Montezuma's Revenge "De Montezuma Code"
September 24th 2006 - Kloostertuin Woerden
A Dutch version of this report can be found
here,
at the website of Montezuma Fanzone.
With excitement we are waiting in front of the small theatre in Woerden.
We just went inside to get our tickets and thought we heard some familiar
voices somewhere in the hall. How nervous would they be? Today is the first
show of "De Montezuma Code" with an audience. We are very curious and don't
really know what to expect today. Everybody arrives and we decide who is
going to sit where. We go inside and have to wait in the warm hall, because
the doors to the theatre are still closed. Finally the doors open and we
are allowed to find our seats. It's such a small theatre, it doesn't matter
where you are sitting. There's always a good view to the stage.
A small theatre is very cosy, but it also has disadvantages.
In a bigger theatre the singers can disappear on the sides of
the stage, here that's almost impossible. The director, Bruun
Kuijt, welcomes everybody and apologizes for the late start of
the show. Well, then stop talking and let them start! Am I a
little nervous and curious? Oh, no.
There are five doors on the stage. A typical Montezuma stage, if you ask me. It reminds me of "In Pursuit of Pleasure" and "Hits Again", both shows with big attributes on stage which were just as multifunctional and with which every song looked different. These doors are just great. They can be opened, closed, half opened, the singers can hide behind the doors or change clothes, suddenly appear. There are enough options. Would they have calculated the amount of different positions on stage?
Menno is given the task to sing the first part of the lead during the first song. The complete show is in Dutch. The songs they are singing tonight are all translated into Dutch, are originally Dutch songs, or are English songs given a completely new Dutch text. At first, I though it would be strange to hear Montezuma's Revenge sing in Dutch, because normally they sing in English. But, from the first sentence I hear Menno sing, this feeling is gone. Something is going to happen tonight and they can feel it, is been sung in the song In the air tonight from Phil Collins. I'm waiting, come on guys, let me feel it!
During the next songs I forget to make notes. After that I find out my little notebook is closed and when I open it in the dark, I open it at "Wise Guys in Wesel" and blindly I start writing through those notes. Very nice... but to figure out what I have written down, does seem to fit in the theme of today's show. Anyway, I'm totally captivated by all the things that are happening on stage. The Montezuma's use a lot of smaller attributes. Hans and Menno are wearing wigs during Da was ik nie (Shaggy - It wasn't me), some of the singers are being driven around on a hospital bed and Sanne is walking around with a bible. The song Deeper Underground from Jamiroquai is really great, and Thriller from Michael Jackson is also very good to hear a cappella. The arrangements are great, and the choreo's are also a pleasure to watch. Especially the Thriller dance is very successful and rewarded with a huge applause. The texts are nice and funny, but sometimes it's a little hard to hear exactly what they are singing. Especially when they use vocal percussion, it's harder to understand the words. But here lies a job for their sound technician who needs to find the best tuning. After all, it's a try out today. One of the visitors tells me later she was having a little trouble with some southern Dutch accents, but personally that didn't bother me at all.
In between the songs we hear news flashes and in this way we discover what story is being told. There is a suspicious man in the audience and one of the Montezuma's acts really weird today... Very mysterious. They link up with the terroristic attacks in America and the increasing feeling of insecurity in the Netherlands. We are even being told Bin Laden has been seen in Center Parcs (a holiday park in the Netherlands).
After the break, we find out there is no safe place in the audience (except maybe for a balcony seat in a big theatre). But, this time it's not Hans who's kneeling down for a woman. I won't tell you who's turn it is this time. After this song, in which the complete audience has to participate in some way, we hear a medley full of Dutch songs. The way these songs are put together is very funny. Next, Menno sings a song of Marco Borsato. It's so beautiful, he's got a great voice!
During another song, the Montezuma's write down shocking news on the doors. To sing and write down other words is really harder than it sounds ;) The show is getting to an end and during the next song we see a lot of attributes and little parts of choreography crossing the stage. The final song shows us what kind of heroes there are standing in front of us. The feelings of uncertainty, fear and tension that crept up on us during the show is being wiped out immediately. A huge applause and relieved looks on Montezuma's faces end the show. They come back and give us a nice swinging song to conclude the show.
First conclusion: I haven't even told you half of the things that happened, and I tried to be as general as possible, but still I can't write short reports. Sorry ;) Second conclusion: Everybody should see this show! (especially when you're Dutch). Third conclusion: The first try-out is a success. There are different things that can be brought to perfection, but we know Montezuma will do so. We can't wait to see this show again!