The world's best circus, failing theater

Pippi at the circus aims high, with lots of circus magic and charm, but lacks direction and loses a bit of the Pippi magic along the way.

Dejected by life as usual, I trooped up to Pippi at the Circus , cynically, but also perhaps with a hope of experiencing a form of nostalgia. I felt a bit uncomfortable, sitting among grandmothers and children. There we sat together, and stared eagerly at Tord Kinge who performed clowning tricks for us all as the hall filled up. 

Yet the most important question remained: What can I, a young man in the early stages of adulthood, get out of Pippi at the circus?

Pippi Longstocking is based on a chapter from the original Astrid Lindgren book. The performance itself begins with the first few sentences of the book. Naturally, the performance expands these four pages of the book with several numbers, and with a newly written independent narrative. The musical was originally staged in 2022 in Sweden, created by Björn Ulvaeus, Maria Blom and Tilde Björfors, with newly written music by ABBA legend Björn Ulvaeus.

Pippi is definitely at the Circus

The most impressive thing about Pippi is that in addition to being a fun theater performance, it is also an exceptionally good circus performance. The ensemble never lets up on the gas and each number always has something new to offer. It is truly a seamless circus, all the changes are resolved in clever, exciting ways, and the set design is magnificent and dynamic. The walls can be opened, a trapeze tower becomes a mast, and the turns in the set design build up some beautiful images. 

The dog act in particular really showcases everything Pippi has to offer: impressive acrobatics, energetic choreography and beautiful stage solutions.

The direction of the scenes outside the circus acts is also very strong. It's just a shame that the show seems to have barely any space or time for more traditional scenes.

A shared experience

At first, Pippi doesn't let you breathe. The first half of the play is just number after number after number. This structure is reminiscent of one of Det Norske Teatret's other successes, Europavisjonar , a play that combines the tense atmosphere of today's politics with the festive song competition Eurovision/Grand Prix. However, I find the structure to be less motivated here, and with a looser connection.

Around the middle of the show, we move away from the book's structure, with only number after number. The production tries to introduce a plot about the circus director who wants to steal Pippi's money. The story is original to the show and it is clear. I am shocked at how clumsily Pippi at the Circus includes its plot. They choose to slow down all the engagement and pace that the series of circus acts had built up, to introduce a plot that breaks with logic. Pippi chooses to sleep over at the circus for no particularly good reason, and with every new twist in the story, it is so clear to see the hand behind the script, which really kills the engagement that could have been. The pace also remains slow right up until the climax where there is finally a new, somewhat spectacular act. 

I miss a more even distribution of circus and musical numbers, and scenes. Especially since the direction of the scenes and the slapstick humor is very strong, despite the script. The ensemble has exceptional timing throughout. Tord Kinge impresses in particular with a physical expression that lives its own life on stage, and overflows with charisma and energy. His Charlie Chaplin-like number that opens the entire performance is truly a highlight.

Who is Pippi?

It is at this point that one must ask oneself how essential a well-structured story is in a performance aimed at such young children. And the fact is that the plot does the job, it pulls the audience from scene to scene. I would still like the story to have been integrated with the same care as so many other aspects of the performance. The plot is experienced as something that gets in the way of the circus fun. 

I also think about how the show functions as an introduction to the world of Pippi Longstocking. It is easy to forget that Scandinavian children are not born with knowledge of the red-haired girl, something that this production tries to accommodate a little. At times, Pippi at the Circus can seem like a sequel, lacking something to follow up on. The show tries to introduce details that are part of the Pippi character, but that have no particular relevance to this show. Sequences like this are often thrown in a bit out of nowhere, and lack context. The musical number Pippilotta Langstrømpe , breaks completely with the circus concept, and chooses to transform the setting into a pirate ship. The entire circus is put on hold to tell about Pippi's relationship with her pirate father, a character who has no relevance to the show and the audience never gets to meet. Despite some exciting stage solutions, this number really feels thrown in without any thought or consideration for the rest of the performance, a narrative low point.

 For me, who has a good knowledge of Pippi Longstocking throughout my childhood, it feels like a waste of time, which stops all progress. I also can't imagine that if you are new to Pippi, these details about the character are particularly informative. In the show's attempt to clarify the Pippi Longstocking character, it is rather experienced as parts of a Wikipedia article, often performed with song; Only information that confuses instead of contributing to the entertainment or the plot.

The magic shines through

All in all, Pippi at the Circus is a show that tries to do too much. Much of the time it is a circus show that brings Pippi along against her will. When it eventually tries to break free from that, it is still a circus show with phenomenal direction, acrobatics, technique, and slapstick humor. 

It is a performance that has real craftsmanship behind it, despite the fact that many theatrical aspects remain on the circus floor. This craftsmanship awakened something very real and magical in me. During several of the numbers, where people flew and danced in the air, I sat and wondered: How the hell did they do that? It is quite appropriate for a performance about the impossible girl.