Mystiek Lichaam

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Welcome to the Doornenhof, a dilapidated villa in the 1980s. Father and widower Gijselhart (played by Kirsten Mulder) lives there with his adult children. First one, then both of them. At the Doornenhof, everyone feels trapped, while also thinking that someone else is the one who really ought to be locked up.

About Mystiek Lichaam

Ultraconservative and obsessed with money and purity, Gijselhart is diametrically opposed to his children. His daughter Magda (nicknamed Prul) is unmarried and pregnant by a Jewish man, while his son Leendert returns from New York suffering from AIDS. Old wounds are reopened. And when the father of Prul’s baby also appears on the scene, a confrontation becomes inevitable…

Forty years after the publication of Frans Kellendonk’s controversial novel, director Koen Verheijden (Jongensuren) brings the story back to the stage. In his distinctive, layered prose, Kellendonk captured a year in the life of the fractured Gijselhart family. A family that becomes a compelling reflection of the polarized Dutch society of the late twentieth century. And forty years later, that image remains surprisingly recognizable.

Please note: This performance contains, among other things, (verbal) violence and discrimination.

All performances feature surtitles in both Dutch and English. Click here for more information about the surtitles.

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A production by Toneelschuur Producties
Direction Koen Verheijden
Based on the book of the same name by Frans Kellendonk
Text Koen Verheijden
Cast Teunie de Brouwer, Kirsten Mulder, Michael Muller, Marley Verbeem
Assistant Director Sonne Pol
Dramaturgy Thomas Lamers, Alyssa Oedit
Costume Design Hanne Pierrot
Set Design Ascon de Nijs
Sound Design Sharon Harman
Lighting Design Niels Runderkamp
Education Lisa Giezen, Heleen van Ham

“An illegitimate child, an unmarried mother, and an old-age pensioner. And you call that a family, Daddy? I’d call it a holy family. A mystical body.”

Mystiek Lichaam – Frans Kellendonk

The Gijselhart family wants nothing more than to belong together, but the harder they try, the further they drift apart. And as we watch this family spiral out of control, an unavoidable question arises: do we really think we, as a society, are doing any better than we did in Kellendonk’s time?

Verheijden opts for a grotesque, at times darkly comic performance style in which humour and discomfort exist side by side. Not to pass judgement, but to reveal how people can lose one another — precisely when they are trying to hold on to each other.

Backstage

After the performance on 20 November, there will be a post-show discussion (which we call ‘Backstage’) hosted by our Schuurjongeren. Together with the audience, they will put their questions to the actors, dancers, director and/or choreographer. These candid conversations offer a fresh perspective on the performance or film. The post-show discussion is free of charge and takes place in the auditorium.

Toneelschuur Producties

More about our production house

Toneelschuur Producties is the Netherlands’ first and largest production house. Here, talented emerging directors develop productions that make an impact: bold in their approach, personal in tone, and impossible to forget.

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