Eindspel
The acclaimed production Eindspel by director Erik Whien returns at the end of season 2021/2022 with a partly new cast: Eelco Smits, Elsje de Wijn, Gerardjan Rijnders and Hans Croiset (in his final role, so the last chance to see him on stage!). They shine in a performance about the futility of existence by Samuel Beckett, one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century.
"An almost cheerful abandonment ritual with a phenomenal Hans Croiset." ★★★★★ de Volkskrant
Starting time: 7.30 p.m. / 3 p.m.
Location: Grote Zaal
Language: Dutch
Duration: 80 minutes, no intermission
'Nothing is funnier than the unfortunate'
Four characters are in their hiding place and cannot get out. The blind and paralysed Hamm (Hans Croiset) is dependent on his crippled servant Clov (Eelco Smits). Hamm's elderly parents Nagg (Gerardjan Rijnders) and Nell (Elsje de Wijn) live in a bin. The end is in sight. But as long as it is not, they carry on. They play their end game. And that is more witty than it seems. "Nothing is funnier than the accident," says Nell. Beckett exploits that comic potential masterfully.
After a successful run in the 2019/2020 season, Endgame can be seen again in May and June 2022. The play was part of the official jury selection for the Nederlands Theater Festival 2020/2021. The jury wrote: "The staging of Beckett's Endgame at Theater Rotterdam shows pure craftsmanship in all respects. Directed by Erik Whien all the separate elements come together in a mutually reinforcing whole, in which the actors all transcend themselves."-|-Director Erik Whien is working with a partly new cast in season 2021/2022. The role of René van 't Hof will be taken over by Eelco Smits. Erik Whien has known Eelco since they studied at the Toneelacademie Maastricht and tells of his choice: "I have seen almost everything by Eelco. He really is a fantastic actor: sensitive in every role, with an enormous drive and a perfect combination of lightness and seriousness. I have wanted to work with him for some time, and now this opportunity has presented itself. The role of Clov is right up Eelco's street.
Gerardjan Rijnders takes over the role of Nagg from Cas Enklaar. Whien: "Gerardjan Rijnders has had a great influence on contemporary Dutch theatre. As a director, writer and artistic director (of Toneelgroep Amsterdam, among others) he was controversial and innovative. And now he plays Hans Croiset's father in Eindspel, a play that reflects on theatre in everything; its repetition and the fear that it will one day end."
About Eelco Smits
After graduating from the Toneelacademie Maastricht (2001), Eelco Smits (1977) joined Ro Theater (now Theater Rotterdam) and in 2005 he switched to Toneelgroep Amsterdam (now ITA). For his role in Glazen speelgoed (2016), Smits received a nomination for an Arlecchino (2016) and his performance in Vergeef ons (2018-2019) earned him a nomination for a Louis d'Or. The celebrated actor also regularly appears in Dutch TV productions and films such as KLEM and Vliegende Hollanders. In 2018 he receives the Paul Steenbergen medal from Jacob Derwig, who praises Smits for his roles in various ITA productions: "Eelco Smits shapes his characters in his own unique way. Intelligent, with integrity, with a certain melancholic seriousness, but also often incredibly witty."
About Erik Whien
Director Erik Whien has been part of the permanent makers' ensemble at Theater Rotterdam since 2016. There, in his subtle, minimalist style, he made Slachthuis vijf, Verdriet is het ding met veren en Revolutionary Road, among others.
In the press
"An almost cheerful abandonment ritual with a phenomenal Hans Croiset." ★★★★★ de Volkskrant
"Erik Whien has emphasised in his direction the light side of the play, the absurd, the funny indefinable." ★★★★★ de Volkskrant
"All attention goes to the actors who perform their roles with pinpoint accuracy." ★★★★ De Telegraaf
"Hans Croiset's beautifully rehearsed performance and his thorough treatment of the text keep the performance within the realms of reality." ★★★★ NRC-|-"Director Erik Whien keeps the performance surprisingly light." ★★★★ NRC
"The way in which Croiset occasionally raises his voice in a way that is so characteristic of him is disarming - it gives the image of a man who constantly shouts himself over the top in order not to have to acknowledge the approaching end of everything." Theaterkrant
"Erik Whien's version of Eindspel is distinguished by the playfulness of the actors, who provide the potentially weighty text with an enormous stratification by partly playing against the text." Theaterkrant
Credits
Text Samuel Beckett
Translation Jacoba van Velde
Directed by Erik Whien
Actor Eelco Smits, Elsje de Wijn, Gerardjan Rijnders and Hans Croiset
Set Marc Warning
Lighting Casper Leemhuis
Costumes Bernadette Corstens
Dramaturgy Rob Klinkenberg
Stagehand Gilles Groot
Tour management Koen van Etten
Technical producer John Thijssen
Stage manager Sidney van Geest, Peter Leeuwenburg
Lighting technician Axel Dikkers
Sound technician Arjen Fortuin
Props Noa Mulder
Execution decor Vorm & Decor
Campaign image Sanne Peper
Marketing Dieke van der Spek, Robin Laurens and Sofie de Leede
Production manager Emma Boots
With thanks to Martijn Nieuwerf and Micha Wertheim
Special mention René van 't Hof (Clov in the first performance) and Cas Enklaar (Nagg in the first performance)
In memory of Loek Zonneveld (theatre critic 1948-2018)
