You may have read about my assessment regarding the musical theater scenes in Hamburg, Bremen and Utrecht. Feel free to click them in case you haven’t because going comparative now when it comes to the city we are exploring now will be inevitable.
Going comparative in a positive sense, you would realize the level with which the Dutch take their music seriously. While other cities went modern with musicals, some theaters in Amsterdam, the city we are exploring in this article, stayed in traditional opera. Let’s enumerate the productions that this city has to offer.
If musicals can manage tackling edgy topics like “Miss Saigon”, why not use the darkest parts of history as inspiration behind musicals today? This is the concept that Imagine Nation’s Kees Abrahams and Robin de Levita when they thought of putting up “Anne”.
Based on the diary of Holocaust survivor Anne Frank, the musical version of “Anne” was written by Jessica Durlacher and Leon de Winter to give contemporary audiences today an idea of the struggles that most Jews encountered during World War II. Rosa da Silva plays the title role.
“Anne” is currently running on National Theatre in Amsterdam but only until April 30, 2015. Tickets are sold through this website.
Based on the popular children’s book written by Annie M. G. Schmidt, “Minoes” (Undercover Kitty) is about a young lady that acts like a cat. This skill became useful later on when she needed some interesting news to submit to the newspaper where she worked. Now presented as a family-friendly musical, kids of all ages are guaranteed to have fun. A musical presented with the help of cat puppets and catchy tunes, you will be purring in no time after watching this .
Currently playing in Amsterdam today, this musical runs until May 24, 2015. It would be highly commendable to see the show yourself if ever you’re within the city too. Click here to buy tickets.
Switching over to traditional opera, the Dutch National Opera presents Rossini’s “Il Viaggio a Reims”. An opera that was staged around the time of the coronation of Charles X of France, the event served as the fulcrum that sparked the guests in a hotel to stage a party of their own.
Divided into 3 acts at approximately 3 hours total, “Il Viaggio a Reims” will start its run on January 20, 2015 in Amsterdam. It will be performed in Italian with surtitles in Dutch and English. Tickets can be availed by clicking here.
Inspired by the success of staging a Dutch language version of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen”, Dutch National Opera now launches the Dutch language version of “Il Viaggio a Reims”. Again, the purpose as is with the “Der Ring” remake is to make it relatable to younger audiences Re-titled to “Ramble to Reims”, the lyrics are translated in a way that would be palatable to kids aged 8 years old and up.
Although it would still be set to Rossini’s music, composer Bob Zimmerman added a few songs to the opera. This version includes the orchestra among the characters joining into the fun romp.
“Ramble to Reims” will start its run in Amsterdam on January 30, 2015. The rest of the available play dates can be viewed here. So clear your calendars and brace yourselves for a crazy party in honor (?) of the king.
“Tamerlano” is actually Handel’s “Bajazet”. But it was chosen as one half of the interchanging opera productions presented in the Dutch National Opera after seeing striking similarities with another Handel opera “Alcina”. This explained best why if you will look at the play dates for either production, they are just days apart as both operas will be using the same stage design. It then becomes a true test of creativity.
“Tamerlano” is about the title character’s adventures as a conqueror who imprisoned Bajazet, a Turkish sultan. The opera is based on a historical event involving the imprisonment of Bayazid, a Turkish sultan in Ankara by Timoerlenk, the Mongolian conqueror. Tamerlano is also enamored with Bajazet’s daughter whom he tried to seduce.
In “Alcina” it would be the female’s turn to take the seductive lead. Based on the epic poem “Orlando furioso” by Ludovico Ariosto, Alcina is a sorceress who attracts men to her island and puts them under her spell until she meets Ruggiero, a virtuous knight.
Sublime arias and heavenly performances, “Tamerlano” and “Alcina” seemed almost like a twin bill. You can’t just have one. To ensure that you get tickets for either show, click here to buy tickets to “Tamelano” and click here to buy tickets to “Alcina” . Play dates are between February 25 to March 1, 2015.
So it’s basically a city where musicals are welcome but operas are still offered. It differed with other Dutch cities where the musicals take centerstage while opera served the niche market. Either way, the market’s need for music is satisfied. And chances are, Amsterdam won’t be our last step. Just make sure that you like our official Facebook page, MusicalsOnline.com, and follow us on Twitter @musicalsnews. Thanks for reading.
