{"id":5605,"date":"2014-10-06T23:34:09","date_gmt":"2014-10-06T21:34:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/?page_id=5605"},"modified":"2022-03-15T15:44:17","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T13:44:17","slug":"brilliant-joback","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/helensjoholm.nu\/_eng\/press-clips\/reviews-2014\/brilliant-joback\/","title":{"rendered":"Brilliant, J\u00f6back!"},"content":{"rendered":"

QX<\/strong> 140912<\/strong> <\/strong>
\nBy: RONNY LARSSON
\nQX QX QX QX<\/p>\n

When<\/strong> Jonas<\/strong> Gardell’s<\/strong> “Livet \u00e4r en schlager” <\/strong>becomes<\/strong> a <\/strong>musical<\/strong> the a<\/strong>udience is treated to<\/strong> candy<\/strong> for both<\/strong> eyes and ears<\/strong>. The best <\/strong>candy in the whole bag<\/strong> is<\/strong> Peter J\u00f6back<\/strong> as<\/strong> the <\/strong>transexual<\/strong> person<\/strong> Candy<\/strong> Darling<\/strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Peter J\u00f6back<\/strong> is absolutely phenomenal in the role of Candy. As soon as J\u00f6back comes on stage things heat up. He is the show’s big star and fulfills the heavy expectations with verve. In the movie, Bj\u00f6rn Kjellman’s<\/strong> Candy was a funny person with much blackness, and that blackness J\u00f6back makes the most of, although Candy’s story is different from the movie, and here his life is spared. J\u00f6back’s big number “Annars vore jag inte jag” is something of the most goosebumps inducing I’ve seen on a stage. If you don’t tremble or shed a tear here, then you must be made \u200b\u200bof stone. Peter J\u00f6back’s delivery is of Broadway-class. Furthermore, he’s handsome as hell and moves foxily feminine in high heels…<\/p>\n

Beside J\u00f6back it’s the songs that make me give the rating of four. Fredrik Kempe<\/strong> has managed many melodic aces with Gardell’s lyrics: Before mentioned “Annars vore jag inte jag”, the initial pop pearl “Livet \u00e4r en schlager”, the wistful Mona & Candy-duet “N\u00e4r jag faller”, and, above all, the closing “Som skapta f\u00f6r varann” which is a song that every musical in the world should end with. Magically good!
\nUnfortunately, I have to inform all pop fans who in the movie loved the pop song “K\u00e4rleksikonen”, written by Lena Ph<\/strong> and performed by Regina Lund<\/strong>, there\u2019s not at all a new song of that kind here. New “Nu \u00e4r det min tur” is anonymous and not the hit song I had hoped. But I can see before me how Kempe has tried to write this song, and repeatedly put the results in the folder marked “Swedish Eurovison Song Contest”. They must simply have become too good…<\/p>\n

Otherwise everything is fine. Helen Sj\u00f6holm<\/strong> is even very good, but the role of Mona’s a bit ungrateful for Sj\u00f6holm who doesn’t really get the opportunity to shine until the end. But then, on the other hand, she shows that she is perhaps Sweden’s best singer.
\nJohan Glans<\/strong> is the show’s most laugh-inducing figure as Mona’s unemployed, pun-loving husband. He makes the audience roar with laughter several times and additionally lightens up heavier scenes with finesse and warmth. Another one who brings out laughter is Frida Westerdahl<\/strong> who plays Regina Lund’s role, Sabina. The audience at the premiere loved her crazy star with mega hubris and insane facial expressions.<\/p>\n

Jonas Helgesson<\/strong>, who has cerebral palsy also offstage, also makes a nice role as songwriter David and receives well-earned applause when he leads the audience rebellion at the end.<\/p>\n

Overall it’s a bold and stylish production. The scenery by Anna Asp<\/strong> is smart, imaginative and funny. Add to this luxuriously delicious Lindarwsk<\/strong> costume (Mona’s final dress is schlagertastic), and a strong multi-faceted ensemble.<\/p>\n

My objection is in fact the basic story, which is quite pale: Schlager crazy woman steals her cerebral palsy friend’s song and is accepted for the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest. All other ingredients are topnotch, so when I pick the show apart there are really no objections in addition to the basic plot, which is so-so and should have been rewritten even more than what has been done compared to the movie version. And I wish they would have trimmed the whole caboodle to get an even better flow. Skilled veterans Katarina Ewerl\u00f6f<\/strong> and My Holmsten’s<\/strong> efforts had in my opinion unfortunately been deleted for a better flow, since they don’t add very much and also have quite pointless musical numbers.<\/p>\n

But having that said: “Livet \u00e4r en schlager” is a luxurious and crisp musical with brilliant new songs, a must-see-J\u00f6back, a lovely Helen Sj\u00f6holm<\/strong>, plus a bunch of good and funny acting efforts, which should definitely be seen. It’s a show with a nice message of everyone having a value and can fulfill their dreams what ever shape they come in. Plus, you are guaranteed to leave with a smile on your face after THAT finale. The finish is like one long fabulous key raise. 12 points to that one. Straight up.<\/p>\n

Ps. It’s clever that Candy, in the beginning, tells us that this is a fairy tale, so us pop geeks don’t go: “Hey, they don’t do it like that in the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest”, because the story is not written for how the contest is nowadays, which they even make a smart remark of in the show.<\/p>\n

Original<\/strong> Review<\/strong>:<\/strong>
\nQX – Brilliant, J\u00f6back<\/a><\/p>\n

Back<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

QX 140912  By: RONNY LARSSON QX QX QX QX When Jonas Gardell’s “Livet \u00e4r en schlager” becomes a musical the audience is treated to candy Read More …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":5119,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-5605","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t