Sølvi Wang Explained

Sølvi Wang
Birth Name:Sølvi Valborg Wang
Birth Date:28 August 1929
Occupation:Actress, singer, comedian
Yearsactive:1937  - 1987
Spouse:Egil Monn-Iversen (m. 1951  - 2011, her death)

Sølvi Valborg Wang (28 August 1929 – 31 May 2011[1]) was a Norwegian singer, actress and comedian.

Wang was born in Bærum, Akershus, to the jazz musician Yngvar Wang and the singer Marie Gulbrandsen. Already at an early age, she sang with her father's orchestra on the radio and in concert. Wang met Egil Monn-Iversen while in school, and in 1948 she founded the music group The Monn Keys together with him. Wang debuted as a recording artist in 1950, in a duet with Arve Opsahl. Later she recorded solo albums, and was responsible for 18 releases in the years up until 1955. Wang combined her solo career with performances with The Monn Keys, which now also included the singers Nora Brockstedt and Per Asplin. In 1954, the group performed their first variety show, Over alle grenser, at Chat Noir in Oslo. She worked at Chat Noir in the years 1952 to 1963, then at Edderkoppen from 1963 to 1964, before moving to Det Norske Teatret. Though she continued to regularly appear in comedy shows at Chat Noir until the mid-1980s.

In addition to making recordings and performing in variety shows, Wang also performed in musicals, on television and in movies. For 25 years she was the leading lady of Det Norske Teatret, where she played the lead roles in such musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie Get Your Gun and The King and I. She also acted in musicals composed by her husband Monn-Iversen, most prominently among these Bør Børson Jr., based on a novel by Johan Falkberget.

Among Wang's many television shows, That's Entertainment from 1966 gained her international attention when it won the award for best comedy show at the Montreux Comedy Festival. The award led to performances at The Ed Sullivan Show, and with Jack Parnell's orchestra at the London Palladium. She was even offered her own sitcom at BBC, but had to decline due to her family. Wang had the lead role in movies such as the 1964 comedy Pappa tar gull and the 1978 drama Hvem har bestemt?.

Sølvi Wang acted in a production of the musical Fiddler on the Roof in 1987. This performance marked her retirement from the public stage; thereafter, she did not made any public performances. As a singer, even though she mastered the soft, subdued style of ballads in recordings, Wang's vocal style has been described primarily as belting. This powerful, often sharp way of singing was a necessity in the world of live musical performance prior to the introduction of miniature microphones. Wang has been called the only master of the style in Norwegian theatre history.

Wang is related to the American football quarterback Boomer Esiason, and was his father's cousin.[2]

Select filmography

Year Title Role
1953 Brudebuketten Singer
1954 Troll i ord Singer
1962 Operasjon Løvsprett Head nurse Florence
1964 Operasjon Sjøsprøyt Eli Sæter, assistant doctor
1970 Balladen om mestertyven Ole Høiland Hilda Hauge
1972 Norske byggeklosser Mrs Valle
1974 Bør Børson Jr. Laura Isaksen
1974 Ungen Hønse-Lovisa
1978 Hvem har bestemt? Mrs Nelson

Selected stage performances

Year Title Genre Theatre / venue Role
1952 Over alle grenser Revue Chat NoirVarious roles
1953 Være, eller ikke være Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1954 Revy-katta får liv igjen Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1955 Kjør Storgata Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1957 Fifty-fifty Musical Centralteatret
1959 Det går på by'n Revue Chat Noir Various roles
Apekattene Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1960 Folk skal trives Revue Chat Noir Various roles
Vi gratulerer – Norsk Dusteforbunds jubileumsrevy Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1961 Vi jubler – Chat Noir 50th anniversary Revue Chat Noir Various roles
Vi skal trivas Revue Kabarethallen, Liseberg, Göteborg Various roles
1962 Vår i byen Revue Chat Noir Various roles
Vi skal trivas Revue Chinatheatern, Stockholm Various roles
1963 Trost i taklampa Musical Det Norske TeatretGunvor Smikkstugun
Under samme hatt Revue Edderkoppen teater Various roles
1964 Oh, What a Lovely War!Musical Det Norske Teatret
Den svarte katta Revue Chat Noir Various roles
Annie Get Your Gun Musical Det Norske Teatret Annie Oakley
Det er jo så deilig... Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1965 West Side Story Musical Det Norske Teatret Anita
Pygmalion Theatre Det Norske Teatret Eliza Doolittle
1966 Lyse øyeblikk Revue Chat Noir Various roles
Ja, lystelig det er i nord Revue Kabarethallen, Liseberg, Göteborg Various roles
The King and I Musical Det Norske Teatret Anna
1967 Apropo det, ja (with Leif Juster and Sølvi Wang) Revue Norway tour and Det Norske Teatret Various roles
Sus i sassafrasen Theatre Det Norske Teatret Caroline
1968 Fiddler on the RoofMusical Det Norske Teatret Golde
1969 I Do! I Do! Musical Norway tour and Det norske teatret
Den skal tidlig krøkes Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1970 Operette Musical Det Norske Teatret The Princess
Sølvi Solo also called Sølvi! Revue Det Norske Teatret All roles
1971 Song of Sølvi Revue Det Norske Teatret All roles
Flyktning 71 Charity gala Kungliga teatern, Stockholm
1972 Bør Børson jr. Musical Det Norske Teatret Miss Laura, Baroness von Rosenhal, et al.
Kjøre kolleger[3] RevueRiksteatretVarious roles, two-person revue with Rolv Wesenlund
The Threepenny Opera[4] OperettaNRK RadioteatretPolly Peachum, the daughter of Peachum
1973 Ungen Musical Det Norske Teatret Hønse-Lovisa
Bør Børson jr. Musical Det Norske Teatret Miss Laura, Baroness von Rosenhal, et al.
1974 Kjem du i kveld Det Norske Teatret
1975 The Good Person of SzechwanTheatre Det Norske Teatret Mrs. Shin
Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris Musical revue Det Norske Teatret
1976 Jeppe på Bjerget Musical Det Norske Teatret Nille
1978 Så lenge skuta kan gå Cabaret Det Norske Teatret
Solstreif [5] Revue ABC-teatret Various roles
1979L/L Wang og Nilsen [6] Revue Det Norske Teatret Various roles
1980 Jubileumsfest for Juster – 70 years Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1981 L/L Wang og Nilsen Revue Riksteatret (Norway tour) Various roles
1982 Kvitt ekteskap Comedy Det Norske Teatret The Aunt
Dampen Comedy Oslo Nye Teater
Dyrene i Hakkebakkeskogen [7] Children's theatre Oslo Nye Teater Grandma Forest Mouse
1983 Syvende himmel [8] Revue Chat Noir Various roles
1984 Send inn ein klovn! [9] Cabaret Det Norske Teatret
Trost i taklampa [10] Musical Det Norske Teatret Tonetta
1986 My Fair Lady [11] Musical Chateau Neuf Mrs. Higgins
1987 Fiddler on the Roof[12] Musical Det Norske Teatret Golde

Notes and References

  1. http://www.h-avis.no/nyheter/innland-utland/revystjernen-solvi-wang-er-dod-1.6274741 Necrolog in Nyeter
  2. Web site: 2019-08-03 . Norman Henry Esiason . 2024-03-06 . geni_family_tree . en-US.
  3. Web site: Dear Colleagues. 2023-12-27. no. sceneweb.no.
  4. Web site: Tolvskillingsoperaen. 2023-12-27. no. sceneweb.no.
  5. Web site: Solstreif. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  6. Web site: L/L Wang & Nilsen. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  7. Web site: Dyrene i Hakkebakkeskogen. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  8. Web site: Syvende himmel. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  9. Web site: Send inn ein klovn. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  10. Web site: Trost i taklampa. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  11. Web site: My fair Lady. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.
  12. Web site: Spelemann på taket. 2021-12-05. no. sceneweb.no.

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