Review: K FOR KONGSVIK at Latter

Lene Kongsvik is back with her new solo show "K for Kongsvik" where the talented comedian/actress has used her own written encyclopedia from elementary school as a basis to show a wide range of both new mixed with well-known characters that define both the extreme and diverse types of personalites.

I have followed Lene Kongsvik's career with great interest ever since I saw Nora Prisen in 2001, which she played with her former comedy-partner Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen. She has always been drawn to many different character types that people easily recognize, or at least know someone who has many of the same traits. This kind of humor has always been popular and easy to digest, but that doesn't mean that it can't be intelligent, quite the opposite. It often has layers of thoughtfulness and melancholy.

When Lene was twelve years old, she created an encyclopedia of funny characters, and this show is a modern version of that encyclopedia. The performance shows the diversity of the quirky, unique people Kongsvik has met along the way, and even though while Kongsvik's soon-to-be three-digit cast has certain characters you expect (or rather demand) to see, such as Wenche and Therés, there are also plenty of new people to get to know as well. These include the Frogner-wife who quotes and misquotes Buddha while she enjoys a glass of bubbles, the morbid Bjørg who prefers to call herself something as exotic as Nigella and loves all the erotic and culinary aspects of France while baking, the horrible boss Birgitte who bullies the employees (i.e. us the audience) and believes that Woke culture is as meaningless as any other culture.

I especially liked the delightfully extroverted "Trinemor" who stole the show in addition to tormenting a poor audience member. Generation Z is also put through its paces in a classic cabaret number (written by the Kongsvik’s very talented collaborator Hanne T. Aasheim).

Fortunately, there is room for a slightly quieter number that has undertones of seriousness. The masseur talking about all her clients is a mixture of humor, seriousness and even rather touching. I would have liked a few more moments like this in between.

Lene Kongsvik proves once again that she is a comedian who aims to continue the revue tradition while injecting a large dose of her own innovation as well. She is, as far as I know, the only female comedian solo act in Oslo this season. Once again BRAVA!

Production photos by Aksel X. Rustad.

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