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Ivo van Hove is God. According to New Yorkers.

Anyway: while Amsterdam's city newspaper Parool was embarking on a campaign against the Dutch capital's city company at the behest of the Flemish publishing board, the same Toneelgroep Amsterdam was winning the hearts of New York audiences with a production of the already years-old 'Roman Tragedies', which a few here did not even like overall: http://www.wijbrandschaap.nl/2007/06/romeinse-tragedies-hf2007ta/

Geen zure geluiden in Amerika, tot zover. Deze samenvoeging van de grote Shakespearetragedies ‘Coriolanus, Julius Caesar en Antonius&Cleopatra veroverde al stormenderhand de toeschouwers op Europese festivals, maar New York is ‘a different ballgame’. Daar gebeurt het toch nog steeds, tussen de 15 miljoen highly hippe stadsbewoners.

We verzamelden de tweets van het publiek op de eerste avond. Op de tweede avond was het enthousiasme nog groter, zo ook het aantal tweets. Honderden hebben we er geteld.

Read and shudder

EventsEdit

‘Ivo van Hove is God #RomanTragedies’: Amsterdams theater verovert new York

Someone said that Shakespeare sounded better in Dutch than in English. To an American, that's like saying Al Qaeda is quite a cosy club. Or something like that.

  1. Daar stonden ze dus, de Nederlandse acteurs met hun Nederlandse teksten en hun Nederlandse subsidie, de sterren van de hemel te spelen. met één New Yorkse Parool-lezer in de zaal:
  2. How many bottles of champagne consumed per show?…. #romantic tragedies
  3. En natuurlijk ook iemand die het met bepaalde interpretaties niet eens was:
  4. However much you reinterpret Shakespeare, in the end the Orient must always be seductive, infantile, cowardly, scheming #romantic tragedies
  5. Maar over het algemeen was iedereen in de Brooklyn Academy of Music, het meest moderne theatercomplex van Nieuw Amsterdam, best enthousiast:
  6. Who’d have thought that nearly six hours of Shakespeare in Dutch could be so riveting. #romantic tragedies
  7. Super pumped to get my Ivo on. See y'all in about 6 hours! #RomanTragedies http://instagr.am/p/SJI1aHArNV/

    Super pumped to get my Ivo on. See y’all in about 6 hours! #RomanTragedies  http://instagr.am/p/SJI1aHArNV/ SJI1aHArNV/
  8. De vormgeving van dit stuk, dat tussen het publiek wordt gespeeld, sprak de toeschouwers in het begin al het meeste aan. En natuurlijk het gebruik van Bob Dylan songs in de soundtrack.
  9. Even the lobby experience is immersive: general admission can turn sextigenerians into gladiators #RomanTragedies
  10. Seats? Why are there seats? We have been duped! @BAM_Brooklyn #RomanTragedies GA means grab any seat not mill about like Roman citizens
  11. En je mocht dus facebooken tijdens de voorstelling. Of twitteren:
  12. Waiting for #RomanTragedies. Feels like we’re in the Newsroom. There is a computer set up on stage with Internet!  http://campl.us/mR9m 
  13. En toen begon het:
  14. When's the last time an audience has been allowed to go onto a stage? #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/nJpcrTfy

    When’s the last time an audience has been allowed to go onto a stage? #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/nJpcrTfyom/nJpcrTfy
  15. A fight breaks out on stage a few feet away. Who says Shakespeare is boring? #RomanTragedies  http://campl.us/mScw 
  16. En actueel was het bij de Nederlandse premiere. Actueel is het in New York.
  17. "...and the rabble mistake our prudence for fear." Coriolanus making enemies in #RomanTragedies at @BAM_Brooklyn: http://pic.twitter.com/fAB50TT5

    “…and the rabble mistake our prudence for fear.” Coriolanus making enemies in #RomanTragedies at @BAM_Brooklyn: pic.twitter.com/fAB50TT5om/fAB50TT5
  18. Now this is what you call a front-row seat—right on the stage! #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/90ncRuWX

    Now this is what you call a front-row seat—right on the stage! #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/90ncRuWXom/90ncRuWX
  19. It’s fitting that on my 2nd day of Twitterdom I’m at a theatre performance encouraging the audience to tweet. #RomanTragedies
  20. Onstage seating. Onstage makeup stations. Making friends with the Dutch. #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/rI9iYfaK

    Onstage seating. Onstage makeup stations. Making friends with the Dutch. #RomanTragedies pic.twitter.com/rI9iYfaKom/rI9iYfaK
  21. Wij hadden Kok en Fortuyn, zij Obama en Romney
  22. #RomanTragedies‘ take on Coriolanus is far too easy to translate to modern American politics. Obama on background screens doesn’t help.
  23. Uh oh I think Coriolanus is about to cave into his Mum #romanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/82rAgR3A

    Uh oh I think Coriolanus is about to cave into his Mum #romanTragedies pic.twitter.com/82rAgR3Aom/82rAgR3A
  24. Five minutes until Coriolanus dies and we all turn into Volsci! Change is possible; he became a dragon. #romantic tragedies
  25. Ze kregen er steeds meer zin in.
  26. Should I get a drink before or after they murder caesar? #RomanTragedies #theaterworldproblems
  27. The mocking of the TV news might be my favorite part of this Coriolanus. #romantic tragedies
  28. #RomanTragedies totally absolutely running out of adjectives worth it. Including on stage bar design and acting
  29. The audience as the public is ingenious. A very visceral understanding of our role as a citizen in the game of politics. #RomanTragedies
  30. Maar je kon natuurlijk ook gewoon laarzen bestellen tijden het kijken.
  31. #RomanTragedies #fb having to recharge my iPhone. Man next to me ordering boots online #fb
  32. Of je wetenschappelijke kennis etalieren:
  33. #romantic tragedies illustrates, much as Derrida articulates so clearly, der mendacious Differance of der Meaning through Speech.
  34. #romantic tragedies is theatre verité, mediatizing performance in a permanent state of meta theater turned inside out.
  35. I've been too riveted to tweet about it. Julius Caesar is about to become Caesar. #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/0SbxLY9x

    I’ve been too riveted to tweet about it. Julius Caesar is about to become Caesar. #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/0SbxLY9xom/0SbxLY9x
  36. Beside myself that I didn’t know about #RomanTragedies until just now
  37. Actueel all over the place.
  38. Okay, I LOVE this. The storm the night the conspirators talk...is Hurricane Sandy. Blackout and all. #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/hymV4ulf

    Okay, I LOVE this. The storm the night the conspirators talk…is Hurricane Sandy. Blackout and all. #RomanTragedies pic.twitter.com/hymV4ulfom/hymV4ulf
  39. Spot the actor... Learning how to be a different kind of audience member at #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/YqzfpNde

    Spot the actor… Learning how to be a different kind of audience member at #RomanTragedies pic.twitter.com/YqzfpNdeom/YqzfpNde
  40. Julius Caesar bites it in 40. His tragedy takes place during hurricane sandy, natch. #Romantragedies
  41. Remember: you’re a plebeian. Not one of these leaders would care about you. #RomanTragedies
  42. Lessons Julius Caesar taught me: Don’t try to be a god and people won’t try to stab you. #RomanTragedies
  43. Girl on right: "I'm so confused!" Just wait until the stabbing, you'll understand. #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/QQ5a8Dcb

    Girl on right: “I’m so confused!” Just wait until the stabbing, you’ll understand. #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/QQ5a8Dcbom/QQ5a8Dcb
  44. @BAM_Brooklyn #RomanTragedies is making Shakespeare & the Opera House accessible in ways only Ivo von Hove can. See it http://pic.twitter.com/XTjmj0ke

    @BAM_Brooklyn #RomanTragedies is making Shakespeare & the Opera House accessible in ways only Ivo von Hove can. See it pic.twitter.com/XTjmj0keom/XTjmj0ke
  45. Shakespeare in Dutch ist almost as good as in German, much as der Comic Watchmen ist almost as good as der Film adaptation! #romantic tragedies
  46. It's like a Shakespeare-watching party in a really big living room #RomanTragedies http://yfrog.com/g0ppwmp

    It’s like a Shakespeare-watching party in a really big living room #RomanTragedies  http://yfrog.com/g0ppwmp pwmp
  47. Caesar is killed while I drink Brooklyn IPA on stage at BAM. Amazing theater! #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/Nej0zz01

    Caesar is killed while I drink Brooklyn IPA on stage at BAM. Amazing theater! #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/Nej0zz01om/Nej0zz01
  48. Watching so many people get testy because others are moving in front of them. Did no one read about how this show worked? #romantic tragedies
  49. En een nieuwe job opportunity voor Hans Kesting:
  50. Note to self: Inquire about Mark Antony’s availability for wedding speeches and funeral orations. #RomanTragedies
  51. Marc Antony grieves histrionically at post-assassination press conference #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/c9pHEyjF

    Marc Antony grieves histrionically at post-assassination press conference #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/c9pHEyjFom/c9pHEyjF
  52. Brutus' eulogy of Caesar become the press conference it was always meant to be. #romantragedies http://instagr.am/p/SJgS8Tg4IO/

    Brutus’ eulogy of Caesar become the press conference it was always meant to be. #romantic tragedies  http://instagr.am/p/SJgS8Tg4IO/ SJgS8Tg4IO/
  53. Maar er was ook kritiek:
  54. Wish van Hove had checked out Lepage’s set for “Lipsynch” (an earlier BAM marathon). This is drab & non-functional. #romantic tragedies
  55. tweeting right from the stage @BAM_Brooklyn. Ivo has done it again. Amazing all around. #romantic tragedies
  56. Imagine 1 piece de theatre ou les personnages sont rediffuses sur ecran, tu te balades sur scene et on t encourage a tweeter #RomanTragedies
  57. Battery about to die due to social media overload. #romantic tragedies
  58. En toen viel de ondertiteling weg:
  59. cast switched to english for a technical problem. still amazeballs #romantic tragedies
  60. En complimentjes voor Chris Nietveld:
  61. “She’s Kristen Wiig!” Yup, the Dutch version! @chloe_rae #RomanTragedies
  62. Gratuitous shot from behind, girl fight, two women kissing, on stage dance party… Reality TV or #RomanTragedies?  http://campl.us/mSqh 
  63. How come the best Shakespeare’s I’ve seen have been in Dutch and Spanish? #RomanTragedies
  64. Five hours into #romantic tragedies and not bored for a minute. This is just brilliant.
  65. Oh my goodness, the use of Bob Dylan in Antony & Cleopatra–perfect. #RomanTragedies #weeps
  66. The cast literally moved out onto the street #romantic tragedies. Brilliant
  67. Enobarbus just ran outside of @Bam_Brooklyn's Howard Gilman Opera House to deliver his last words! #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/uejX94Oe

    Enobarbus just ran outside of @BAM_Brooklyn’s Howard Gilman Opera House to deliver his last words! #romantic tragedies pic.twitter.com/uejX94Oeom/uejX94Oe
  68. If you happened to be outside of BAM just now and saw a man yelling in Dutch consider yourself lucky. #romantic tragedies
  69. Enobarbus’ running out onto der Street followed by ein Camera was blatantly stolen from “Der Misanthrope” at NYTW in 2007. #romantic tragedies
  70. never saw anything like this. doubt if i ever will again. #romantic tragedies
  71. Do words even exist for what I just saw? Outstanding, incredible, and overwhelming only begin to describe #RomanTragedies.
  72. #RomanTragedies 6 hour of Shakespeare survived! Pretty cool stuff should you find yourself in Brooklyn on Sunday. Check it out.
  73. #RomanTragedies drained my juice. Phone batteries and otherwise.
  74. #RomanTragedies was nothing short of inspiring. I never thought 6 hours of Dutch would be so powerful, so timely, and so moving.
  75. En daar kunnen ze bij de Amsterdamse lokale krant slecht tegen.

 


‘Ivo van Hove is God #RomanTragedies’: Amsterdams theater verovert new York

Someone said that Shakespeare sounded better in Dutch than in English. To an American, that's like saying Al Qaeda is quite a cosy club. Or something like that.

Storified by Cultuurpers · Sun, Nov 18 2012 03:38:53

Love #romantragediesBucket Of Espresso
Daar stonden ze dus, de Nederlandse acteurs met hun Nederlandse teksten en hun Nederlandse subsidie, de sterren van de hemel te spelen. met één New Yorkse Parool-lezer in de zaal:
How many bottles of champagne consumed per show?…. #romantragediesnatty_ijs
En natuurlijk ook iemand die het met bepaalde interpretaties niet eens was:
However much you reinterpret Shakespeare, in the end the Orient must always be seductive, infantile, cowardly, scheming #romantragediesShayoni Mitra
Maar over het algemeen was iedereen in de Brooklyn Academy of Music, het meest moderne theatercomplex van Nieuw Amsterdam, best enthousiast:
Who’d have thought that nearly six hours of Shakespeare in Dutch could be so riveting. #romantragediesCorinne Proctor
Super pumped to get my Ivo on. See y’all in about 6 hours! #RomanTragedies http://instagr.am/p/SJI1aHArNV/Cathy Popowytsch
Dylan & Shakespeare @BAM_Brooklyn. #RomanTragedies @ Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) http://instagr.am/p/SJJ3rcA0xV/Cody Campbell
De vormgeving van dit stuk, dat tussen het publiek wordt gespeeld, sprak de toeschouwers in het begin al het meeste aan. En natuurlijk het gebruik van Bob Dylan songs in de soundtrack.
Even the lobby experience is immersive: general admission can turn sextigenerians into gladiators #RomanTragediesCynthia Yang
Seats? Why are there seats? We have been duped! @BAM_Brooklyn #RomanTragedies GA means grab any seat not mill about like Roman citizensRich Kelley
En je mocht dus facebooken tijdens de voorstelling. Of twitteren:
Waiting for #RomanTragedies. Feels like we’re in the Newsroom. There is a computer set up on stage with Internet! http://campl.us/mR9mKathryn Yu
En toen begon het:
This is so fuckin dope #romantragediesAron Canter
#RomanTragedies Coriolanus 95minutes till Coriolanus dies http://pic.twitter.com/ZcKFKiNsChristopher Cartmill
When’s the last time an audience has been allowed to go onto a stage? #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/nJpcrTfyKenji Fujishima
#RomanTragedies #fb http://pic.twitter.com/MQnnSxTKChristopher Cartmill
A fight breaks out on stage a few feet away. Who says Shakespeare is boring? #RomanTragedies http://campl.us/mScwKathryn Yu
En actueel was het bij de Nederlandse premiere. Actueel is het in New York.
“What is a city if not its people?” #occupyShakespeare @BAM_Brooklyn #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/6EPqC39ACynthia Yang
“…and the rabble mistake our prudence for fear.” Coriolanus making enemies in #RomanTragedies at @BAM_Brooklyn: http://pic.twitter.com/fAB50TT5Tiffany Gibert
Now this is what you call a front-row seat—right on the stage! #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/90ncRuWXKenji Fujishima
It’s fitting that on my 2nd day of Twitterdom I’m at a theatre performance encouraging the audience to tweet. #RomanTragediesNik Haldimann
Onstage seating. Onstage makeup stations. Making friends with the Dutch. #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/rI9iYfaKJay Koepke
Wij hadden Kok en Fortuyn, zij Obama en Romney
What’s President Obama doing in #romantragedies? http://pic.twitter.com/oPn4Aby0Kenji Fujishima
#RomanTragedies’ take on Coriolanus is far too easy to translate to modern American politics. Obama on background screens doesn’t help.Mikolaj Habryn
Two onstage bars! #RomanTragedies http://campl.us/mSeHKathryn Yu
Uh oh I think Coriolanus is about to cave into his Mum #romanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/82rAgR3AElizabeth Law
Five minutes until Coriolanus dies and we all turn into Volsci! Change is possible; he became a dragon. #romantragediesNina
Ze kregen er steeds meer zin in.
Should I get a drink before or after they murder caesar? #RomanTragedies #theaterworldproblemsBen Lasser
The mocking of the TV news might be my favorite part of this Coriolanus. #romantragediesColleen Kavanagh
#RomanTragedies live news of Israel/Hamas during CoriolanusHaritini Kanthou
#RomanTragedies totally absolutely running out of adjectives worth it. Including on stage bar design and actingMCVTS Theatre
The audience as the public is ingenious. A very visceral understanding of our role as a citizen in the game of politics. #RomanTragediesAccidental Shakes
Maar je kon natuurlijk ook gewoon laarzen bestellen tijden het kijken.
#RomanTragedies #fb having to recharge my iPhone. Man next to me ordering boots online #fbChristopher Cartmill
Of je wetenschappelijke kennis etalieren:
#romantragedies illustrates, much as Derrida articulates so clearly, der mendacious Differance of der Meaning through Speech.WernerHerzog, Critic
#romantragedies is theatre verité, mediatizing performance in a permanent state of meta theater turned inside out.xoloboy
I’ve been too riveted to tweet about it. Julius Caesar is about to become Caesar. #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/0SbxLY9xFrank Spano
Beside myself that I didn’t know about #RomanTragedies until just nowmk
Actueel all over the place.
Okay, I LOVE this. The storm the night the conspirators talk…is Hurricane Sandy. Blackout and all. #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/hymV4ulfChristina Squitieri
Spot the actor… Learning how to be a different kind of audience member at #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/YqzfpNdeJay Koepke
Julius Caesar bites it in 40. His tragedy takes place during hurricane sandy, natch. #RomantragediesElizabeth L. Wollman
Remember: you’re a plebeian. Not one of these leaders would care about you. #RomanTragediesInsteada Fivefeettwo
Lessons Julius Caesar taught me: Don’t try to be a god and people won’t try to stab you. #RomanTragediesNicole Lorenzetti
Girl on right: “I’m so confused!” Just wait until the stabbing, you’ll understand. #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/QQ5a8DcbFrank Spano
@BAM_Brooklyn #RomanTragedies is making Shakespeare & the Opera House accessible in ways only Ivo von Hove can. See it http://pic.twitter.com/XTjmj0keNew Brooklyn Theater
Shakespeare in Dutch ist almost as good as in German, much as der Comic Watchmen ist almost as good as der Film adaptation! #romantragediesWernerHerzog, Critic
And Caesar is a Norwegian John Malkovitch. #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/vzo1ynuoPatrick T. Rousseau
It’s like a Shakespeare-watching party in a really big living room #RomanTragedies http://yfrog.com/g0ppwmpMike Francisco
Caesar is killed while I drink Brooklyn IPA on stage at BAM. Amazing theater! #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/Nej0zz01Patrick T. Rousseau
Watching so many people get testy because others are moving in front of them. Did no one read about how this show worked? #romantragediesIan Gould
Brutus speaks to the plebes. Including me and @collkavs. #awesome #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/vgG0KtXgPatrick T. Rousseau
dutch is a most beautiful language. #romantragediesNoah Lethbridge
En een nieuwe job opportunity voor Hans Kesting:
Note to self: Inquire about Mark Antony’s availability for wedding speeches and funeral orations. #RomanTragediesNicole Lorenzetti
Marc Antony grieves histrionically at post-assassination press conference #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/c9pHEyjFMargaret Moser
Brutus’ eulogy of Caesar become the press conference it was always meant to be. #romantragedies http://instagr.am/p/SJgS8Tg4IO/Allison C. Meier
Maar er was ook kritiek:
Wish van Hove had checked out Lepage’s set for “Lipsynch” (an earlier BAM marathon). This is drab & non-functional. #romantragediesMK Bessinger
tweeting right from the stage @BAM_Brooklyn. Ivo has done it again. Amazing all around. #romantragediesCathy Popowytsch
@GPfood Beet chips at @BAM_Brooklyn. The ultimate endurance food for #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/calA9G1lCynthia Yang
Imagine 1 piece de theatre ou les personnages sont rediffuses sur ecran, tu te balades sur scene et on t encourage a tweeter #RomanTragediesKen Métrosexuel
Battery about to die due to social media overload. #romantragediesCody Campbell
Dutch shakespeare… that s insane 🙂 #RomanTragediesKen Métrosexuel
It’s just so incredible. #RomanTragedies http://pic.twitter.com/UlaJjjInNicole Lorenzetti
En toen viel de ondertiteling weg:
cast switched to english for a technical problem. still amazeballs #romantragediesNoah Lethbridge
En complimentjes voor Chris Nietveld:
“She’s Kristen Wiig!” Yup, the Dutch version! @chloe_rae #RomanTragediesBess Rowen
Gratuitous shot from behind, girl fight, two women kissing, on stage dance party… Reality TV or #RomanTragedies? http://campl.us/mSqhKathryn Yu
Antony&Cleopatra the reality show #RomanTragedies #BAMJacob Kader
How come the best Shakespeare’s I’ve seen have been in Dutch and Spanish? #RomanTragediesMaria Aladren
Cleopatra meets the newsroom. I smell a series. #RomanTragediesAlexander Gherardi
Five hours into #romantragedies and not bored for a minute. This is just brilliant.MarianaVerkerk
Oh my goodness, the use of Bob Dylan in Antony & Cleopatra–perfect. #RomanTragedies #weepsChristina Squitieri
The cast literally moved out onto the street #romantragedies. BrilliantMarianaVerkerk
Enobarbus just ran outside of @Bam_Brooklyn’s Howard Gilman Opera House to deliver his last words! #romantragedies http://pic.twitter.com/uejX94OeKenji Fujishima
If you happened to be outside of BAM just now and saw a man yelling in Dutch consider yourself lucky. #romantragediesElle R-C
Enobarbus’ running out onto der Street followed by ein Camera was blatantly stolen from “Der Misanthrope” at NYTW in 2007. #romantragediesWernerHerzog, Critic
never saw anything like this. doubt if i ever will again. #romantragediesNoah Lethbridge
Do words even exist for what I just saw? Outstanding, incredible, and overwhelming only begin to describe #RomanTragedies.Nicole Lorenzetti
#RomanTragedies 6 hour of Shakespeare survived! Pretty cool stuff should you find yourself in Brooklyn on Sunday. Check it out.Kevin Shenoy
#RomanTragedies drained my juice. Phone batteries and otherwise.Ben Lasser
#RomanTragedies was nothing short of inspiring. I never thought 6 hours of Dutch would be so powerful, so timely, and so moving.Christina Squitieri
Ivo von Hove is God. #romantragediesJeff Strabone
En daar kunnen ze bij de Amsterdamse lokale krant slecht tegen.

Wijbrand Schaap

Cultural journalist since 1996. Worked as theatre critic, columnist and reporter for Algemeen Dagblad, Utrechts Nieuwsblad, Rotterdams Dagblad, Parool and regional newspapers through Associated Press Services. Interviews for TheaterMaker, Theatererkrant Magazine, Ons Erfdeel, Boekman. Podcast maker, likes to experiment with new media. Culture Press is called the brainchild I gave birth to in 2009. Life partner of Suzanne Brink roommate of Edje, Fonzie and Rufus. Search and find me on Mastodon.View Author posts

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