Een oog in zee (An eye in sea) – poetic musical theater about power, manipulation and courage

An evening in two parts: 18th and 21st century – Haydn and Boogman – the first concertant and the second full-on musical theater – a traditional, abandoned, grieving Ariadne on Naxos and a courageous, belligerent whistle-blower Ariadne who makes her own plan.

The myth of Ariadne and Theseus has been told in as many ways through the ages as there have been writers. We, too, retell this myth. The Ariadne we present is a modern whistle-blower: a traitor to a good cause. In our version, the Minotaur does not exist: King Minos knows the power of myths and uses the myth of the monster in the labyrinth to keep his people under control. Ariadne wants to bring this truth to light with the help of Theseus, so that she can go to Athens with Theseus and thus escape persecution in her homeland. Eventually she finds out that Theseus too is only busy with his own myth-making. Wanting to return to Athens as a hero, Theseus pretends to have defeated a non-existent monster.

In essence, Een oog in zee is a story about how stories are told. About how myths are used and abused. About how real people become victims of shadowy fabrications. The life of the Cretans is dominated by a myth: the Minotaur. Theseus is afraid not to be seen as a hero, and Ariadne fights valiantly for her truth but is also afraid, afraid to live an exile between her father's lie and her lover's lie.
The only character who feels at home with all the entanglements and emotions is Dionysos. But what game is he playing in this?

Creators:
Salomé Roodenburg - Libretto and scenography
Willem Boogman - Composition
Zephyr Brüggen - Direction and lighting
Kenzo Kusuda - Choreography

Performers:
Helena van Heel - Mezzo-soprano - Ariadne
Robbrecht Van Cauwenberghe - Accordion - Dionysos
Fokke van Heel - Hoorn - Theseus
Kenzo Kusuda - Performer

November 6, 2023 | 20:15 PM, Leidse Salon, Leiden: tickets NEW DATE!

Een oog in zee (An eye in sea) – poetic musical theater about power, manipulation and courage

An evening in two parts: 18th and 21st century – Haydn and Boogman – the first concertant and the second full-on musical theater – a traditional, abandoned, grieving Ariadne on Naxos and a courageous, belligerent whistle-blower Ariadne who makes her own plan.

The myth of Ariadne and Theseus has been told in as many ways through the ages as there have been writers. We, too, retell this myth. The Ariadne we present is a modern whistle-blower: a traitor to a good cause. In our version, the Minotaur does not exist: King Minos knows the power of myths and uses the myth of the monster in the labyrinth to keep his people under control. Ariadne wants to bring this truth to light with the help of Theseus, so that she can go to Athens with Theseus and thus escape persecution in her homeland. Eventually she finds out that Theseus too is only busy with his own myth-making. Wanting to return to Athens as a hero, Theseus pretends to have defeated a non-existent monster.

In essence, Een oog in zee is a story about how stories are told. About how myths are used and abused. About how real people become victims of shadowy fabrications. The life of the Cretans is dominated by a myth: the Minotaur. Theseus is afraid not to be seen as a hero, and Ariadne fights valiantly for her truth but is also afraid, afraid to live an exile between her father's lie and her lover's lie.
The only character who feels at home with all the entanglements and emotions is Dionysos. But what game is he playing in this?

Creators:
Salomé Roodenburg - Libretto and scenography
Willem Boogman - Composition
Zephyr Brüggen - Direction and lighting
Kenzo Kusuda - Choreography

Performers:
Helena van Heel - Mezzo-soprano - Ariadne
Robbrecht Van Cauwenberghe - Accordion - Dionysos
Fokke van Heel - Hoorn - Theseus
Kenzo Kusuda - Performer

June 24, 2023 9:00 PM - Dominicus Church, Amsterdam
for tickets, click here (safe) >>

Een oog in zee [An eye in the sea] will premiere on November 5, 2022 during the November Music Festival in Den Bosch. See: concerts.
It is music theater in which a present-day version of the myth of Ariadne and Theseus is presented. Salomé Roodenburg's libretto tells the story from Ariadne's perspective as an ›eye‹ on the truth ›in a sea‹ of lies and manipulations with which some rulers impose their will on the people. Een oog in zee also offers a surprising context for Haydn's cantata Arianna a Naxos, which is integrated in Willem Boogman's new composition.

The role of Ariadne is sung by mezzo-soprano Helena van Heel. The roles of Theseus and Dionysos are played, without text, by horn player Fokke van Heel and accordionist Vincent van Amsterdam respectively. Dancer Kenzo Kusuda adds an extra dimension that – translated into movement – ​​expresses the space and feeling of Ariadne. By making the composition almost visible, he guides the audience through the story.

In the direction of Zephyr Brüggen and the scenography by Salomé Roodenburg, the boundaries between what is true and what is not, are blurred. This world of shadows is designed with canvases with paintings by Roodenburg and a light design that can create shadows and projections. Ariadne shows us that the Minotaur is an invention to oppress the people by fear, but on the other hand, can we trust her blindly?

Een oog in zee is a music theater production by Stichting Noorderklank

Duration: about 75 minutes