Ole's Last Bow

In the early years of the 20th century, traveling vaudeville shows offered a little taste of home for newly-arrived immigrants from Sweden, Norway and other Scandinavian countries. Peter Holbrook’s new musical, Ole’s Last Bow, recalls those days – with a story that gives you a front-row seat to the on- and off-stage antics of a Scandinavian vaudeville troupe teetering on the brink of disaster. The story is loosely based on the life of Hjalmar Peterson, a famous Swedish vaudeville performer of the early 20th century (better known by his stage name, Olle i Skratthult, or “Ole in Laughterville”). 

As the play opens, we find Ole Ivarsson – the former leader of the troupe, and now an old man – outside a seedy burlesque house that was once a popular Swedish theatre. Suffering a fainting spell, Ole dreams he is back in his prime, leading his old company through their repertoire of corny jokes, popular songs, comic routines and other entertainments. Backstage, darker dramas are unfolding, as romance, hard times and treachery threaten to break the company apart.

Will this finally be Ole's "last bow?" Can he come to terms with the ghosts of his past? Does the nice Swedish boy win the girl in the end? Uff-da, we can't wait to find out!

Presented in a comical style with a (slightly) serious twist, Ole’s Last Bow features a variety of Swedish and American popular songs from the glory days of Scandinavian vaudeville, as well as original compositions by Peter Holbrook. There are even opportunities for the audience to sing along. Starring Douglas Anderson as Ole and Dorian Chalmers as his wife, Ulla, Ole’s Last Bow sends you on a trip back in time to enjoy an evening of entertainment that is unabashedly simple, silly and sentimental. Var så god!