At last. The Nation, the hyperactual theatreserial with which the revamped National Theatre, sorry Theatre, presents itself to the country feels like a refreshing splash of water on a soggy day. Newly appointed boss Eric de Vroedt lives up to his reputation by delivering a work that will no doubt draw new audiences into theatres. An audience spoilt by Danish detectives, Netflix and the world of Geenstijl and Dumpert.
The Nation is going to be a seven-part monster production about everything that is wrong in the Netherlands. The first three parts (plus a seventh VR experience) are now finished, and even if some things falter, the mission will succeed. Together with his regular writing partner Joeri Vos, De Vroedt gained experience on the small-venue circuit. Ten parts 'MightySociety' may have been a kind of series, but the interrelationship was more thematic than narrative. The task he sets himself now is tougher. The individual parts have to form a story together, and also keep the audience glued to their seats for the full time.
Conspiracy thinkers
For that, of course, you need a strong plot. At its centre is the disappearance of an 11-year-old boy. That disappearance then uncovers a network of connections, intrigues and events that gain complexity throughout the series. So far, it is storybook series-writing and the authors do it well. Even if De Vroedt puts so much into his story that every now and then it gets a bit too much of a good thing. Anyone who reads a little the average conspiracy theorist on social media knows it could be much worse. Right up to the end, the denouement, which, as with all plot-driven entertainment, is likely to lead to a letdown of sorts.
Unless, even more than now, De Vroedt puts the primacy on his characters, rather than the story. After all, these are the characters we recognise ourselves in, hate, or want to understand. Those characters determine the difference between bagger and Twin Peaks, between formulaic and Mad Men, between yawning and staying wide awake. And so for those characters, you don't just need a perfect dramaturgy that gives their storylines body. Above all, you need those bodies themselves. Actors, that is.
The Bridge allure
Now there are quite a few very good actors walking around The Nation. Actors we know from Het Nationale Toneel, who are now in Het Nationale Theater together with actors from MightySociety. I would mention a Bram Coopmans. And I mention Anniek Pheifer. Two actors who could grow into a duo of The Bridge allure in this series, provided they get a bit more material for it than they do now. Pheifer in a police uniform is already quite something, but a knockout requires more.
Also worth mentioning are Hague acquaintances Pieter van der Sman and Antoinette Jelgersma. Their portrayal of a mismatched couple gutmenschen is convincing, but can slip into the farcical in one case. It is playing on the edge what they do. It will be exciting to see how this develops in the following episodes. The same goes for Hein van der Heiden, who, as the prototype of a corruptible left-wing politician, seriously embarrasses our comfort zone. I would love to grant Mark Rietman's flawed policeman another surprise role in the sequel, which will be shown in The Hague from October.
Romana Peace
What all of us should definitely come back for in the autumn, however, is Romana Peace. Her character Mariam, with a surname taken from Malian Elvis Presley Boubacar Traoré, is the most rounded of the entire show. Her acting has changed since I've seen her first saw play in 2002 gained depth, but certainly strength. It is Romana Peace who leads the way for the rest of this hyperactual adventure. She intrigues, fascinates and seduces you every episode.
So: should you miss the first episodes now, that need not be a reason not to watch the rest in October. By then, the ensemble will be led by an actress who will inevitably have been awarded by then. She deserves the highest award the Dutch theatre has for its actresses: the Theo d'Or. She was nominated thanks to her role in Race. That performance is finished. Go and see now how to pull together such an award. You will not be disappointed.
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