Ugala opens 107th season with Backman adaptation

Ugala Theatre will open its 107th season on Saturday with Mees nimega Ove, an adaptation of Swedish author Fredrik Backman’s novel, ERR reported. The production will be staged in the theatre’s large hall and directed by Liis Aedmaa.

Ove is a 59-year-old man who drives a Saab and values order, firm principles and an unchanging daily routine. His neighbours see him as a bitter grumbler, but beneath his rough exterior are a long life, great love and deep pain.

When a talkative young family moves in next door and accidentally damages Ove’s mailbox, a comic and heartwarming story begins. It includes an irritating cat, an unexpected friendship and the ancient art of reversing with a trailer.

Aedmaa said Ove was one of the most unusual characters she had encountered in literature.

“Fredrik Backman is without a doubt one of my favourite authors, and Ove is probably one of the strangest heroes I have encountered on the pages of a book. Would I want Ove to be my neighbour? Probably not, but at the same time I would not know how lucky I was in that case,” Aedmaa said.

Backman is one of Sweden’s most widely read authors in recent years, and his works have been translated into dozens of languages. Mees nimega Ove, published in 2012, was his international breakthrough novel. A successful Swedish film was made based on the book, followed in 2022 by the American adaptation A Man Called Otto.

Aedmaa is the director and dramatist. The production’s artistic team also includes designer Annika Lindemann, music designer Peeter Konovalov and lighting designer Laura Maria Mäits. Ene Mäe translated the novel into Estonian.

The cast includes Tarvo Vridolin, Oskar Punga, Merlin Kivi, Lauli Koppelmaa, Marika Palm, Vilma Luik, Vallo Kirs, Rait Õunapuu, Jens-Patrik Rand as a guest performer, and either Lydia Koppelmaa or Britt Leppenen.