Þjóðleikhúsið Double-Header

Ormstunga (Worm’s tongue/sting) is a modernized rock/rap opera based on the Icelandic saga.

I caught the matinee show yesterday, and was suitably impressed astounded. A nineteen piece acting ensemble plus: a four piece band, acrobatics, a multi-level stage, extremely well-sung lyrics, and dramatic solo turns for all the principals, made for an unforgettable experience. The woman next to me said “Ég gæti séð það aftur og aftur.”

Later that evening I found myself again in the National Theatre, this time in the basement, for the revue: Belonging? Being an immigrant in Iceland is funnier than you think.

From the theatre’s website:

Belonging? offers a fusion of stand-up comedy and other variety acts, including dance, dance and more from a diverse group of performers. The show features immigrant comedians with a rotating cast (and some Icelandic surprise guest performers) doing stand-up in English and sharing the funny sides of being a foreigner in Iceland… asking the question; “Can we ever really belong on this island?”

Clockwise from upper left: Dan Roh, MC and Korean-American-Icelander gave his special slant on being an outsider, Ahmad Rana spoke of public interactions in Icelandic, Dan Zerin is a standup comedian with Tourettes (the whistle and pop kind) and Joy gave a humorous take on H.P. Lovecraft and J.K. Rowlings and the special hell they deserve. “Mr. Tombastic” was a friend of Dan Roh’s wife, he did little burlesque bits between the comedians. It was pretty good over-all, I even laughed out loud several times. It was good to see such a diverse audience in attendance.

Earlier in the day I made a return visit to *garg, an artistic/literary collective where I met Greta, a member and a graphic designer. We spent over an hour talking about a variety of subjects (and I bought a shirt) more on this encounter at a later date: