We like to play by the rules. That's quite OK if you're driving through a historic city centre in a tractor or truck combination, for instance, but it gets tricky when the rules stop obeying themselves one day. The actors of the rather physical theatre group Bambie, Paul van der Laan, Jochem Stavenuiter and Tessa Jonge Poerink, with the master of absurd alienation Jetse Batelaan, have now turned that theme into a very funny piece of children's theatre. Theatre Artemis performs the result, titled 'Anders is a very normal Swedish first name', and it has become very funny, with quite a lot of meaning.
In this play, all things decide to be called differently than they are usually called. The characters in this play do their best to follow the new normal, but so they do so by the letter, and not by the spirit of the law. In other words, they use the objects in the abandoned house where they take shelter from a snowstorm according to what they are now called, and not what they look like.
New normal
That means a kitchen glove is now a toothbrush, and a watering can is a bicycle. A chair is called a nail and a jar of peanut butter is day cream. This causes problems, but, as it goes in Jetse Batelaan's theatre, the actors don't let on. The new normal is quite normal, just a matter of getting used to it. You get used to it pretty quickly, and then it seems to get boring for a while, but Artemis has found a solution to that.
At some point, they are disturbed by a canned female voice that starts questioning things. She asks so persistently about the meaning of it all that the trio's new certainties begin to falter. Eventually, they leave the premises with a new purpose in their lives.
There is a lot of Ionesco in this play. In his absurd (underplayed) play The lesson a teacher drives a student crazy by teaching her absurd logic. So there, French is German and everything sounds exactly the same but is not. That was also an allegorical comment that theatre scholars debated for a long time.
Handkerchief
So in case, after reading this story, you think you know a bit about what it means: you might well do. On the other hand, it could also all be very different, and it remains to be seen how normal the reality we see around us is.
The performance invites you to imitate it at home. Just make sure circular saws, welding torches and drills are safely stored away. Just like tractors and trucks. Before you know it, these will think of being called 'bunch of flowers' and 'handkerchief'.
Good to know
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