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LATIMES.COM/CALENDAR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2016 F5 THEATER Photographs by Joris van Bennekom DUTCH STUDENTS (on a virtual beach) witness the carpet-bombing of Rotterdam in “Soldier of Orange,” or “Soldaat van Oranje” as it’s known in the Netherlands. of friends capsizes as it attempts to escape from Nazi-occupied Holland on a set that features 80,000 gallons of water, all in a converted hangar. AnASPEEDBOAT immersive experience October. ‘Soldier of Orange,’ in its This new, purpose-built theater system, called SceneAround, was sixth straight year of created by Tony Award-winning sellouts, is the ‘Hamilton’ Dutch producer Robin de Levita, choreographer Sarah’s husband. of the Netherlands. “We had been looking around for a theater space that was con- By Liesl Bradner nected to the war and found this empty antique airplane hanger,” In a converted hanger at the for- producer Fred Boot said. It was mer Valkenburg Naval Air Base in Robin de Levita who then said, Katwijk, about 40 minutes south- “Why don’t we put the audience in west of Amsterdam, 1,10 0 theater- the middle and build the scenery goers sit on a circular platform around it?” about 10 0 feet in diameter. Boot had been dreaming of As the show begins, the entire staging a musical based on the seat platform starts to rotate, Dutch war hero since 1993. Years stopping in front of one of 10 sta- later, he finally met Hazelhoff, who tionary stages along a 180-degree had immigrated to America in 19 52 panorama. A large, synchronized and was living in Hawaii. Although panel slides open to reveal a hand- afilm adaptation had been made of some Dutch college student being his wartime experience — the 1977 chased by Nazis across a 196-foot- Oscar-nominated “Soldier of Or- wide beach with real sand and ange,” directed by Paul Verhoeven pouring rain. Music is pounding. and starring Rutger Hauer — Planes fly over in an animated sky Hazelhoff gave Boot his blessing. as machine guns blast away at our “Soldier of Orange” has re- hero. He dives into the 80,000 gal- ceived the Dutch equivalent of the lons of water on set and escapes Tony for best musical, and the cast into the North Sea. album reached No.7on the Dutch This is “Soldaat van Oranje” AJEWISH STUDENT is dragged to a firing squad in a scene from the mega-scale Dutch musical. pop charts. (“Soldier of Orange”), which is cel- “Every major Dutch actress of a ebrating its sixth straight year of certain age has played the Queen,” sellout shows. The production Oland said of the coveted role. marked its 2,000th performance on While producers search for a lo- Nov. 19 and has proved to be such cation near London to stage the an effective immersive-theater ex- musical, the question remains: perience, its creators said, some Would the British — or Americans patrons have returned a dozen —embrace “Soldier of Orange” times. with the same enthusiasm as the One of the surprises with this, Dutch? And is this cutting-edge the most successful show in Dutch theater experience the way of the history, is that key members of the future? creative team are not from the “It’s not affordable here,” Ad- Netherlands but rather Los Ange- diss said. “Not all shows are meant les. Lyricist Pamela Phillips-Oland to be spectacular or over the top.” and composer Tom Harriman, Amerborgh International, the both Angelenos, were recruited to company that financed the “Sol- write the music based on the true- dier of Orange” project in 2007, re- life story of Erik Hazelhoff Roelf- couped its initial $10-million-plus zema. production costs in less than a Amember of the Dutch resist- year. “It has proven to be a good ance and air force fighter during economic model by being cheaper World War II, Hazelhoff, as he was than building a whole new conven- known, and friends are forced to tional theater, which can cost any- make life-and-death decisions dur- where from $42 to $84 million” Boot ing the German occupation of their said. “By using an existing building country in “Soldier of Orange.” The and adjusting it to the concept of story is told through Oland and THE HERO and one of his fraternity brothers speed across the country to sign up soldiers. SceneAround, we were able to pro- Harriman’s music and choreo- duce the show relatively cheaply.” graphy by Los Angeles native said Oland, who previously worked dience watches action on a rotat- sand dunes, a German interroga- Boot is already working on his Sarah Miles de Levita. with Frank Sinatra as his lyricist ing stage — includes hanger doors tion cell. Six projectors display vin- next project, which may be closer “The idea was to make it an on the songs “Monday Morning that dramatically open to reveal an tage newsreel footage and dogfight to the heart and history of Ameri- international show,” said Harri- Quarterback” and “Barbara.” authentic DC3 Dakota aircraft sequences on four large cinema cans: a musical based on author man, who had collaborated with Dutch actors recorded several taxiing inside. The exiled Queen screens that move simultaneously Russell Shorto’s 2005 book, “The Oland on another Dutch project, songs in Harriman’s Studio City Wilhelmina steps out to a cheering, with the audience. Island at the Center of the World,” that one about Vincent Van Gogh. studio. liberated Netherlands. “It was the most exciting musi- about the early Dutch settlement Together they mined Hazelhoff’s The immersive staging — some- The audience is rotated toward cal in my life,” said American thea- of Manhattan in 1625. memoirs for inspiration. thing of the inverse of “Les Mis- stages with other scenes: a ball- ter producer Pat Addiss, who at- “We wanted it to be timeless,” érables,” in which a stationary au- room, the Queen’s palace, colossal tended the six-year anniversary in Twitter: @culturemonster..

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