The Magic Mountain
At the beginning of the twentieth century, young Hans Castorp goes to a sanatorium in Davos, Switzerland, to visit his cousin. He plans to spend three weeks with him there, but will end up staying for seven years. During Castorp’s stay, he meets a collection of eccentric figures. Through these encounters with the other residents at the sanatorium, he slowly acquires a layered image of contradicting views on life.
THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELLED
Run time 215 minutes, incl. intermission
Genre Theatre
Language Dutch
Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck on The Magic Mountain
'With his magnum opus, Thomas Mann desired to reformulate himself and the world around him, after that world had been turned upside down by the First World War. Perhaps our world today – with its fast-changing behavioural codes, fragmented ideologies, and ambiguous morals – is equally in need of a reformulation of definitions and of ourselves. In the sanatorium at the top of the mountain, Hans Castorp dissects and discusses the world which he essentially is scared to participate in, and from which he is increasingly alienated.
More and more, the next generation is calling us to account. They accuse us of being indifferent, of having a lack of engagement and an excess of irony. It is something that Hans Castorp easily could have been accused of too. How is it that we are so like him? Have we too locked ourselves away, hidden ourselves behind thoughts and contemplations? Have we spent too much time on doubt and put off our commitment for too long? Is there something huge waiting for us that we did not see coming? Or is it already so close that it’s blinding us?'
REVIEWS
The Stage
'As Castorp, Heijmans is compelling, despite being a largely reactive presence. The ITA ensemble members bring characteristic precision to their performances as the other residents of the sanatorium, in a production that is at once beguiling and dreamlike, moving and meditative.'
De Standaard
'eye-catchingly beautiful'
Groene Amsterdammer
'compelling experience'
Noordhollands Dagblad
'A Magic Mountain full of beautiful images'
de Volkskrant
'The Magic Mountain turns out to be surprisingly contemporary on stage.'
The Magic Mountain
The Magic Mountain (De Toverberg) is adapted and directed for the ITA ensemble by Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck of FC Bergman. They acquired great international fame with their highly visual and poetic performances, often on location in immense spaces, where they portrayed the struggling human lost in a world that is too big. In 2018, the Holland Festival presented their spectacular adaptation of William Gaddis' cult novel JR, a visionary satire on capitalism from the 1970s.
PROGRAMME BROCHURE
Read more about the text, direction and the scenography of this performance in our digital program brochure.
Credits
directed by Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck (FC Bergman)
by Thomas Mann
translation Hans Driessen
adaptation Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck (FC Bergman), Koen Tachelet
dramaturgy Koen Tachelet, Rixt Bilker (intern)
scenography and video design Stef Aerts and Marie Vinck (FC Bergman)
costume design An D’Huys
lighting design Ken Hioco
composition Guy van Nueten
sound design Dennis Slot
pianist Bert van den Brink
camera Boris de Ruijter
private producer Joost en Marcelle Kuiper, Esther Kwaks en Anna Wouters, Helga Lasschuijt en Dirk Raes
with Ozan Aydogan (intern), Pierre Bokma, Hélène Devos, Aus Greidanus jr., Maarten Heijmans, Majd Mardo, Frieda Pittoors, Noa van der Vorst (intern), Steven Van Watermeulen
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assistant director Daniël ’t Hoen, Lore Mechelaere (intern)
assistant scenography Roel van Berckelaer, Renee Faveere
assistant video design Mark Thewessen
assistant costume design Rosa Schützendorf
head technical department Reyer Meeter
head artistic bureau Ulrike Bürger-Bruijs
casting advice Hans Kemna
production Michiel van Schijndel, Eva Sol, Inge Zeilinga
technical department Sebastiaan Kruijs (stage manager), Pepijn van Beek, Emile Bleeker, Kevin Cuyvers, Sander van Elteren, Gabriele Gigante (intern), Danne Hekman, Zinzi Kemper, Ingmar Kviele, Boy van Maasakker, Stephan Pot, Pieter Roodbeen, Ruud de Vos
set construction Kloosterboer, Levtec, Django Walon (maquettes), Farah Widmer (portrait painter)
technical preparation Rick Liesveld, Joris Reijmer
costume department Farida Bouhbouh, Claudia Pellegrini, Wim van Vliet (head)
hair and make-up David Verswijveren
photography Dim Balsem, Fabian Calis
publicity Joris van den Ring-Bax
special thanks to Anna Sijbrands, Margot Van Haelst, Nes Optiek, Valkerij Bontes, Catvertise, Eva Jacques Lopes Cardozo
Johannes Vermeer Award
The Magic Mountain was created with the support of the Johannes Vermeer Award.
Credits paintings Ferdinand Hodler
- Aargauer Kunsthaus Aarau / Depositum Sammlung Werner Coninx
Hodler Ferdinand (1853-1918) Die tote Valentine Godé-Darel mit Rosen. 1915 (26.1.1915)
- Kunst Museum Winterthur, Kunst Museum Winterthur, Stiftung Oskar Reinhart
© SIK-ISEA, Zürich (Philipp Hitz)
Ferdinand Hodler, Das Jungfraumassiv von Mürren aus, 1911
- Kunstmuseum Basel
Hodler Ferdinand, Bildnis der sterbenden Valentine Godé-Darel, 24. Jan. 1915
Hodler Ferdinand, Die Tote. 26. Januar 1915 (Mme V. Darel), 1915
Hodler Ferdinand, Die Jungfrau von Isenfluh aus, 1902
- Kunstmuseum Bern
Ferdinand Hodler (*14.03.1853, Bern, †19.05.1918, Genf)
Die Dents Blanches, 1917
Öl auf Leinwand
65 x 80,3 cm
Legat Dr. Jules Mennet, Bern
Ferdinand Hodler (*14.03.1853, Bern, †19.05.1918, Genf)
Das Jungfraumassiv von Mürren aus, 1911
Öl auf Leinwand
60 x 90 cm
Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918)
Bildnis der sterbenden Augustine Dupin, 1909, 14. November, 1909
Öl auf textilem Träger
35 x 87 cm
Legat Lina-Emilie Hodler-Ruch, 1964
Inv.nr. G 1907
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- SIK-ISEA Zurich
Hodler Ferdinand, Bildnis der kranken Valentine Godé-Darel, 1914
Hodler Ferdinand, Bildnis der sterbenden Valentine Godé-Darel, 1915
- Kunstmuseum St.Gallen / Sturzeneggersche Gemäldesammlung, Schenkung Hans Mettler-Weber 1940
Ferdinand Hodler
Die sterbende Valentine Godé-Darel (1915)
Oil and chalk on paper,
Dimensions: 34 x 48,5 cm (framed: 43,5 x 58 x 4 cm)
- Kunstmuseum Solothurn / Fondation Dübi-Müller
Ferdinand Hodler (1853 - 1918)
Valentine Godé-Darel in her sickbed, 1914
Oil on canvas
63.0 x 86.0 cm
- Hahnloser/Jaeggli Stiftung, Villa Flora, Winterthur
Hodler, Ferdinand
Das Jungfraumassiv von Mürren aus, 1911
Oel auf Leinwand, 72 x 91 cm
Foto Reto Pedrini, Zürich
