The things that pass
After The hidden force, Ivo van Hove made a second adaptation of a novel by Couperus: The things that pass, this time a coproduction with Toneelhuis (Antwerp).
Starting time 7.30 p.m. / 3 p.m.
Location Rabozaal
Duration 2 hours and 10 minutes, excl. break
Language Dutch
About the play
Directing The hidden force, Ivo van Hove got rid of the image that had been stuck to Couperus since the 1970s. Not a costume drama in The Hague, no tempo dulu (the good old days). But he did get straight to the core of this visionary novel: the culture of the west, irreconcilable with that of the east.
The second project is based on the majestic psychological novel Old people and the things that pass (1906). Couperus imagined an ‘appalling and dreadful tragedy’. We see how a hushed-up murder of passion in the Dutch East Indies continues to have a devastating influence on the family of the elderly Ottilie and Takma. The hushing up of their adulterous relationship and the murder of Ottilie’s husband leave deep traces in the consecutive generations, who are trapped in an unresolved past.
-|- Lot and Elly are the youngest members of this doomed family. They hope to be able to free themselves from the stranglehold of The Hague, but arrive back home disillusioned after their honeymoon in Italy. There is no escaping this family that is damaged by horrible secrets that should never become known.
Just like in The hidden force, Couperus shows that he is far ahead of his time. He paints the portrait of a modern family that does not cohere and is literally spread out to all the corners of the world. The family members struggle with their lustfulness, their faith, dreams of material happiness and mutual jealousy. A family where almost nobody dares to give in to their deepest wishes and desires, to be who they really are.
The press about the performance
Sober, oppressive and unrelenting' - NRC ****
'Great drama of fate, which does full justice to Couperus in a style consistent performance' - de Volkskrant ****
'The things that pass is phenomenal' - Leidsch Dagblad
Van Hove, Versweyveld, Tachelet, De Wit and the fifteen actors, all of whom make an excellent contribution, make The things that pass an extremely rich performance in both words and images. - Theaterkrant *****
'That tension between abstraction and raw realism shows how relevant, even visionary, this work by Couperus still is. Not to be missed.'- De Morgen *****
A masterly piece because Van Hove links every sentence to the right scene (and the right actor) with a perfection bordering on inconceivability. (...) Impressive is the word that can be applied to every aspect of this performance'. - Knack ****
Van Hove about The things that pass
‘Hasn’t the family lasted long enough? That is the lamentation of Lot in The things that pass. At the end, sick and tired of a life that hasn’t been lived, he comes to a shocking conclusion: ‘A different time will come. A different generation. A time will come when people leave each other, torment each other, and still think it can’t be otherwise, that it is fine, because it is what needs to happen.’ In Louis Couperus’s The Hague, it is impossible to follow your real desires, impossible to be yourself. It is a world of wandering men and women in a prison-like society. A large choir. A swansong. Couperus rouses us. This world needs to be changed!’
Credits
author Louis Couperus
director Ivo van Hove
adaptation Koen Tachelet
dramaturgy Peter Van Kraaij
scenography and light Jan Versweyveld
costumes An D'Huys
music Harry de Wit
video Theunis Zijlstra
choreography Koen Augustijnen
casting advice Hans Kemna
coproduction Ruhrtriënnale
production Internationaal Theater Amsterdam, Toneelhuis
private producers Joost Houtman en Jeffrey Ong, Jeroen van Ingen en Jaap Kooijman, Rob en Marijke van Oordt
supported by Ammodo
assistant director Olivier Diepenhorst
assistant dramaturgy Jessica Kuitenbrouwer
assistant scenography Bart Van Merode, Ramón Huijbrechts
assistant music Stan Verberkt
assistant costumes Fauve Ryckebusch
head of the technical department Reyer Meeter
production Thomas van Son
first stage manager Arist Richartz, Reyer Meeter
stage manager Bart Coenen, Dennis van Scheppingen, Paul van der Zouwe, Pepijn van Beek, Peter Pieksma, Stijn van der Leeuw, Timo Merkies
hair and make up David Verswijveren, Mirjam Venema
costume department Wim van Vliet (head), Farida Bouhbouh
publicity Joris van den Ring-Bax
WITH COVID ADMISSION TICKET
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