Waiting to die
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Sat 17 Oct '2620:30 - 22:05Philipszaal
Songs of Life Between the Jordan and the Mississippi.
What would Maarten van Roozendaal have sounded like if he had past event born in New Orleans? Or Boudewijn de Groot in Nashville?
Heijmans and Vrienten met while working on the musical *Hadestown*. There, they discovered a shared love for roots music: folk, blues, country, and everything in between. And for the stories told through that music—about love and loss, longing and coming home, ordinary people and their fates.
They soon discover just how closely that American tradition is actually related to Dutch cabaret. On both sides of the ocean, life is celebrated with poignant lines, dark humor, and a healthy dose of self-deprecation.
Together with two top musicians, Heijmans and Vrienten take you on a musical journey from the Jordaan to the Mississippi. Featuring new songs, familiar tunes, and music by artists such as Townes Van Zandt and Randy Newman. Sometimes intimate and fragile, other times groovy and four-part harmony. A theater concert with the atmosphere of *O Brother, Where Art Thou?*, in which four men ultimately do what they love most: playing and singing together.
An evening to lose yourself in the music and emerge feeling lighter.
After all, what do you do in death’s waiting room?
You’re alive.
Media coverage of Waiting for Death
“Fiery musical theater” (de Volkskrant ★★★★)
“Heijmans excels at singing while acting” (de Volkskrant ★★★★)
“Maarten Heijmans, the ideal frontman” (Theaterkrant)
“A swirling theater concert” (Theaterkrant)
About Maarten & Xander
Maarten Heijmans is an actor and singer who in recent years has become an exceptional interpreter of the cabaret song. He was part of ITA's acting ensemble for a long time and made an impression with his role as Ramses Shaffy on TV. With his musicality and feeling for lyrics and theater, he gives new life to the repertoire of our greatest songwriters.
Xander Vrienten developed as a bassist, songwriter and producer who feels just as at home in rock 'n' roll as he does in pop music. As long as there's a bit of soul in it.
While collaborating on the hit musical Hadestown, Heijmans and Vrienten discovered a shared love for the music of the American South. There, where blues, folk, and jazz converge, they found an unexpected kinship with Dutch cabaret songs. That discovery gave rise to the idea for this program.