Every couple of years, the Royal Danish Theater puts on a special kind of show.
Over the course of the summer, a play is performed on an open air stage at Ulvedalene (the “wolf valleys”), located in the beautiful old hunting grounds, Dyrehaven, just north of Copenhagen. And let me tell you, it’s quite the show!
The last time that the open air theater was taking place, I think it was three years ago, my boyfriend gave me tickets as a present. I was a bit skeptical at first, but my mind was completely blown once the show started with music blasting and about 20 men riding in on horseback with torches in their hands! The play that time was Robin Hood. This time around, it’s King Arthur.
Here’s a little trailer, in Danish, though:
As you can see, these open air shows are quite something! So of course I was thrilled when I got tickets again this time around! Two of our friends had tickets on the same day, so we decided to have a picnic in the park before the show.
A beautiful and warm Friday afternoon, sitting on a blanket in the middle of a sun-drenched park, gazing up into the green leaves, and drinking some bubbly rosé - if anyone knows of anything more perfect, I’d really like to hear it!
My friends make the best hand models, don’t they?!
We were too lazy to make our own sandwiches, and instead opted for picnic baskets from Aamann’s, who make some of the best smørrebrød you can get in all of Copenhagen.
We treated ourselves to quite the feast: delicious smørrebrød, juices from Bornholms Mosteri, cold beers, sparkling wine, snacks, and desserts.
The sandwich with hard cheese and rhubarb compote was a personal favorite of mine!
After a little while, it was time to pack up and join the trek of people wandering towards the stage. After a short hike, we made it there.
The stage is huge and set beautifully in the valley. The whole setup is pretty well organized, there are plenty of toilets as well as a bar, where you can get refreshments during the break. Visitors are seated on large stands in a half circle around the stage.
What I love about the stage area is how well it uses the surrounding wooden areas. There’s a little hill right behind it, and trails sneak around it, allowing the actors to get around on foot, horseback, or even motorcycles. It gives so much depth to the show; your eyes are always wandering as there’s always something going on everywhere!
As the show started, the sun was slowly beginning to set, dipping everything in a beautiful, warm, golden light. We snuggled up in our blankets, sipped on our beer, and enjoyed the show.
It’s not allowed to take pictures during the show, and I wouldn’t want to take away from people who are yet to see it, but let me just say it was fun! It was a bit odd, definitely not your classic King Arthur story (there were motorcycles, for crying out loud!), but absolutely enjoyable!
The show is on until the 2nd of July this year, and there are still some tickets available on the website of the Royal Danish Theater (here).
Have you been to Ulvedalene? What did you think? Share in the comments below!
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