KRISTINA! (SWEDISH MUSICAL) Jim Colyer

Bjorn Ulvaeus wanted his lyrics to mature with him as a human being. ABBA progressed from Arrival to Super Trouper. Then came the Chess Musical with Tim Rice. In the 1990s, Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus attained their deepest level. They staged Kristina Fran Duvemala, a musical based on The Emigrants series, four novels by the Swedish author, Vilhelm Moberg. It is the story of the Swedish emigrants who came to The United States in the 1850s. Kristina Fran Duvemala contains over 20 songs and approaches four hours in length. It is based on historical novels, so its principal characters, Kristina and Karl Oskar Nilsson, never existed although there were Swedes very much like them. Fictitious though they are, there is a statue of the pair in Lindstrom, Minnesota. Moberg went to the region to do research. He spent 12 years on his novels, mingling fact and fiction. The novels embrace Karl Oskar's vision. Benny and Bjorn focus on Kristina, her homesickness and her inability to adapt to life in America. Benny and Bjorn are masters of feminine psychology. Their talents lie in probing the female side. In an era when family values are discussed, this story demonstrates their essence. Kristina and Karl Oskar strive against harsh natural forces to ensure their children a future. Kristina Fran Duvemala opened in Malmo, Sweden in 1995. It was in Swedish. Two performances of the music were given in Minneapolis in 1996 near the site of the original emigrants' landing. Benny and Bjorn set an English translation as their goal. It is hard to say whether an English version will ever play Broadway in New York or tour The United States. The success of Mamma Mia! certainly adds to the possibility. That Benny and Bjorn chose to work with a known Swedish classic gave them an advantage they would not have otherwise had. They did not have to start from scratch. They contributed to their national heritage. Kristina Fran Duvemala is something to learn from as much as it is something to be enjoyed. I read Vilhelm Moberg's four novels, a total of 1,058 pages. Moberg began writing in 1947. Even though he wrote his books during the Cold War, they read like something from the Victorian Era. They are a throwback, foreign to the age of automobiles and airplanes in which they were written. Moberg died in 1973. After reading the first book, I was curious as to how Karl Oskar and his group would fare in America. The second book deepened my understanding of the characters. By the third book, I felt that Moberg was piling up scenes. I will distinguish between two words. Emigrants are people who leave a country. Immigrants are people who enter a country. In the early 1970s, Jan Troell turned The Emigrants into a film starring Max von Sydow and Liv Ullmann. Troell actually made two films. His sequel is called The New Land. The films incorporate all four books. They are meticulously faithful. Benny and Bjorn drew from the novels rather than the films. They squeezed out the essence of the story, converting its prose into Swedish folk music and lyrics. Their soundtrack is monumental. I noted an equation. Four novels equal two movies equal one stage musical. A logical progression. The Emigrants embodies the same Swedish soul that ABBA's music does. Songs like Move On, I Wonder (Departure), Eagle, and I Have A Dream echo the emigrants' courage and determination to set out. I thought of One Man, One Woman in connection with Karl Oskar's and Kristina's marriage. I heard The Visitors when I read of Danjel's home being entered by Church authorities. Going into the theater was a quantum leap for Benny and Bjorn.