I could relate to everything that was in her and had even seen so many Kristina around me.
Do you miss her?
– She was demanding, it was an extremely demanding role to do. But she’s still inside me and I can reach her pretty quickly. You know, I can almost pinch myself in the arm sometimes because I took part in all this. I have so many nice memories. I remember a scene when Kristina was about to give birth and how clumsy I and Anders were. We dropped the “baby” and fumbled back and forth. None of us had children then, so we had no experience whatsoever, haha.
(…)
– Apart from the fact that there will be so many dear memories for me, it will be very powerful to stand on this stage again. It has really meant everything for me to pursue and live my dream.
(The entire interview is not reproduced for copyright reasons)