LOL - Laughing Out Lonely

Name: LOL - Laughing Out Lonely
Start: 2025-10-22T20:30:00+00:00
End: 2025-10-22T21:30:00+00:00
Location: Austurbæjarbíó

Schedule

Wed Oct 22 2025 at 08:30 pm to 09:30 pm

UTC+00:00

Location

Austurbæjarbíó | Reykjavík, RE

LOL er áhrifamikil ný ópera eftir tónskáldin Matilde Böcher og Asger Kudahl þar sem hinn andlitslausi heimur netsins fær rödd. Verkið dregur upp átakanlega mynd af nútímalegum einmanaleika og áhorfendur upplifa sig stadda í hjarta hinnar stafrænu menningar.
Í stórbrotnum flutningi kontratenórsins Morten Grove Frandsen birtast ótal raddir jaðarsettra einstaklinga – frá ungu stúlkunni sem skaðar sjálfa sig til drengs sem dreymir um að verða fórnað. Áhorfendur eru leiddir inn í dimmustu afkima netsins þar sem ólíkir hópar, oft útskúfaðir, mynda undarleg og ósamræmanleg samfélög.
Textinn byggir á raunverulegum skrifum ungs fólks af samfélagsmiðlum en sviðinu er breytt í eins konar bergmálshelli þar sem áhorfendur verða hluti af verkinu. LOL talar beint inn í samtímann og á erindi við fólk á öllum aldri.
Verkið var frumsýnt í maí 2023 í samstarfi við SPOR-hátíðina, Aalborg óperuhátíðina og Copenhagen Opera Festival. Morten Grove Frandsen hlaut tilnefningu til Reumert-verðlauna 2024 fyrir frammistöðu sína.
Fyrsta óperan sem OPE-N framleiddi var Fjórði söngur Guðrúnar eftir Hauk Tómasson í Kaupmannahöfn árið 1996.
Þátttakendur:
Asger Kudahl, tónskáld og hljóðhönnuður
Morten Grove Frandsen, söngvari
Louise Beck, leikstjóri og leikmyndahönnuður.
Mathilde Böcher, tónskáld
OPE-N
EXPANDING OPERA
Hér neðst má lesa brot úr umfjöllunum um verkið.
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The faceless existence of life on the internet is given a voice in this thrilling new solo opera by the composing team Matilde Böcher and Asger Kudahl.
LOL is a portrait of contemporary loneliness. With a universal relevance, and a tour de tour performance from acclaimed countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen, this modern opera is a thought-provoking mirror of our digital age.
Frandsen amazes as the embodiment of a myriad of outsiders - including the girl with The Fucking Ugly Face, who cuts herself to forget her pain, or The Lamb, a shameful boy who dreams of being slaughtered – and takes the audience into the darkest corners of the internet, where misogynists, self-harmers, racists, and other marginalized existences have found an absurd community.
Created using English lyrics that are based on posts from young people on social media, and staged as a theatrical echo chamber where the audience is part of the setting, LOL is a compelling work that is relevant for audiences of all ages.
LOL is directed by Louise Beck in dialogue with dramaturg Astrid Hansen Holm, movement coach Ziita de Fries and répétiteur Louise Schrøder. The lighting design is by Jeppe Lawaetz. The costume design is by Roe Ørslev. The installation is designed by Josefine Else Larsen and built by Sven August Buse & Anders Toft Pedersen.
LOL is produced in collaboration with SPOR Festival, Aalborg Operafestival & CPH Operafestival and was premiered in May 2023.
Morten Grove Frandsen has been nominated for a Reumert Award in 2024 for his solo performance.
Participants
Asger Kudahl, composer and sound designer
Morten Grove Frandsen, singer
Louise Beck, director and set designer
Mathilde Böcher, composer
OPE-N, EXPANDING OPERA
Selected reviews:
Kristeligt Dagblad:
Laughing Out Lonely.... was a stylish close-up study of the changing grief and rage of the isolated person, sublimely portrayed by one of the country's most dramatically interesting singers
Seismograf:
”Matilde Böcher’s frictionless tonality combined with Asger Kudahls floating sound production became in Louise Becks’ skilled staging, and Morten Grove Frandsens’ total dedication, a tender, beautiful and moving piece full of dynamic energy”
Sceneblog:
”LOL – Laughing Out Lonley is a depressing and blunt, heartfelt and moving, fascinating and redemptive experience”
ISCENE:
”LOL is a furiously beautiful and in-your-face experience! And it is so cool to shake up the traditional narratives of the opera genre and instead get the rawness of reality kicked into the art form”
Politiken:
“In ‘LOL – Laughing Out Lonely’ the simple tone language seemed strong and confident. The solo performance shows Morten Grove Frandsen’s considerable vocal level. Not only does he sing superbly in falsetto. He is also able to croon and generally impress with the baritone voice he builds his countertenor singing from”
Magasinet KBH:
“The man with the many voices, faces and expressions is the wonderful countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen, and he flows effortlessly between the different characters, live and vividly in the audience as well as on sound recordings around the large room”