Jenna Wilson is thirteen. She is supposed to be worrying
about things like her breasts, that they never ever seem to be growing, about
the far too popular classmate Maggy, Shaggy Maggy,
who Jenna detests. She is supposed to worry about how to get Zacharias, Zac,
amazingly looking Zac on page 22 of the School Year Book, to notice her.
And she is.
But more than that - more than anything.
She worries about mum.
Mum who is wonderful, who always understands and wants the best, sweet mum who
is so sincere and honest.
Mum who is constantly suffering from shortness of breath, thirst, tiredness,
nausea, who keeps falling over when she has her pain-days.
Mum who's got cancer!
A play about the hardest and most difficult of all – your mum dying of cancer, about being strong and weak at the same time, about nothing turning out exactly how you planned it and about your first real and most sincere love that nobody else really understands.
The book ”Stars on the Ceiling/ I taket lyser stjärnorna” was published in 2003 by debuting young writer Johanna Thydell and won the most prestigious book award in Sweden, the August Price. It was also recently chosen as winner of Slangbellan - The price of the Swedish publishing Association. It has sold over 100.000 copies and has been translated into 12 different languages. When director and artistic manager of Theatre Fredag, Anders Alnemark came across the book, he immediately decided to dramatize it. The play became an instant success and has been performed 347 times and watched by 40.000 people in Sweden and Finland.
Hilarious
play about difficult subject. An important play…leaves nobody unaffected…the
play takes it´s
audience seriously by showing everything … Not one second of the
70 minutes the play lasts is dull”
Lina Keilo, Hallandsposten
Intense
and moving…
Moments of intimacy. Settlements. Pure despair. And of course those moments
of humor and distance that makes all the tragic beareble. The play deals with
and conveys difficult and painful emotions in a surprisingly skillful manner…. ”
Björn Brånfelt, Dagbladet Sundsvall
Thydell
evoke cry and laughter. Not a dry eye when the stars lit up the stage i Värnamo
last night…the
audience alternated between weeping and laughing…it is a very sad story
but in the end there sertainly is hope.”
Leena Niskanen, Värnamo Nyheter
Strong
feelings on display in play about cancer…
it´s not just the the anxiety and the pain that grabs a hold of me.
It´s the little details and the rapid tempo. The the spartan sulotions
and the bald conduct… There is something timeless about in the description
that makes it impossible not to smile in the middle of all the sadness. Personally
I think this play is worth seing because its sincere view of life after death.
But most of all because of the delightful insight of how absolutely wonderful
it is never having to be thirteen again.
Therésia Erneborg, www.TeaterStockholm.se
Production:
Writer: Johanna
Thydell
Version for the stage: Cleo Boman, Anders Alnemark
Translation: Henning Koch
Director: Anders Alnemark
Light design: Mikael Tham
Scenography: Susanne Bergström
Sound design: Anders Nyström
Actors:
Jenna: Emma Mehonic
Ullis etc: Niki Nordenskjöld
Mamma etc: Johanna Wilson
Susanna etc: Anna Jälevik
Photos:
Photo: Hans-Ola Larsson
and Martin Skoog
Click to enlarge. For high resolution: Click the link under the photo, respectively.
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Anna and Emma. |
Johanna, Emma, Anna and Niki. |
Johanna and Emma. |
Niki, Johanna, Emma and Anna. |
Anna and Emma. |
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Niki, Johanna and Emma. |