A masterpiece by Louis Couperus, one of the greatest Dutch authors, is adapted in a major production directed by Ivo van Hove, whose prestige has spread far beyond the performing arts world. East and West clash in the rain.
Released just before the British artist’s death this year, the music video for the David Bowie track Lazarus launched Ivo van Hove into the cinema star system and gave him an eminence that few theatre directors ever attain. However, as Grec audiences know, Ivo van Hove was already a leading name in contemporary theatre, for he submerged them in the Shakespearean universe with the Roman Tragedies, fascinated them with the visual imagery of The Fountainhead and moved them with his intimate vision of The Human Voice. Now, the Dutch director enables us to discover one of the great names in Dutch literature: Louis Couperus (1863-1923), the author of a visionary novel about the conflict between two irreconcilable cultures: East and West. The story is set in Java, where Commissioner Otto van Oudijck governs his province firmly. He is sensitive to the local culture, but convinced of his own superiority as a European over the peoples under his rule. However, a confrontation with the brother of a local prince will unleash hidden, supernatural forces. Everything happens during the monsoon, in a disturbing atmosphere and a spectacular setting in which water is a key element. The Hidden Force is a tale of the former Dutch colonies, but is also, at the same time, a universal story of the clash between two worlds and the underlying existential unease that has continued into our twenty-first century.
Production: Toneelgroep Amsterdam
Coproduced by Ruhrtri«nnale
In cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands andFonds Podium Kunsten. Performing Arts Fund NL,
Autoria: Louis Couperus; Versió i adaptació: Peter van Kraaij; Direcció: Ivo van Hove; Dramatúrgia: Peter Van Kraaij; Interpretació: Aus Greidanus jr., Gaite Jansen, Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Halina Reijn, Jip van den Dool, Maria Kraakman, Marieke Heebink, Vanja Rukavina; Actors convidats: Barry Emond, Dewi Reijs, Mingus Dagelet, Otis Schwab, Rob Malasch, Keanu Visscher; Composició, direcció i interpretació musical: Harry de Wit; Escenografia i disseny de llums: Jan Versweyveld ; Coreografia: Koen Agustijnen; Vestuari: An D'Huys; Vídeo: EYE Amsterdam ; Ajudant de direcció: Nina de la Parra; Direcció tècnica: Wolf-Götz Schwörer; Producció: Angelina Kroft i Edith den Hamer;
