The music of Eefje de Visser comes in. In the silence of the theatre even more so than in clubs, where enthusiastic fans sing along to her words out loud. One spotlight and her guitar, that's all this 26-year-old singer-songwriter needs to touch the room. I see tears, gazes of love and attempts at seated dancing during the official premiere of her theatre tour in the Melkweg.
Eefje is unlike anyone else, which is what makes her performances so special. She sings beautiful, dreamy, Dutch-language lyrics that give us a glimpse into her world of feelings and at the same time are recognisable to everyone. She plays with words and rhythms. Her voice is clear and pure. Sometimes she hops between the musicians on the stage decorated with flower lights, sometimes she sits on a chair and is absorbed in her own stories. She visibly enjoys herself. As do her four musicians, who regularly add a second voice, exchange instruments and create unusual sounds with a megaphone, among others.
"Being in the theatre was a dream of mine," Eefje says afterwards. "The songs feel very intense here, for myself and for the audience. It also allows my band and I to express our creativity even more. We put songs from my first album 'The Cake' in a new jacket, play some new songs and my musicians change instruments. That's how you get a completely different sound. I want to play something that I love. You can't do that if I play my original songs to death."
Eefje does not want to become a 'bread player'. Creativity is most important to her. She writes intuitively and freely. On stage, she is who she is: sometimes tough, sometimes floaty, sometimes sweet. In her cheerful floral jumpsuit and black glitter vest, she speaks to us after the first song, somewhat awkwardly, almost shyly. About how this is so the official premiere, that Amsterdam has become important to her and that now she is just going to make, or yes, play, a song. After this, she interrupted her performance a few more times for explanations about the tour or announcements about merchandising. And she wanted to say something else, but she can't remember what. "So let's just start again."
From the audience, who were just as comfortable in the dream world Eefje has created, she doesn't have to stop. The interruptions bring us back down to earth with both feet, when we are not at all in the mood for that. Fortunately, a delightfully accelerated, swinging version of the song 'De Koek' takes us back, until the last and only English-language song, her own versions of Blondie. 'Call me', which she created a furore with through her performance on DWDD, gives goosebumps again.
To celebrate her premiere, Eefje pulls open a bottle of champagne in the foyer. She beams. "I enjoy the atmosphere and performing in theatres more and more. I had to get used to the quiet and the little feedback you get. It's very different during a concert. Now I know it works and I like that there is so much room for care and detail." The dream that remains? "Performing with a string orchestra. That seems fantastic."
Next Saturday, October 24, Eefje continues her theatre tour In Zwolle.
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