Almost exactly a month ago, on a sunday, I went all the way halfway across the world to Rijen, Brabandt* to see an amateur production of my favorite musical, Tanz der Vampire. It was being performed by Theatergroep NoNonsense, called Carpe Noctem – Pluk de nacht and it was quite awesome.
A few years ago, I saw a similarly titled adaptation of Tanz. While that performance was excellent, the adaptation made no sense at all*, especially the part where the vampire killed himself by impaling himself. So I assume it’s fair to say that I was a bit apprehensive about the whole thing, and I went in not expecting much.
I shouldn’t have worried. This version was a straight translation of Tanz, and as such, it worked. The performances of the entire cast were quite good, even though some characters took it a bit too much over the top. I mean, it doesn’t take much to transform Rebecca into a hysterical fishmonger’s wife. But, still, good performances all round. The set design was good, the sound was good, it was a perfectly fine way to spend a sunday-afternoon.
Sure, I’ve seen quite a few professional productions of Tanz, all over the place, and there’s no way this production can measure up to any of those. But for what it was—a well-done show by people who spend a lot of time on it, and seemed to be really into it—it was a really, truly excellent show. I’d go see shows like this one all the time.
- Seen live:
- “Carpe Noctem – Pluk de nacht” by Theatergroep NoNonsense, on June 24th, 2012 (matinee) at C.C. De Boodschap in Rijen.
* This is a slight exaggaration.