Leikfélag Sauðárkrókur Theater premiered the children’s play Latibær in Bifröst on Thursday 19 November 1998. The work is based on a best-selling book by Magnús Scheving and the play is made by Sigurgeir Scheving, who is the director of the production of Leikfélag Sauðárkrókur Theater. Music in the play is by Máni Svavarsson, with lyrics by Davíð Þór Jónsson.
The main content of the play Latibær is the proclamation of a healthy lifestyle, a good diet and the need for people to play sports for their health. This message is woven into humorous circumstances and a storyline about the people of Latibær, who are not particularly wealthy, being shown the need to change their ways. At the premiere of the work in Bifröst, the story is pleasantly told and it was clear that it reached out to the younger ones in the audience and, not to a lesser extent, for the adults of different ages.
Sigurgeir Scheving’s set of Latibær is quite clearly divided into two very different parts. The former bears the marks of the unhealthy lifestyle of the inhabitants of Latibær. Most of them are active in their movements and have rather unfortunate and unsocial attitudes, which are expressed in their language and speech, among other things. The flair of the townspeople does not show in the least in the performance of songs and especially in the group songs, which are inaudible to many to say the least.
The second part of the work has undergone a major change. The residents have decided to hold a sports tournament and have put a lot of effort into training for it and getting in shape. Faces and poses are all different and now the singing is much more organized than before and sounds much better to the ears.
The stage design of the play is fun, and it is borrowed from Magnús Scheving’s possession. Costumes fit well with the characters and are in good harmony with each one. Lighting is good, not complicated, as there is no reason to do so.
Hreiðar Oddsson plays the mayor of Latibær and has many fun moments, especially in the second part of the work. The Sports elf is played by Heiðar Erni Stefánsson and he shows all the agility that can be expected of a pioneer in sports in many places. Unnur Eygló Bjarnadóttir creates a fun character as Stína símalína and Vilhjálmur Ingimarsson has a really entertaining role, especially in his opening act. The same applies to Kjartan Omarsson in the role of Nenni níski. Hrafnhildur Viðarsdóttir is in full swing in the role of Eyrún eyðsluklóar and the same applies to Ingólf Jón Geirsson in the role of the police and Ragnheiður Ólöf Skaptadóttir in the role of Halla hrekkjusvín.
In other roles are Sigmundur Birgir Skúlason who plays the mailman and a bigtown boy, Arni Jónsson who plays Maggi mjói, Sigurlaug Vildís Bjarnadóttir who plays Solla Stirða, Sigurður Óli Ólafsson who plays a bigtown boy, and Áróra Rós Ingadóttir and Sylvía Dögg Gunnarsdóttir who play elf women. All of these actors perform their roles really well.
It’s gratifying when theater groups put on stage plays that appeal to children. This is no less the case when the plays contain a message that has a message for them. This is certainly the case with Latibær, which in fact, not to a lesser extent, has a message for us who are older too, in addition to which the play is in fact good entertainment for all age groups.
Review by Haukur Águstsson.
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