Flying nurses. We don't look up to that anymore. We have all seen Mary Poppins. The fact that at Vis a Vis, near Almere beach, instead of invisible strings they deploy a 50-metre-high construction crane for such a special turnout is spectacular and fun then, but nothing more. Matter of money and resources. The next show will have another 'ooh and aah' thing to go over this. Nothing suffers inflation more than spectacle.
Silo8, Vis a Vis' latest show, is a resounding success. Every night, the 900-plus-seat indoor stage is full, and has been since they started in May. Wednesday 11 August marked the start of the second success run, and all indications are that they will run sold out well into September. And rightly so, because Vis a Vis has thus added something to the show that that other Mary Poppins flying show lacks: fantasy and passion.
The show tells the horror story of elderly care in the near future, that time when one nurse with her Segway can easily serve two provinces and the care minute has given way to the care second. We follow a bunch of elderly people who get swallowed up in that maelstrom, but eventually prevail, though not everyone survives the nightmare. The story is full of slapstick that ranges from hilarious to quite-black, and that is already nice to experience. Only, we already knew that from Vis a Vis, and found that the last two productions are getting a bit sleazy.
But then something happens: the company with 20 years of experience in popular spectacle transcends itself by leaving the story the story and going full-on with dream scenes. Out of nowhere, Surinamese drum bands emerge, people dance and logic hastily leaves the theatre, just like it once did with the highlights of Vis a Vis' now deceased bigger brother: Dogtroep.
Unpacking like this, choosing to be beautiful, swinging and leaving the message for a while: so then you are making theatre at the level where it belongs. Whether that is down to the Swiss script, which underpinned this performance, or the input of director Ivar van Urk, can no longer be traced.
The fact remains that the combination of ingredients produces a meal that would not be out of place in a top restaurant.
Seen: 11 August 2010. intelligence: www.silo8.nl
PS: Silo8 director Ivar van Urk was once co-director of the current Amsterdam Forest-performance Jeroen van den Berg leader and founder of theatre group Het Oranjehotel, which existed from 1990 to 2003. For those wishing to essay.
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YELLOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
To All employees of SILO 8
It was a great performance, compelling, inspiring,
spectacular, humorous and highly professional.
I am very curious about the new season.
Anja Steenvoorden
It was really absolutely amazing, I laughed and most of all enjoyed it...It did me a lot of good.
And your service is also really perfect, and extremely friendly.
I heard about it from my sister, she also went there, and was absolutely hilarious about it too.
What I did then was buy tickets immediately and luckily we were lucky that there were still tickets available. We went there the last night, well I don't regret going.
My compliments, you guys are great. And the same goes for everyone who worked on the show, including the builders and everything else.
From me, you can come back. And good luck with everything you are doing.
Warm regards from Marleen Moonen from Almere.
Thank you very much for the great review! A small nuance: contrary to what is stated above, there are still plenty of tickets on sale for the second playing period. We are still playing until 19 September. Until SILO 8!
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