Man Must Sing - Akvarium

"Ah, an opera where you can actually hear the words"

"It's a different kind of opera than you're used to, sharper and more real…"

"…an absurdist entertaining yet also horrifying opera comedy…"

Alice lies awake at night worrying about climate change. Dante is homeless and wondering how to scrape together money for shelter and food. Life coach Ewa has the solution to all their problems - or does she?

Akvarium is a chamber opera by poet Naima Chahboun and composer Roger Assar Johansson. It explores individual solutions to structural problems, a bath in the Marine Biology Research Centre's aquarium, and confrontation with life's darker sides. The title is inspired by the "Idealistic list of pleasure-inducing activities" used in Swedish psychiatry - a catalogue of activities designed to lift the mood of acutely depressed people.

The opera premiered in 2016 and was selected for Scenkonstbiennalen. The jury's statement: "it's about being at the forefront and testing the boundaries of scenic art in terms of form and content. And I must say this highly enjoyable production succeeds."

The opera company Man Must Sing commissions, produces and performs norm-creative newly written musical drama in Swedish in an accessible intimate format. Since 2016 they have premiered seven operas.