LOL — Laughing Out Lonely
‘LOL is a furiously beautiful and in-your-face experience! And it is so cool to shake up the traditional narratives of the opera genre and instead get the rawness of reality kicked into the art form.’ (Iscene)
The lonely, faceless existence of life on the internet is given a voice in this new solo opera by the award-winning composer team Matilde Böcher and Asger Kudahl.
LOL is written for the acclaimed countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen, who amazes with the embodiment of a myriad of outsiders in a thoroughly dramatic universe, that takes the audience into the darkest corners of the Internet, where misogynists, self-harmers, racists, and other marginalized existences have found an absurd community. With his extraordinary voice, Frandsen interprets the life of the girl with ‘The Fucking Ugly Face’, who cuts herself to forget her pain or the shameful boy ‘The Lamb’ who dreams of being slaughtered. The English text is based on posts from young people on social media, and the performance is a gloomy and thought-provoking mirror of our digital age. It is staged as a theatrical echo chamber, where the audience is part of the setting and surrounded by loudspeakers and selfie lights.
LOL is a universal and global portrait of loneliness with a worldwide relevance. The objective of the piece is to address a young audience, with a direct and unpretentious approach, which is unusual for the opera genre.
LOL is produced by the ground-breaking Danish company OPE-N, which combines the expressive possibilities of opera with physical theatre. The results of this are innovative performances that pushes the boundaries of what opera can be and reach out to a wide and new audience.
LOL premiered in May 2023 to rave reviews and played to full houses on tour around Denmark during the summer. With a collapsible setting and mobile technical equipment, the performance is easy to move. The installation is flexible and can be adjusted to many different venues.
LOL premiered in May 2023 to rave reviews and played to full houses on tour around Denmark in 2024 and 2025. In 2026 LOL will be presented at festivals across Europe and go on tour to North America. With a collapsible setting and mobile technical equipment, the performance is easy to move and can be adjusted to many different - both conventional and uncongenially – venues, where all sort sorts of crowds meet.
The critics said:
‘Matilde Böcher’s frictionless tonality combined with Asger Kudahls floating sound production became in Louise Becks’ skilled staging, and Morten Grove Frandsens’ total dedication, a tender, beautiful and moving piece full of dynamic energy.’ (Seismograf)
‘LOL – Laughing Out Lonley is a depressing and blunt, heartfelt and moving, fascinating and redemptive experience.’ (Sceneblog)
‘In LOL the simple tonal language is very strong and direct. The solo performance shows the impressive vocal level of Morten Grove Frandsen. Not only does he sing superbly in falsetto, but he is also able to croon and use his voice in other impressive ways.’ (Politiken)
‘The man with the many voices, faces and expressions is the wonderful countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen.’ (Magasinet KBH)
Images by: Tom Ingvardsen