October 9th, 2021

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Nobody did it better than Roger Moore

Isn’t it great that we are returning to the theatres and festivals and museums and sports events? 

Leaving the misery behind
Like all theatre companies worldwide we were forced to cancel our whole 2020 season. This year, we have decided to go ahead with our 2021-22 season, including our popular Crazy Christmas Show at Tivoli.

After months of idleness and boredom during Lockdown, I was suddenly faced with the challenge of writing a new comedy script. 

One thing was certain: I wanted to whisk audiences away from cold Denmark, and the fear of further Covid restrictions, and transport all of us to a warm, nostalgic world of sunshine and snap-happy music.  

Pearl of the Sunshine State
When I write a script for the Christmas show, I always start by deciding where it will take place and in which decade or century. 

Our last show, ‘The Three Brexiteers’, was set in 18th century France, where a zip wire-flying Boris Johnson turned up. 

For the previous year, it was the 19th century as we went around the world with Phileas Fogg, meeting up with Putin and Trump in the Wild West along the way. Well – it is a crazy show!  

So where and when should I set this year’s show to help us escape from today’s miserable pandemic and politics? I flipped open a travel magazine and saw a sandy beach and a soaring luxury hotel. Of course, where better than Miami  – much loved by sun-seekers, celebrities, criminals and Trump supporters?  

And surely, to avoid the latter, the best decade for all of us old enough to remember and young enough to enjoy was the exhilarating Eighties.   

We all ♥ the 1980s
In my mind, the Eighties was a time of both innocence and excess. A decade of big hair, big shoulders, lycra, leggings, gadgets and gameboys. A time when young people still talked to each other, instead of burying their heads in their mobile phones or sitting at home hunched over their computers. 

We had TV shows with family values like ‘The Cosby Show’ and ‘Soap’, soaps like ‘Dallas’ and ‘Dynasty’, movies like ‘Ghostbusters’ and ‘Dirty Dancing’ and action-packed series like ‘Miami Vice’ – iconic in every way, from its groundbreaking fashion to terrific music. 

And what about the pop stars in their prime: Michael Jackson, Madonna, Tina Turner and Prince?

Nobody did it better!
The Bond films are a good yardstick to judge cultural movements because they have been around for six decades. 

Today’s Bond films are grim and complicated. Daniel Craig scowls his way through them with no funny lines or implausible gadgets. 

Roger Moore, in the Eighties, grinned and quipped through comedy capers with gadgets (and pussy) galore! Even the titles say it all: compare ‘No Time to Die’ (yawn!) to ‘Octopussy’ (haha!).  

So ‘The Eighties’ is my decade of choice for this year’s show, and I guarantee you will wallow in nostalgia when you hear the songs and laugh at the costumes from those neon-bright years. 

And regards the title? Well, what would you say if I stated the obvious – that the past few years have been tough to the extreme. I think you’d say: “Tell Me About It!“ 

See you in Glassalen!