Superheroes

Superheroes by Theatre Isenkram consists of three different narrative levels. In the first the audience meets the superheroes Rodrigo, Transparency, Luna Girl and Super, who find out that Earth is in danger of being invaded by something they call The Intergalactic Liga. The four decide to do something about this and put all the problems in the world in a hat. Next they pull each their problem out of the hat, swearing to solve it. This way they hope to make an end to the end of the world. The mood is merry and the eagerness great, as they dance and fly from one stage to another. The flying scenes have been made with help from little Barbie doll like figures the individual actors/superheroes steer, and much of the fighting takes place in slow motion or dance sequences.

Between the scenes with the superheroes, the audience meets the astronauts Sherlock and Duncan, who have left Earth in search for another inhabitable planet. After 70 years they learn that they have travelled without navigating, meaning that all the years have been wasted. In a third layer of narration the actor Mats Eldøen stands alone with a microphone, apparently in the role of himself. Eldøen tells anecdotes which can, in different ways, be connected to the other stories in the performance.

At the beginning of the performance the audience is also asked to participate in activities of the kind one finds in amusement parks, such as throwing darts, throwing at tins and throw creamed cakes in the faces of the performers. Over each activity are placards indicating that one really is attacking one of the four problem areas of war, famine, poverty and climate.

On the webpage of Black Box Teater the production was described in the following manner:

"With a continuous stream of new wars, famines and climate crises, apathy may be provided with great growing conditions, and improvements may seem useless. That’s why a group of superheroes put all the problems in the world in a hat, drawing each their problem from it. Without hesitation they attack everything that is wrong and unjust in this world. They fight, they run and they try to uproot the problems. Will the world finally get back on its feet?

A wholly different place: The astronauts Sherlock and Duncan are on their way into the outer space in a nice spaceship. Travelling at the speed of light they are searching for a new place for everyone, new solutions and perhaps a little hope?

Superheroes is the dream and the hope there is a simple solution to all the problems and that everything will turn out well in the end. Using capes, tough music, slow motion and vigorous explosions Theatre Isenkram hunts for the ultimate solution, so that everyone can sleep safely in his/her bed."

Sources:

Barnebokkritikk, barnebokkritikk.no 27.06.11,

http://www.barnebokkritikk.no/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=92

Black Box Teater, blackbox.no, 27.05.11,

http://www.blackbox.no/content/titlePresentation.php?tid=2069&displayNav=false

Nagel, Lisa Marie (14.04.2011) Review titled Svakt om superhelter (literally: Weak about superheroes), Barnebokkritikk, barnebokkritikk.no, 27.06.2011, http://www.barnebokkritikk.no/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=92:

"Superheroes is a problematic performance in more ways than one. Rhythmically it is limping, despite catchy, easily accessible music. The choice of using blackouts between the different layers of the stories, the somewhat tiresome doubling of roles and the choice of letting the actors carry in props and other stage design when needed, gives the production a streak of amateurism at times.  (...) First and foremost Superheroes is characterised by the company being unable to provide answers to the questions posed (if they are indeed posed at all). Instead they go for easy solutions and even write the following in the program: 'Superheroes is the dream and hope there will be an easy solution to all the problems and that everything will turn out well in the end.' Thus they don’t have to form an opinion, for the solution is already written for the audience to read. The conflicts presented; the threat of invasion from outer space, poverty, war, famine and climate devastation are never experienced as real, all the time they are solved magically by magical superheroes. The result, naturally, is that we don’t care if the world ends or not. When the astronauts discover they have travelled for 70 years without meaning, we only shrug our shoulders, because that story, too, is meaningless. "