What is love
'A wonderful exploration of the many forms of love' - NRC ★★★★★
What is love is a musical, moving and thrilling theatre and dance performance by director Casper Vandeputte at Theater Utrecht and DOX: a scintillating exchange about love. We sing along to it in almost every pop song: love is all you need. But why actually? And is it true? Is love equally important to everyone? And how many forms of love actually exist?
Start time: 19:30
Duration: 90 minutes
Location: Rabozaal
Language: Dutch
In a new text, Casper Vandeputte and choreographer Justin de Jager explore love together with a group of multi-talented people - from young to old. Inspired by their own experiences, the oldest religions and the latest scientific insights, they try to understand love. They discuss, make music, desire, talk to the audience, and battle about everything you can think of about love. And when the words run out, they dance.
Director and writer Casper Vandeputte makes outspoken performances in which he searches for fiery emotion, humour and poignancy. With newly written texts, he transforms major philosophical issues into musical, humorous and titillating theatre experiences, always based on passionate performance.
After his previous successful productions in which Nietzsche's ideas were central (Immense - 2019, jury selection Netherlands Theater Festival and Toneelschrift Prize 2020), and trauma and heredity (Quake - 2020), it is now love's turn.
For What is love, Vandeputte works together with choreographer Justin de Jager. De Jager is quickly making a name for himself in the dance world and specialises in threading, which originates from breakdancing. Due to his interest in other forms of movement, he quickly came into contact with contemporary dance. He always manages to combine the individuality of dancers with the hypnotic flowing movements, optical illusions and complex partner work that characterise his style.
Credits
direction Casper Vandeputte
choreography Justin de Jager
cast Helen Kamperveen, Gary "Duimalot" Gravenbeek, Felix Schellekens, Cripta Scheepers, Lucinda Wessels, Sem Deliveyne, Victor Lange (piano)
composition Vincent van der Valk
dramaturgy Joris van der Meer
scenography Julian Maiwald
costume design Rebekka Wörmann
sound design Sander van der Werff
directional assistance Gavin-Viano Fabri
dramaturgy internship Jacob Moen