One of those ten things you have to experience
before you die; like the Chinese wall, the hanging
gardens of Babylon and cheese cake.

Here you have the ultimate underground decadent magic
show. A mixture of eccentric unique magic, music, and
comedy in its own raging tempo, sometimes angry,
sometimes tender.

The Monkey Opera takes the concept of “magic show” into
the new decade. And when you thought you have had
enough of party poppers, confetti, onions and even some
tunes of opera, they strike with their already cult-acclaimed
shadow act called: ”Ronnie the bunny and the activists”.

”It’s a fist full of comedy, it’s a caress in the darkness. So,
join in our desperate balloon”.


Review
The Magic Castle in Hollywood 2010

“I rarely wax fanatic over any particular show at the Castle.
They are almost always good. And this week, every room,
every show, every act is easily a winner. That said, please
do yourself a HUGE favor and experience the wickedly
charming and irreverent duo in the Palace this week.

Malin Nilsson, and Jorgen Thorsson present laugh out loud
dark comedy, Grand-Guignol style theatrics, delightfully
choreographed variety, juggling and manipulation with lots
of little surprises interwoven therein, BAWDY hand shadows,
extremely original takes on classic magic, live music, and
excellent staging. It’s “The NO Show” meets Tim Burton,
and so much more.

My goodness, but these two work hard up on that stage!
When you see me at the Castle, ask me in person about
the show, and see if it doesn’t read big time on my face
just how enamored I was with these two. And,no offense
Jorgen, to your myriad music, voice, and bi-lingual talents,
but Malin is about the prettiest lady I have ever seen to
bring such naughty fun to our stage. Whew!”

-Phil Van Tee, the Magic Castle





M.A.L.I.N
"Magical Alternative Lustfully Ignoring the Norm"

She was born 1981, unwanted, surrounded by magic props
and next door neighbor to a little theatre in the south of
Sweden. Since then it’s just been one way to go... Malin
has worked as a professional magician since 2000. Her
hat size is 23”. Malin is one of Sweden’s foremost magical
entertainers and she’s specialized in shows for adults. She’s
known for her variety inspired style and her cool way of
performing classical magic tricks. With impressive sleight
of hand and spontaneous humor Malin has the entire
continent of Europe as her duck pond.


Jörgen on Malin
"Burn us!" they cheered.

I remember one time, she did a solo act, in Sweden, I was
there to, doing a weird song, unfortunately right after her
act… She took, I don’t know, is it called lighter fluid, in
English? Petrol? Anyway, she poured it on the audience.
(The audience had failed her, and they knew they had to burn).
And they loved it. “Burn us!” they cheered. And I cheered
to. That’s Malin. To me. Malin can get the audience to a plane
where they want to be burned.

Having performed with her on stage for like, I don’t know,
since we were… younger. Really, there are still some little
things, little details in the show I really don’t know how
she does it. I mean, I know, in a way, but still, at what
beep-ing point she found the beep-ing magic thing, or
whatever rusty shit we have decided to do magic with.
How did she do it? ...Skillful? Yes. Very? Yes. Impressed?
Indeed.

Malin is the only reason for me to be part of the primitive
art form of magic. Primitive? Yes, it is! It’s like “look
what just happened!!”kind of art. She actually always
finds reasons to do it. This disappearing-thing, popping
up-thing, card, magic wand-thing, this, oh look a dove-thing.
She can do it. Because it never stops there. Because, she adds.
Adds art. She has to. She finds a good reason. Because she
knows who she doesn’t want to be. (And what she is not…she’s
definitely not a white middle-aged man with a bad haircut, and
with money to buy expensive mirrors).
She add arts with her sharp intellect, her will to communicate
with the audience, with her eye for the esthetics, her will to
always get better, her will to learn more and more about the
stage art, developing her own stage art, never stop, never
surrender, never stopping turning the world upside down and
see what comes out. She's earching for the ultimate comedy,
the ultimate story, the twist, the thing that no one has done before.

She does comedy in a responsible way. With responsible
I mean knowing what the world is, knowing how the
structure on this unfair planet works, interested in it, the
audience’s references, and then be able to play with their
references. And never taking the easy way out. Therefore
I respect her art. She never stops annoying us, entertaining
us. And above all she is a generous co-performer, and,
that’s an important thing with our ensemble work. I pick
you up if you fall, and she definitely picks me up when I fall,
because I always fall…

And now she let me handle the lighter fluid, sometimes.
Sharing the pleasure to burn the audience. That’s good. 

And she teaches a case like me about magic. And comedy.
And life. That’s good.


Jörgen Thorsson
"But then an accident came along."

...is a farmer's boy. Brought up on a small pig farm on the
Swedish countryside. It’s for real. Not poetry. (Really real).
He drove the tractor by himself when he was eight. But then
an accident came along. The accident of thinking too much,
and discovered that he liked a-minor a little too much.
Playing various instruments, and never settled with anything
else but the big comic parts at the school plays.

As a teenager his angry, restless state of mind drove him
away from his faith to be an industrial worker or a farmer.
He ended up working on various theatres and attending
drama schools until he finally got locked up at “The Theatre
Academy of Malmö” for four years. And is educated to be
a dramatic actor.

During the autumn 2010 he’s going to be on Swedish TV in
a comedy series. And he writes music, in English, and Swedish.
Music almost no one listens to…

He is the second most known baboon in The Monkey Opera.


Malin about Jörgen
"You had to be there..."

To describe Jörgen with words is as hard as to dance about
architecture or to describe how a meal tastes. It can’t really
be done. You have to taste (him) for yourself.

When I first met Jörgen I thought he was a bit weird, knowing
him now for five years that hasn’t changed. It’s probably one
of his best assets. And he’s got many! On stage Jörgen is mix
between a modern punk-rocking Victor Borge and Groucho
Marx. Classy but messy classic comedy is mixed with commedia,
witty lyrics and ‘you had to be there’-moments.

Jörgen writes all the music to our shows and directs, he also
tells me (in the most humble way) when my magic is shit
and stops me from putting it on stage – with other words;
he’s a great friend too.



The Monkey Opera
a.k.a. The Swedish Monkey Opera

The Monkey Opera, or as we are called abroad: The
Swedish Monkey Opera, became an official company in
January 2010. The first production is an international full
evening show. The show has, for example, already played
in Los Angeles at the world famous Magic Castle in
Hollywood and at The Monday Night Magic in New York.





Testimonials
The Monkey Opera doesn’t please everybody

Trying to please everybody is to create a show that is
meant to fail. It’s impossible to please everybody; we’re
not even going to try. If we would get close, we would
be to mainstream and that is not in tune with The Monkey
Opera’s philosophy. We know what we do is good, high
quality stage art - but it doesn’t suit everybody.
And it’s all good, because “everybody” isn’t our audience.
Who are you?

“I had the opportunity to see your act last Friday and I thought
it was amazing. You two are a breath of fresh air to magic and
it is a shame you were censored. Anyhow it was great to see
your act and I hope to have the opportunity to do so again
sometime in the future!”
Gwen & Greg Gibbons

 “It was the most unusual act – the most entertaining magical
theatre I’ve seen in a long time. Keep up the fabulous work.”  
Peter R.J. Deyell

“I was very impressed with your show. Honestly one of the
best I have seen. The mix of magic and humor was great.” 
Mr. Andruszko
 
“The Swedish Monkey Opera ROCKS! Best thing to come out
of Sweden since Abba!”
Suzanne Haring
 
“Fantastic job at the castle. So good we saw it twice!”
John Kimmons