Kjell Nordström: – – There has been some drama behind the scenes

The “Maskorama” bacillus has attracted hundreds of thousands of Norwegians to the screen. Around dinner tables and in comment fields across the country, there is a heated discussion about who is hiding behind the masks.

Three of them have been revealed: Susann Goksør Bjerkrheim (50), Trygve Slagsvold Vedum (41) and Mia Gundersen (59) have surprised to varying degrees.

However, five masks are intact, and whoever is hiding behind will be answered in the coming Saturdays.

We review “Maskorama” song by song

– I can’t get drunk

One of the few people who knows their identity is the man who made and designed the costumes they wear: Kjell Nordström (58), formerly known as Baron von Bulldog.

– What is it like to keep this state secret for more than a year?

– I do not think that it is that hard. I have done nothing but work, eat and sleep. I’ve avoided people, so it went really well, he tells Dagbladet.

– I can’t get drunk with friends, or tell funny stories about work. So I’ve been a good friend to ask for dinner, he adds, laughing.

He still lives well with it, because according to himself he has hardly been involved in a more fun project. It’s great to see the finished product on stage and on screen every Saturday.

This is how the costumes were made

However, there is an enormous amount of work hours behind. Actually, it has been a year and a half since the first sketches were made. The costumes themselves have taken a year to make.

– It is a very long process. First, the participants had to choose which characters they liked best based on a secret sketchbook with lots of ideas. Then they have to give their opinion, it is also up to me to judge whether it is good or not. We find a balance, we also put little clues about the person behind, but also little clues in the costume, explains Nordström.

These are the participants: track by track

In addition, the costumes must be possible to act and must not fall apart.

– There are many technical and practical aspects that should work. You should put on and take off, preferably you should also be able to breathe and see something. You lose all your senses when trapped in a tight costume, and your senses must be able to dance and perform, says the costume designer.

Defiant clothing

There is also no clear silk dress worn by the participants: the heaviest costume, which belongs to the Vikings, “weighs around 25 kilos. Only the” Puddelen “mask, which hid Mia Gundersen, weighed seven kilos.

– None of the costumes are comfortable, I can say that. It’s pretty sweaty and wet in there. That they dance and sing at the same time is very sporty. I think everyone has understood that it is a great physical challenge, but everyone is very happy to participate and no one complains, says Nordström.

These are the wildest theories

Of course, the costumes pose a challenge too, as they can be removed and donned relatively quickly during live broadcasts. Then there is a whole team ready to help the participant.

– There has been some drama behind the scenes, but I can’t say it without revealing too much. After all, she goes live every Saturday and it’s not like wearing a pretty dress. There is a whole ballet behind the scenes, it goes fast. The costume must sit firmly and the participant must be able to maintain balance, the designer wisely says.

Prepared for disaster

It also reveals that they have a trauma department, a kind of stitching and hospital room combination, in case the accident does come out.

– There have been no major disasters yet, but there have been incidents that have been a bit dramatic. But we have a mantra that whatever happens, it will be a good story.

Producer Kim Strømstad says, among other things, that “Elgen’s” head had to get stronger due to heavy dancing.

– And we regularly clean a lot of glitter from the floor that drips from the costumes, so we don’t slip, he says.

– Don’t stop me on the street and guess

Nordström thinks it’s great that viewers appreciate the costumes he’s made. However, she has trouble choosing her favorite costume and thinks it’s like asking a parent to choose which of her eight children she likes best.

– Everyone is different and I have a special relationship with the eight. The “scarecrow” was funny, silly, goofy and childish. I liked it a lot. I also think “The Troll” is a lot of fun, and I like the mysterious and dark “The Raven,” he continues.