A scene from the 'Forkbeard: A Viking Musical Odyssey' show in Penang in March 2020. The musical production is finally hitting the KLPac stage this weekend after a three-year pandemic pause. Photo: Filepic/The Star
VIKINGS are known for their strength, resolve and willpower. Not surprisingly, similar perseverance is modelled by the cast and crew of Forkbeard: A Viking Musical Odyssey, which is finally being staged in Kuala Lumpur after a three-year postponement.
Vikings are taking to the KLPac stage from Oct 27-29 thanks to the hard work of Dr Nancy P. Jenster, the writer and producer of this show. The plot and characters are based on the legendary Battle of Svolder in 1,000AD that has been recounted over and over in Nordic countries.
Although unheard of in Malaysia, Danish Viking leader Forkbeard (real name Svend Tveskaeg) and his nemesis, Olav Tryggvasson of Norway, are historic heroes for the Danes and Norwegians, and they are studied in their history books.
Naturally, Penang-based Jenster had her doubts while writing the musical, which took her eight years to conceive. However, she believes every writer has doubts, and she is no different. Fortunately, her friends from various countries were very supportive of this production and didn’t care that the idea of a Viking musical was “a little bit different”.
A recent rehearsal session from the theatre show 'Forkbeard: A Viking Musical Odyssey'. It will be showing at KLPac this weekend. - Handout
“The music for me comes along with a certain dialogue or statement that resonates in my imagination,” says Jenster. According to her, it’s a “mysterious process” that is unexplainable.
“I chose to use rather simple themes, and sometimes added some medieval instrumentation, with the help of the very talented arrangers in Ireland, where I first test workshopped the show in 2016,” she adds.
Jenster explains that she composed alone on the windswept beaches of Denmark, or while kayaking. That’s when she would hear the crashing waves and whistling of the winds, just like the vikings would have heard a century ago.
With her husband being a direct descendant of Forkbeard, it is no surprise that the subject appealed to Jenster. Unlike her, director and production manager, Karam Tabba, a Syrian refugee, probably never imagined sailing the cold chilly seas in northern Europe. However, the draw for him was never the viking element.
“It was the story. A tale of struggles that caused a decade-old friendship to go up in flames ... It’s about greed driving players to do horrendous things, and love pushing people to sacrifice everything. This story is relevant now more than ever. The viking setting is just the cherry on top,” says Tabba.
'The music for me comes along with a certain dialogue or statement that resonates in my imagination,' says Jenster. Photo: Filepic/The Star
Casting for a musical is never easy. In the case of Forkbeard, it took a month with priority placed on actors who could sing. In the end, 21 actors made the cut, with an additional 14 crew members selected and hired.
The cast, Tabba added, found various sources of inspiration from TV and Netflix, with some referencing vikings, and others using Game Of Thrones as a model.
“With a large and extremely active troupe, the biggest challenge has been scheduling everyone to be in one room at the same time for rehearsals. We've had to rely mainly on individual efforts for memorising music and lines,” says Tabba.
“Fortunately, the team has been very effective in addressing this challenge. The next hurdle is setting up a stage that complements the performances with a fitting backdrop and lighting,” he adds.
Tabba started his journey with Forkbeard in 2019, and MYTH Productions planned to stage the show in Penang in March 2020, but a global pandemic changed everything. Two days before opening night, Malaysia was forced into a lockdown and the musical was shelved indefinitely.
Taking a page from the vikings, the cast and crew did whatever they had to for the following years before they picked up from where they left off.
Tabba says he hopes the characters will resonate with the audience, through relatable narratives.
Forkbeard: A Viking Musical Odyssey features choreography by Aida Redza and music led by Dominic Lucien Luk (Monday Show Entertainment).
