Dr. Miracle

Dr. Miracle's last illusion

Dr. Miracle

Dr. Miracle's Last Illusion premiered on 24 June 2016 in the Royal Theatre of The Hague

The production was inspired by illusionism, a literally magic genre. We returned to the period around 1900, when life was brightened by sparkling variety shows as well as a fascination for what could lie beyond the boundary between life and death. The performance was co-produced with the New European Ensemble, De Dutch Don't Dance Division and the Royal Theatre of The Hague.

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In the opera, we follow the elusive illusionist Dr. Miracle. In his travelling theatre he enthrals the audience with seemingly airy variety acts. He challenges gravity and other laws of nature. During one of the shows his assistant loses her life as a result of a tragic accident. Dr. Miracle gets intoxicated with the beauty of her transition to the eternal light. He is overcome by an overwhelming desire to relive this experience. In his quest he continually changes his appearance and gets mixed up with a mysterious world filled with sleep-walkers, lunatics and lost souls. Are we looking at light illusions? Or are we watching a detailed account of a series of ghastly murders?

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Dr. Miracle's Last Illusion was both a flamboyant and melancholic performance: full of suspense, but not lacking in humour or horror. The story was brought to life with enchanting scenes from operas and ballets by Bellini, Offenbach, Verdi, Wagner and Stravinsky. The show also pays tribute to the magic genres of opera and dance with their many often insane heroines. These muses - and victims - of Dr. Miracle are sung by the three vocal top-talents Martina Prins, Kristina Bitenc and Lucie Chartin and danced by Violet Broersma from De Dutch Don't Dance Division. Woedy Woet, multiple Dutch champion magician, plays the part of Dr. Miracle. Concept and production originate from OPERA2DAY's artistic leader Serge van Veggel.

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REACTIONS FROM PRESS AND AUDIENCE

'A hit!', 'artistic fusion at a high level' and 'the most accessible and spectacular production OPERA2DAY has staged so far'. These are some of the comments the production received from the critics. For an overview of reactions from press and audience, click here.

 

DR. MIRACLE'S LAST ILLUSION WAS MADE POSSIBLE THANKS TO:

Gemeente Den Haag
Fonds Podiumkunsten
VSBfonds
Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds
Fonds 21
Nationaal Theaterfonds
Fonds 1818
Rabobank Stimuleringsfonds Regio Den Haag
Fonds Schiedam Vlaardingen e.o.
NORMA-FONDS
M.A.O.C. Gravin van Bylandt Stichting
Cultuurschakel
De Groot Fonds
Dr. Hofsteestichting
Stichting F.S. Tijmstra
Stichting Elisabeth Strouven
Rabobank Drachten Friesland Oost, Fonds Coöperatief Dividend

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SUMMARY

During one of his shows the travelling illusionist Dr. Miracle discovers the mysterious world of life after death. As a result of a seemingly awkward accident he witnesses the death of a passer-by, a girl he asked to assist with a trick. While she dies Dr. Miracle catches a glimpse of the eternal light from the hereafter. He becomes obsessed with the surrender of a soul to death. He realises what he saw is what Isolde sings of in her Liebestod at the end of Wagner’s opera Tristan und Isolde. Greatly inspired he seeks for methods to simulate the transition from life to death and from consciousness to the unconscious. His first experiment is using a sedative which brings a pretty young lady in an ‘elevated’ but fatal dreaming state. His methods increase in cruelty as he tries to intensify the experience. As a self-appointed psychotherapist and exorcist he succeeds in driving women to insanity. He catches glimpse after glimpse of the eternal light, but he wants more. He is not able to resist the attraction of an unknown world. He takes a step farther and as a medium tries to make direct contact with the dead. Slowly but surely Dr. Miracle loses his grip on his macabre magic world. The line between reality and illusion gets blurred. The women that disappeared haunt him and reappear in his life. His conjuring with life and death seems to have opened the door to the hereafter a crack. Eventually his quest drives him to madness and forces him to go through the door and disappear into the eternal light.

REPERTOIRE
used in the performance:

Jacques Offenbach - Le Docteur Ox 

Jacques Offenbach - Les Contes d'Hoffmann 

Vincenzo Bellini - La Sonnambula

Isabelle Aboulker - Je t'aime

Giuseppe Verdi - Macbeth

Igor Stravinsky - L'Oiseau de feu

Ambroise Thomas - Hamlet

Gian Carlo Menotti - The Medium

Ernest Chausson - La Nuit

Richard Wagner - Tristan und Isolde

Bewaren

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CAST AND TEAM


Dr. Miracle
Woedy Woet

Soprano Lucie Chartin 

Soprano Kristina Bitenc

Soprano Martina Prins

Dance Violet Broersma De Dutch Don't Dance Division

Aereal Dance Femke Luyckx

Voice Dr. Miracle Tom Jansen

New European Ensemble

 

Concept and stage direction Serge van Veggel

Musical direction Hernán Schvartzman

Project development Alice Gubler

 

Dramaturgy and texts Minnekus de Groot

Composition and arrangements Daniël Hamburger

Research historical recordings Emlyn Stam, Hernán Schvartzman

Choreography Thom Stuart (De Dutch Don't Dance Division)

Illusions Woedy Woet

Scenography Herbert Janse

Light Uri Rapaport

Costumes Mirjam Pater

Hair and make-up Nienke Algra

Technical producer Ronald Tebra

Sound design Arne Bock

 

Photography campagn images Henk Bleeker

Scene photography Morten de Boer

Teaser and film Joris-Jan Bos

Trailer Sonia Herman Dolz and Saladin Afoh

Fundraising Dirk Evers en Bas van den Bosch

Dr. Miracle's last illusion

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Trailer Dr. Miracle's last illusion

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Director Serge tells about Dr. Miracle's last illusion

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Teaser Dr. Miracle's last illusion

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Dr. Miracle's muse talking

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Reactions after première Dr. Miracle

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No current calendar dates found for this production.

Wednesday 12 Apr 2017 - 20:15 HOUR

SPOT Groningen (Stadsschouwburg), Groningen


Addres: Turfsingel 86
City: 9711 VX Groningen
Phone: 050-3680368

Friday 07 Apr 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Stadsschouwburg Nijmegen, Nijmegen


Addres: Keizer Karelplein 32h
City: 6511 NH Nijmegen
Phone: 024-3221100

Friday 31 Mar 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Theater DNK, Assen


Addres: Weiersstraat 1
City: 9401 ET Assen
Phone: 088 012 88 88

Thursday 30 Mar 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

De Lawei, Drachten


Addres: Laweiplein 1
City: 9203 KL Drachten
Phone: (0512) 33 50 50

Sunday 26 Mar 2017 - 20:15 HOUR

Theaters Tilburg, Tilburg


Addres: Louis Bouwmeesterplein 1
City: 5038 TN Tilburg
Phone: 013 543 22 20

Saturday 25 Mar 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Wilminktheater, Enschede


Thursday 23 Mar 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

ATLAS Theater, Emmen


Sunday 19 Mar 2017 - 19:00 HOUR

Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam

Koninklijk Theater Carré


Addres: Amstel 115-125
City: 1018 EM Amsterdam
Phone: 0900 - 25 25 255 (€ 0,45 p/m)

Wednesday 08 Mar 2017 - 20:15 HOUR

Flint, Amersfoort


Addres: Coninckstraat 60
City: 3811 WK Amersfoort
Phone: 033 4229 229

Tuesday 07 Mar 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Theater aan de Parade, Den Bosch


Addres: Parade 23
City: 5211 KL Den Bosch
Phone: 0900 - 3372723

Wednesday 01 Mar 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Stadsschouwburg Utrecht, Utrecht


Addres: Lucasbolwerk 24
City: 3512 EJ Utrecht
Phone: 030-23 02 023

Friday 24 Feb 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

De Goudse Schouwburg, Gouda


Addres: Boelekade 67
City: 2806 AE Gouda
Phone: 0182 - 513 750

Thursday 23 Feb 2017 - 20:15 HOUR

Rijswijkse Schouwburg, Rijswijk


Wednesday 15 Feb 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Deventer Schouwburg, Deventer

Deventer Schouwburg


Addres: Leeuwenbrug 2
City: 7411 TJ Deventer
Phone: 0900 3000 200

Tuesday 14 Feb 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Parktheater, Eindhoven

Parktheater


Addres: Elzentlaan 50
City: 5615 CN Eindhoven
Phone: 040 - 2111122

Sunday 12 Feb 2017 - 19:00 HOUR

TAQA Theater De Vest, Alkmaar


Addres: Canadaplein 2
City: 1811 KE Alkmaar
Phone: 072-5489999

Saturday 11 Feb 2017 - 20:00 HOUR

Theater De Spiegel, Zwolle


Addres: Spinhuisplein 14
City: 8011 ZZ Zwolle
Phone: 0900-1435

Wednesday 08 Feb 2017 - 20:15 HOUR

Stadstheater Arnhem, Arnhem


Addres: Velperbinnensingel 10
City: 6811 BP Arnhem
Phone: 026 - 443 73 43

Sunday 05 Feb 2017 - 16:00 HOUR

Theater aan het Vrijthof, Maastricht


Friday 03 Feb 2017 - 20:15 HOUR

Theater aan de Schie, Schiedam


Addres: Stadserf 1
City: 3112 DZ Schiedam
Phone: 010-2467467

Sunday 11 Sep 2016 - 14:00 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Saturday 10 Sep 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Friday 09 Sep 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Thursday 08 Sep 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Wednesday 07 Sep 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Tuesday 06 Sep 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Monday 05 Sep 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Saturday 25 Jun 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Friday 24 Jun 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Thursday 23 Jun 2016 - 20:30 HOUR

Koninklijke Schouwburg, Den Haag

Koninklijke Schouwburg


Addres: Korte Voorhout 3
City: 2511 CW Den Haag
Phone: 088 356 5 356

Duration of the performance

About 90 minutes. There is no intermission.

Opening night

24 juni 2016 Den Haag

  • '

    Powerful sopranos, impressive illusionism and dreamy dance sequences

    '
  • Volkskrant
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