The Patron's Return - a hastily produced comedy without state support

The Patron's Return is a dark comedy written and directed by Gertrud Larsson, divinely inspired by the parliamentary debate on the cultural budget on 4 December 2024. On stage appear Gertrud Larsson, Anna-Lena Efverman and Jenny Svenberg - to the strains of skillingtryck, Tchaikovsky and spiritual classics, the performance revels in quick cash, homemade bombs and evil, sudden death.

The production has played to full houses at Teater Brunnsgatan Fyra in spring and autumn 2025 and is now on a Swedish tour in spring 2026. In June it will be performed at Almedalsveckan in Visby, and in September the tour reaches Göteborg and Jönköping. In summer 2025, Gertrud Larsson debated with Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand on Expressen's culture pages about how to finance culture.

From press reviews:
"Sharp satire on artists' conditions" - Sara Granath, SvD
"Gertrud Larsson mocks everything and everyone. Swings left and right. That's her strength." - Gunilla Brodrej, Expressen
"Anna-Lena Efverman has the audience and the puppets in her hand" - Gunilla Brodrej, Expressen
"Larsson has no more fucks to give - and it's liberating" - Kristian Ekenberg, Gefle Dagblad
"A laugh fest!" - Lisa Bergström, P1 Kultur
"Can a gangster become a patron for Cultural Sweden?" - Max Hjelm, Dagens Nyheter
"A breathtaking satirical performance puts its finger on exactly here and now" - Fredrik Björkman, Arbetarbladet
"Humour without seatbelts and lifelines" - David Färdigh, Smålandsposten
"Gertrud Larsson gets the whole salon roaring with laughter" - Selma Brodrej, ETC
"develops from a small puppet theatre (...) into an absurd and pitch-black farce that leads straight into organized crime and contract killing." - Peter Stenson, danskonst.com

Script and direction: Gertrud Larsson. Graphic design and trailer: Jenny Svenberg. Stage photography: Alina Harmash. A big thank you to our co-creator Frida Bergh.

Producer: Gertrud Larsson enskild firma