Nordic Black Theatre: Great as I am at Den Norske Opera & Ballett

When the Oslo Opera House receives Nordic Black Theatre as visitor for the fifth time, it is for a dance drama about the legendary American boxer Muhammad Ali, who won the world heavyweight boxing title several times. He made his international breakthrough in the summer of 1960, when he won the Olympic light heavyweight title. The world heavyweight crown became his in 1964, after he beat Sonny Liston in a legendary fight.

In 1965 he converted to Islam, and changed his name from Cassius Marcellus Clay to the one by which he is known today, Muhammad Ali. The performance by Nordic Black Theatre Great as I am takes Muhammad Ali’s life as its starting point, and tells the story of the man who became a mouthpiece for the voiceless in the US and throughout the world.