Categories: Stage

Elling

This holiday season Broadway is serving up two Norwegian fruitcakes in Elling, a nutty confection sure to give you a sugar rush.

The titular character Elling, played with manic verve by Denis O'Hare, is released from a mental institution to live in a small Oslo apartment with 40-year-old virgin Kjell Bjarne, played by Brendan Fraser in his Broadway debut, who gives a somewhat heavy-handed but ultimately winning performance. The agoraphobic Elling becomes strangely attached to his oafish and sex-crazed roommate as he dabbles in writing and finds a mentor in a noted Norwegian poet (Richard Easton), who may or may not be trying to to steal his work. All the while, Kjell Bjarne pursues his pregnant neighbor (Best in Show's quirky cool Jennifer Coolidge) with a feverish abandon. Events, somewhat predictably, get out of control as the loons learn that life outside the nuthouse can be as strange as it is inside.

Elling, originally a novel by Ingvar Ambjornsen, was adapted by the British playwright Simon Bent. Though the audience can't help but feel that some of the humor has been lost in translation, Elling powers through on the strength of its pitch-perfect performances.

Erik Meers

Erik Meers is the founder and editor of uInterview.com and uSports.org. He was previously managing editor of GQ, Harper's Bazaar, Interview and Paper magazines. When he's not drowning in pop culture, he's asleep.

Recent Posts

VIDEO: Hurricane Rafael Topples Stadium Floodlight Pylon Toppled in Cuba

https://youtu.be/0Ajjle4Kmq4 Dramatic footage shows winds from Hurricane Rafael toppling floodlights at a baseball stadium in…

19 mins ago

VIDEO: Road Worker Narrowly Dodges Truck On New York Highway

https://youtu.be/zv6oTyRE18w A road worker narrowly missed being hit by a truck in upstate New York…

1 hour ago

Brian Austin Green Tells Tori Spelling He ‘Doesn’t Recall’ First Time He Slept With Her

Spelling further recalled that the two then started kissing, and Green interrupted, “Wait, what? I…

2 hours ago

Influencer Matt Choi Banned From NYC Marathon For Having 2 Cameramen On E-Bikes Follow Him During Race Endangering Runners

While Choi’s behavior in the race was rightfully admonished, his honest apology serves as a…

3 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Jennifer Lopez Should Have Warned The Public About Ex Sean Combs

Combs and Lopez were romantically involved between 1999 and 2001.

4 hours ago

Tyler, The Creator Announces 2025 Concert Tour Dates – Setlist & Ticket Info

Born Tyler Gregory Okonma, the rapper, director, producer and designer is regarded as a pivotal…

19 hours ago