Too sexy for ‘svenska,’ Kalmar nation presents a hot premiere in a bloodbath of English speaking vampires and a delightful list of musical numbers. However, this reviewer believes the performers confidence level should go up.
Down in the dimly lit, yet cheerful Kalmar Nation basement, a bar hangs over behind the stage. Seats are few and the audience fills them very quickly. The premiere night was sold out. And onto the stage appear a finely dressed gentleman and lady. The pair briefly explain to the audience that they may shout ‘retake’ as they please, or whenever a song plays. And then the Count, in a handsome goatee with lordly clothes, appears. The first song is underway.
Kalmarspexarna pushed a new limit for this spex season and finished their English spex premiere to a roaring audience. The “first ever English spex to be performed in Lund” turned out to be a stellar success. Without losing the Swedish spex’s traditional vigor, the writing still appeals to an international audience. No one is spared from the sharp fangs of the spex’s humor, including undertones of political satire.
The intensity of the actors’ performance shrouded the lack of costumes and decor. Actor Emil Falck admits that they do not have the resources of the likes of Lundaspexarna, but that they do their best.
One feature that drew particular attention was the array of at least 5 different English accents. “The accents come directly from us,” says Falck. “There is only one true English speaker in our production.”
However, confidence seemed lacking in some of the songs in the first act. The actors should not ever be afraid of losing face, because this is spex. Spex in its own right gives plenty of room for error. A missed line can sometimes be more fun than a line delivered too accurately. Director Isabella Passlov says, “it doesn’t matter so much what people say as long as people are having fun.”
This is one of the best ways to experience Lund’s student life for internationals. The Kalmar spex stays very true to the original spex played in Swedish. Any Swedish spexare would be impressed while following the performance of the Kalmar actors and would see a reflection of their own style of performing. Get ready for some fantastic laughs, no matter your origin.
