Redtwist Theatre > ELLING > Press Release > Playbill > Show Photos > Reviews Click on logo to navigate to review Highly Recommended so completely funny ★★★★ Recommended ★★★½ Highly Recommended Tom Williams Reviewed September 24, 2011 "He (Kjell) is an orangutan who only cares about women and food – one of life’s simpler apostles — but I feel safe in some strange way, having him by my side.” —Elling Heartwarming comic drama unfolds as a tribute to the human spirit Redtwist Theatre features their top actors- Peter Oyloe (Kjell), Andrew Jessop (Elling) and Brian Parry (Alfons) who are sporting their comedic skills in the winning stage production of  the Norwegian film “Elling” deftly adapted by Simon Bent. This is a charming, warm comic drama about two seemingly  mentally challenged men who struggle to make it on their own away from a mental institution. We meet Elling (Andrew Jessop) a shy, withdrawn anti-social nerd self-described “mummy’s boy” who always wears a tie and sweeter who lives with Kjell (Peter Oyloe) a simpleminded crude brute who  only desires food and sex. These two pure innocents, despite their quirks, becomes fast friends in a unique sort of ‘odd couple’ as they struggle with their sanity in a scary world. After two years being roommates in a mental institution, the guys get an apartment Oslo. The pair can only remain there if they manage to convince their social worker, Frank (Michael Sherwin) that they can cope in the outside world. The comic adventures of these two easily win our hearts as they both establish their quirky personality. Elling is a prim, proper, neurotic, intensely agoraphobic yet intellectual aware self-educated individual with poetic aspirations. We laugh and commiserate with the gentle Elling. His roommate Kjell is a man of few words, crude yet loyal and gentle in a brutish sort of way that reveals his spirited zest. He is a scruffy, unshaven and unwashed guy who loves comic books and sex talk. Food and women dominate his thoughts. Elling and Kjell quickly become friends as they work together to survive in a scary world. Andrew Jessop and Peter Oyloe have an amazingly honest stage chemistry and terrific comic timing that so truthfully depicts the strange world of the mentally challenged. These two actors are at the top of their art and they are a joy to watch. They produce comedy in two of the finest performances of they year! A phone ringing and a doorbell chime scare these guys. Each of their encounters garners much humor as each day is an adventure for theses lovable pals. They get help surviving in Oslo from the outstanding work from Cameron Feagin as Reidun, Kjell’s pregnant girlfriend; from Michael Sherwin as the tough social worker Frank Alsi and from the always effective Brian Parry as the retired poet Alfons. Elling is a sweet comic drama that is a touching tribute to the spirit of humanity basic to the spirit of two determined challenged folks to more than survive. They exhibit a unique zest for life in their own terms that contains hilarious peculiar honesty that wins our hearts.  Elling is much more that a  comic friendship play; it is a heartwarming look at what being human is all about. Jessop and Oyloe are terrific as Elling and Kjell. It is refreshing to see such a slick production (deftly directed by Steve Scott) that both makes us laugh and wins our hearts. For something different, catch Elling – it’ll make you feel good and it’ll make you laugh.  Redtwist Theatre continues to mount outstanding plays. Back to top "moving and meaningful, yet so completely funny" Reviewed on September 24 by Devlyn Camp If ever there’s a black box to be seated in, it’s the Red one. Opening their season last Saturday, the Chicago-premiering play is moving and meaningful, yet so completely funny. Redtwist’s production of Elling is a stimulated, welcoming look into the unrested minds of two openhearted men. Played by Jeff-winning Peter Oyloe and set designer/new Co-Artistic Director Andrew Jessop, two uneasy men in an institution, Kjell and Elling, are finally permitted to leave and restart their adult lives. Through their experience together, the audience sees the world from their perspectives of unknowing, realizing the oddness of everyday life. Elling sends the two childlike adults through a quick birth into a new society where they learn that to act normal is to be normal. Following natural instinct isn’t what is always socially acceptable, which is proven by Kjell’s uncontrolled hyper-concern with sex. Oyloe’s body language perfectly reflects the perplexed nature of Kjell. He rocks and wanders, looking for the answers (and women, if he can figure out what exactly he’s supposed to say to them). Meanwhile, Elling is uptight and unable to leave his home, because why should one have a home if they want to leave it? He’s paranoid and unable to make decisions after relying on his mother for his entire life until her death. The relationship that develops between the lonely friends speaks for how much we rely on others, and asks what might fill the void when the one we depend on is gone. Experiencing the world and learning how to operate among the unknown is a crucial piece to being alive. As Chicago theatregoers know, the imagination prerequisite for black box theatre is a must-have to enjoy the experience, but Redtwist takes the small box further now with this production. The brilliant set designed by Andrew Jessop (also in the title role) imagines the one-bedroom apartment into nightclubs, a poet’s library, a cabin and a mental institution. Tables raise from the floor, the wall empties out beds, and kitchen appliances double as makeshift devices. The set is simple, yet remarkably crafty. “Innovative” doesn’t begin to describe the level of box theatre creativity at Redtwist. They are proof that expensive, thousand-person spectacle shows don’t hold up for a moment next to great drama, originality and a small playbook of people who know how to get the job done. Back to top ★★★★ Review by Ryan Dolley Characters, not contrivance, drive a quirky buddy comedy given an outstanding cast in Redtwist’s Chicago premiere. The evocative Chicago stage debut of Elling, adapted from Hellstenius and Naess’s 2001 film based on Ingvar Ambjornsen’s 1996 novel, is yet another example of what Redtwist does so well: enthralling performances by dynamite casts in an intimate space. Set in Norway, the story follows the foibles of two long-term psychiatric patients as they attempt to reintegrate into a society that they’re initially ill-equipped to handle. The play keeps the meandering nature of its source material—never establishing a central question dying to be answered but building, scene by scene, a structure fit for digression and introspection. This novelesque pacing—so often the Achilles’ heel of such an adaptation—works to tremendous effect in the hands of the cast, particularly Peter Oyloe (Kjell) and Andrew Jessop (Elling), who play the mental-ward castoffs to terrific ends: Oyloe the manic, sex-crazed counterpart to Jessop’s cunning but perpetually terrified Elling. Their performances drive the play with an insidious charm; each scene is more engrossing than the last. The set, designed by Jessop, stands out only when necessary, and then superbly, as it transforms into a psychiatric hospital or bar poetry reading. It provides a canvas for the rare kind of show in which the characters themselves, and not some dark secret or terrible past shame, provide the tension. With a lesser cast this could be grueling, but true to form, Redtwist’s fine company of actors simply cannot be resisted. Back to top Recommended Reviewed by Al Bresloff What is normalcy? This is the question that is answered in “Elling”, onstage now at Redtwist Theatre on Bryn Mawr. Redtwist is known for bringing “white hot drama to their tiny black box of a theater, but with a red twist”, and with this adaptation (Simon Bent) from the novel by Ingevar Ambjornsen, in adaptation by Axel Hellstenius in collaboration with Peter Naess of  the original movie , “Blood Brothers” under the direction of Steve Scott, they have lived up their tradition. I find it hard to believe that the Broadway production closed in a short run as I found this tale of two men, men who had been institutionalized and now attempting to become members of society a warm and funny story. In order to be completely honest, I arrived at the theater a bit late (Redtwist has moved their starting time from 8 to 7:30 and so I watched act one in the lobby on the monitor. The only distractions were the crew members who had to sneak through doors in the walls to change sets pieces or put props in place. Despite that, I felt that I never missed the quality of the performance and once I took my seat for the second act, felt that I was in tune with everything and had not missed anything. I do suggest that you make sure you are on time as the monitor keeps you with the story, but certainly doesn’t allow you to witness the pure chemistry between the two men, Kjell (Peter Oyloe) and Elling (Andrew Jessop). These actors have worked together before and they do have something special in how they interpret their roles and play off each other. I am sure that Scott had a great deal of influence in their characters, but there is a sort of magic in watching these two men work together. Kjell is very different from Elling, a sort of wild man who enjoys food, drink and women. Elling, on the other hand was a “Mama’s Boy” who loved his mother with all his heart and soul. He is neat and tidy, perfect in every way, aloner , while Kjell is outgoing and fun loving. Can they make a life for themselves? Can they live amongst what is called normal society? These questions are handled with great skill by these actors in this story , a sort of coming of age at adulthood. They are placed in an apartment together and are supervised by Frank (Michael Sherwin) who is to make sure they can handle what they face or return to the institution. Along the way they each meet characters that will change their lives; Kjell, a pregnant neighbor, Reidun (the lovely Cameron Feagin) who shows him what love and caring are all about and for Elling, a poet named Alfons (another brilliant performance by Redtwist regular Brian Parry). Alfons becomes the inspiration for Elling to  allow what is inside him to escape and Reidun gives Kjell a reason not to return to the asylum, ever! There are some very funny moments in this production skillfully done so as not to take away from the story line. One can adapt to something different in their lives, if there is a reason or someone to inspire them. In this beautifully told (and staged) story we have a gentle and heartwarming evening of quality theater in a storefront black box on Bryn Mawr Avenue. While we cannot ignore being on a main street with lots of young people making some noises, the actors in this production are strong enough to keep our focus on the production itself and their characters. The set, a clever use of a very tiny space was designed by Jessop with some clever nuances and the lighting by John Kelly is quite mood setting. Sara Isom had lots of props to deal with (many of which Oyloe ate or others drank) and the other cast members, Melissa Walker, Marssie Mencotti and Scott Butler took on their roles, and helped with set changes proving that a production is as solid as the parts that compose it and each member of this cast made an important contribution. Back to top ★★★½ Review by Keith Ecker When Elling premiered on Broadway in 2010, it received lukewarm reviews, attracted a meager audience and closed after only a month. The Norwegian play—which is based on a novel by Ingvar Ambjornsen, adapted by Axel Hestenius in collaboration with Petter Naess and adapted in English by Simon Bent—just didn’t seem to have legs here in the states. The New York production even had a big star, Brendan Frasier. Redtwist Theatre‘s production of Elling, which features no movie stars and is produced hundreds of miles from Times Square, will likely not suffer the same fate as its Big Apple predecessor. The intimate (if not cramped) storefront theater is the perfect setting for a play whose title character suffers panic attacks when leaving the confines of his apartment. The actors adeptly fill the shoes of the eccentric and discarded souls of Elling‘s world, while the set design, which ingeniously maximizes the utility of the space, is a star in its own right. Add to this a quirky story with some solid comedy and interesting language and you have the makings of successful show. Elling is the story of two Norwegian mental patients who are released and transferred to live in an apartment together in Oslo. Elling (Andrew Jessop) is a frantic mama’s boy who stirs up tall tales to impress his roommate Kjell (Peter Oyloe), a dimwitted but kind-hearted clod who is obsessed with sex. Comedy erupts as the Norwegian Felix and Oscar navigate living with each other despite their many differences in personality and taste. Meanwhile, the pressure is on Elling and Kjell to successfully integrate into mainstream society, thanks to the presence of the kind but stern Frank (Michael Sherwin). The state social worker is assigned to mark the duo’s progress. One too many setbacks, and the two will be carted back to the nut hut. But then Kjell meets a woman, Reidun (Cameron Feagin). He becomes infatuated, and she too takes a quick liking to him. This stirs up the jealousy within Elling, who has become quite accustomed to having Kjell as his constant and sole companion. Shortly thereafter, Elling discovers poetry and a poet Alfons (Brian Parry). The chance meeting inspires him to express himself artistically and hone his own identity. Jessop and Oyloe are consistent in their portrayals of the two chemically imbalanced protagonists. Jessop portrays Elling with a frantic energy masked by a suspiciously calm exterior. The comedy is in his condescending and deadpan delivery, which allows him to be a likeable jerk. Oyloe imbues Kjell with a Lenny-esque affectation. His speech, mannerisms and propensity to get overly excited are like that of a little boy. Yet there is an adult’s heart here, as seen with his interactions with Reidun. The supporting actors fill out the show nicely with Feagin playing genuinely sweet and Parry adding a sagely voice that is as rich as butter. Jessop is also behind the captivating set design, which practically steals the scene at times. Furniture ingeniously doubles as alternate set pieces. A fridge becomes a urinal; a floor sprouts up to become a tabletop. The innovative thinking is something you only find in a small theater that invents out of necessity rather than for gimmicks. Elling is a light and fanciful comedy. With a talented cast and a solid script, it’s sure to entertain. For those looking to chase away those pre-winter blues, check out this play. Back to top