Premiere report: the theater tour of Kaj Gorgels
Saturday evening 8:00 PM. The De La Mar Theater is packed. Quite impressive, you want to enjoy the most important weekend hours of famous Amsterdam. Not everyone can pull that off, but that bouncy ball from Roffa snaps his fingers twice and we come in large numbers. Damn, then you know you're a success story.
The occasion is Kaj Gorgels’ theater tour ‘Effe Relativeren’, a one-man show that he could only dream of as a small, busy grape, although it seems that more dreams have come true in the past year. And that Televizier Talent Award. And Expeditie Robinson. And former Miss Netherlands Jessie Jazz by his side. Well, the fact that Kaj is going like a cruise missile is putting it mildly.
What is this show actually about, you might wonder. In ‘Effe Relativeren’, Kaj actually gives a brilliant insight into the life of a late twenty-something. Because yes, what exactly should you be doing at this age, huh? Do you remain the eternal bachelor or do you settle down?
Dress code? In pajamas. Yep, Kaj loves a crazy party. An average theatergoer would probably have a stroke if they could look into the room now. Bathrobes, onesies, jogging suits, and unicorn slippers are flying around you. He himself arrives in a bathrobe, although he takes it off within two minutes. ‘Wow, it's hot in here.‘ The ice is broken and for the next two hours, we have nothing else to do but sit back in our jogging suits and watch – and laugh.
Halfway through the premiere, there is a moment of panic. Kaj feels lightheaded, expresses that, and walks off the stage. Uh, this is part of it, right? No? At the moment his manager and shortly after Jessie go after him, we realize it's serious. Silence in the room. Five minutes later and ten sips of cola later, he comes back on. We clap. And we understand. A busy schedule, tension, bright lights, two hours of bouncing on stage; it's no small feat. How he turns the situation around in two seconds into a joke is sublime. Especially in times of crisis, you can see if someone has talent. When it was handed out, Gorgels was at the front.
Good. What do we laugh the hardest about in the audience? When he mocks his life as a ‘social influencer’ (and his Insta-girlfriends, hi Mo). When he describes an afterparty in Ibiza – with the necessary chemicals in his blood. When he mimics a sexual act that an average cabaret artist would need so much guts to do. Believe me: look a little less at that phone and give yourself a kick in the butt towards the theater. You'll get a stomach ache from laughing. You'll need to pee.
Kaj, cheers to your success, buddy. You deserve it.
