Sølvi Valborg Wang (28 August 1929 – 31 May 2011Necrolog in Nyeter) 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.
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 Noir Various 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 Teatret Gunvor 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 Roof Musical 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 kollegerRevueRiksteatretVarious roles, two-person revue with Rolv WesenlundThe Threepenny OperaOperettaNRK 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 Szechwan Theatre 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 Revue ABC-teatret Various roles 1979 L/L Wang og Nilsen 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 Children's theatre Oslo Nye Teater Grandma Forest Mouse 1983 Syvende himmel Revue Chat Noir Various roles 1984 Send inn ein klovn! Cabaret Det Norske Teatret Trost i taklampa Musical Det Norske Teatret Tonetta 1986 My Fair Lady Musical Chateau Neuf Mrs. Higgins 1987 Fiddler on the Roof Musical Det Norske Teatret Golde
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