The Norwegian Lumberjack on the St. Louie Line in the 2001 production of "Jesse"
Did you know that the outlaw Jesse James met a Norwegian lumberjack during a train robbery?
Well…he might have. We don't know for sure. But they do meet on a musical stage — and it makes for a great story.
Our town of Northfield is world-famous because of a bank robbery by the notorious James-Younger Gang that was foiled by Northfield townspeople in 1876, effectively bringing an end to the gang's existence. We celebrate and honor the courage of these people every year in a festival called The Defeat of Jesse James Days. The original bank has been restored and is the center of our local history center.
To celebrate the centennial of the raid and the bicentennial of our country in 1976, the Northfield Musical Theater (an offshoot of the Northfield Arts Guild) commissioned a melodrama about the life of Jesse James. It's a larger-than-life show that entertains in the style of theater around the turn of the 19th century.
So how is this related to Nordic music and traditions?
In the first act, there's a wonderful scene called "The Old St. Louie Line" where we see people sitting in a railway car heading out through Missouri towards Lawrence, Kansas. As the conductor takes their tickets, each person sings about what they have in the baggage car and their destination, telling the hope and aspirations of people heading out to settle the prairie in the 1870s.
Among the passengers, there's a teacher going to Arizona to teach Native Americans, a farmer going to claim a government homestead, an Irish mail-order bride, a Civil War widow with a newborn and a Pinkerton agent trying to capture the James boys.
My favorite character in the scene is a new Norwegian immigrant who can't understand English. When he is asked for his ticket, he sings in "Norglish":
Min brøder i Bemidji gi meg bell opp for det boat.
Jeg har min axe og cross-cut saw og min overcoat.
Jeg snakke bare norsk. Når kommer till Mille Lacs?
Den Ole møtes der med den andre lumber-yacks!My brother in Bemidji gave me a ticket for the boat.
I have my axe and cross-cut saw and my overcoat.
I only speak Norwegian. When are we getting to Mille Lacs?
Ole is waiting for me there with the other lumberjacks!
So the poor lumberjack thinks he's heading to Minnesota and is, instead, unknowingly on his way to Kansas! The people on the train are confused by a language they don't understand, but they celebrate it anyway by singing:
What does it mean? What did he say?
This is International Day on the polylingual Old St. Louie Line.
And then the conductor says:
Must be one of those Swedes going to Lindstrom. We've had a lot of 'em lately. Right, Sven, we'll take good care of you!
The poor Norwegian is mistaken for a Swede! Yes, it's kind of an Scandinavian inside joke, but you might be surprised how many audience members get the humor of the situation.
Shortly thereafter, the train is stopped and robbed by Jesse and Frank James and their gang in great melodramatic style.
The show was written by Minnesota theater legends Bob and Maggie Moulton. Named a Master Teacher in Stage Movement by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1973, Bob Moulton's expertise was in this style of presentational theater.
The clever and engaging lyrics were written by Vern Sutton, well-known as a writer/performaner on Prairie Home Companion. The melody lines for the songs were suggested by William Huckaby and the orchestration of the entire show was fully realized by St. Olaf College Instructor in Music, Donna Paulsen, who has led the orchestra pit from the piano for all the productions of the show.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Northfield Arts Guild this year, the show is being produced for the sixth time since 1976. It's always been a sold-out run before opening night. If you're in our area, you might want to come and see the show.
Listen to the KYMN radio commercial for the show!
Performances are over Labor Day and Defeat of Jesse James Days weekends:
- Friday, September 4 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, September 5 at 7:30 p.m.
- Sunday, September 6 MATINEE at 2:00 p.m. **NOTE THE TIME
- Thursday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m.
- Friday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m.
- Saturday, September 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets ($10 adult, $8 students) can be purchased online at the Northfield Arts Guild web site or by calling the NAG ticket office at +1.507.645.8877.
Will I be there? Yep, I have to be. I'm in the cast.
By the way, there are real Scandinavian connections to the Northfield raid story, but I'll save those for some other postings.
