As a writer and theatre enthusiast living in the Amsterdam area, I'd love to be your guide to significant developments and background information from The Netherlands and nearby countries. Despite being a small country, where theatres can't rely on tourists to fill seats, the musical culture is thriving and diverse. International musical theatre mogul Joop van den Ende has his homebase here and musical theatre performers and creatives from the UK and US are often warmly welcomed in the Netherlands to work in (creating) local and international productions.
Willemijn Verkaik Takes A Break From Playing Elphaba to Join MAMMA MIA Tonight
July 26, 2013
July 26, 2013
Dutch musical actress Willemijn Verkaik, best known for playing Elphaba in worldwide productions of WICKED, will take a break from her world-record run of 1000+ performances as Elphaba, to star in the Stuttgart production of MAMMA MIA.
Dutch SISTER ACT Welcomes Viennese Deloris van Cartier for One Week Only, Beginning Tonight!
July 19, 2013
July 19, 2013
For one week only, Dutch musical actress Ana Milva Gomes, who plays Doloris van Cartier in the Vienna production of SISTER ACT, will be playing in the Dutch production of the same show at the Circustheater Scheveningen.
Willemijn Verkaik Takes A Break From Playing Elphaba To Join MAMMA MIA, 7/26
July 19, 2013
July 19, 2013
Dutch musical actress Willemijn Verkaik, best known for playing Elphaba in worldwide productions of WICKED, will take a break from her world-record run of 1000+ performances as Elphaba, to star in the Stuttgart production of MAMMA MIA.
Dutch Spectacle SOLDAAT VAN ORANJE Looking for West End Venue
July 18, 2013
July 18, 2013
Dutch musical SOLDAAT VAN ORANJE, which has been playing for sold-out houses for three years now, will open in London in 2014, says Image Nation director Harvey Goldsmith.
THE NORMAL HEART Plays Amsterdam for Two Weeks; Opens July 30
July 7, 2013
July 7, 2013
THE NORMAL HEART, Larry Kramer's autobiographical account of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the mid-eighties, is to play Amsterdam for the limited run of two weeks. The play, featuring a host of Dutch stage and screen actors, will be staged in the De La Mar theatre, opening on July 30.
Celinde Schoenmaker to Sing Disney in Amsterdam Concertgebouw, Aug 17-18
July 7, 2013
July 7, 2013
Former West End 'Fantine' Celinde Schoenmaker will star in three concerts dedicated to the musical of Disney. Joining here will be Jamai Loman, Freek Bartels and Pearl Jozefzoon.
Dutch BILLY ELLIOT Not To Be Moved to Dutch Mining Town
July 7, 2013
July 7, 2013
The Dutch version of BILLY ELLIOT will not be moved to a Dutch mining town, said Maurice Wijnen in the Parool newspaper today. It will remain as it is, set against the backdrop of the UK miners' strike of 1984-1985.
Stephen Schwartz To Compose Score For Vienna Musical About Mozart Collaborator in 2015-16
June 14, 2013
June 14, 2013
Stephen Schwartz, the Oscar and Tony awarded composer and lyricist, will collaborate with Christian Struppeck on a musical about Emanual Schikander (1751-1812), the librettist of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera The Magic Flute. The musical, which will be mounted in Vienna, is tentatively planned for the 2015/2016 season.
Cult Movie FLODDER To Be Made Into Musical, Fall 2014
June 14, 2013
June 14, 2013
Albert Verlinde Entertainment will make the cult-movie FLODDER into a musical. The musical will premiere in the fall of 2014. FLODDER is a movie from 1986 about an anti-social, dysfunctional family who move to an affluent, upper-class neighbourhood as part of a social experiment.
Search Is On For Dutch BILLY ELLIOT
June 21, 2013
June 21, 2013
Stage Entertainment have announced it will start a nationwide search for young boys to take on the title role in a Dutch production of Billy Elliot. A training program has been devised with the purpose to convince the English creatives that indeed there are sufficient boys of sufficient talent to guarantee a succesful run of the show in the Netherlands.
Nationale Reisopera To Present SWEENEY TODD in 2014
June 12, 2013
June 12, 2013
De Nationale Reisopera, a Dutch opera company dedicated to operatic productions that tour the Netherlands, will present Stephen Sondheim's SWEENEY TODD in 2014.
Search Is On For Dutch BILLY ELLIOT
June 12, 2013
June 12, 2013
Stage Entertainment have announced it will start a nationwide search for young boys to take on the title role in a Dutch production of Billy Elliot. A training program has been devised with the purpose to convince the English creatives that indeed there are sufficient boys of sufficient talent to guarantee a succesful run of the show in the Netherlands.
Pia Douwes to star in German NEXT TO NORMAL
May 19, 2013
May 19, 2013
Dutch actress Pia Douwes will star in the German premiere of the Brian Yorkey/Tom Kitt musical NEXT TO NORMAL, due to open in Furth on October 11th.
Cast Announced for Dutch JERSEY BOYS - Tim Driesen, Dieter Spileers and More!
May 16, 2013
May 16, 2013
Tim Driesen, Dieter Spileers, Robbert van den Bergh and Rene van Kooten will be portraying Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons in the Dutch version of JERSEY BOYS, due to open on September 22nd in Utrecht.
Defying Gravity In Three Languages
May 4, 2013
May 4, 2013
Watch Willemijn Verkaik, Broadway's current Elphaba in WICKED, perform 'Defying Gravity' in the three languages she has performed the role in: Dutch, German and English.
West End To Welcome Another Dutch Fantine, Na-Young Jeon
May 4, 2013
May 4, 2013
After Celinde Schoenmaker, who currently plays the role of Fantine in West End's LES MISERABLES, another Dutch musical actress has been cast for this role: Na-Young Jeon, best known for playing Kim in the Dutch 2012 revival of MISS SAIGON.
BWW Reviews: Dutch Musical Theatre Community Welcomes New King
April 30, 2013
April 30, 2013
The Dutch musical theatre community participated actively today in the festive ceremony with which HRH Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands passed the torch to her son, Willem Alexander.
BWW's Commercial Break of Upcoming Season
April 25, 2013
April 25, 2013
BroadwayWorld brings you a sneak peak into current and upcoming musicals in the Netherlands through the commercials that have been put online for each of them. We include the teaser for LOVE STORY (just released) and ANNIE (closing soon).
New Sandman Musical in Theme Park Efteling
April 22, 2013
April 22, 2013
Theme park 'De Efteling', the largest theme park in the Netherlands, announced a new musical to be performed in the Efteling theatre: Klaas Vaak (Sandman). The show will have a cast of 17, including children, and open in September 2013.
WAR HORSE Announced for 2014
April 19, 2013
April 19, 2013
Stage Entertainment announced today it will bring WAR HORSE to the Netherlands in 2014. No dates or venues have been announced yet.
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