We come from far, far away

We come from far, far away is about two refugees from Syria, and the problems that arise on their journey to Norway. The play was accompanied by two musicians who at times played supporting roles. Overall, it is a sad and touching play, but there are elements of humor. In addition, it was interactive to a certain extent. The story they told was based on several true stories, which they had turned into one story.

The two musicians interacted very well, both with each other and with what was happening on stage. The musicians consisted of two people who played acoustic guitars, clarinet and xylophone. They played music that strengthened the action, for example in the running scenes they played at an increasing tempo, which sets a stressful mood. The music was mainly based on two chord riffs, with calm lead parts.

In the course of the performance, I also noticed some effects. A clear example of this is when they explained the death of Omar. They described this as an extended moment, so they spent a very long time and gave us a lot of detail. This gives us time to reflect on what is happening and allows us to develop our own feelings about what is being said.

The effects used in this production were relatively simple, but still fit the story very well. The characters had a discernible personality that runs throughout the play, which helps me form a relationship with them.

As previously mentioned, there were elements of humor in this play. It was quite a long scene, where it was clear that laughter was the goal. I think this took away some of the seriousness of the message. Still, I understand that since the target audience was 10+ that it is wise to have some humor involved, but then I perceive that the entertainment is more important than the message, which I do not feel is true in relation to the rest of the play. Personally, I think it would have been better to choose a slightly higher age group as the target audience, and keep the police scene more serious. An age group I think is appropriate would be around 14+. Another reason for this is that words like "visa" and "asylum seeker" are used, which are not taught until late in secondary school.

All in all, it was a good performance, although I think the message was weakened by the humor parts. All elements of the performance were well balanced and coordinated. They had addressed an important topic in an exciting way. As previously mentioned, I think the target group should be reconsidered, but otherwise I was very pleased.

Mathias N. Remåd