Review: DOLFJE WEERWOLFJE, A MODERN MUSICAL FOR KIDS at Goudse Schouwburg

'I give it a 9 out of 10!' 'No, 9,5!' 'Why not a ten?' I asked my little nephew and niece. 'It wasn't scary. I wished it was scary.'

Well, maybe they were not thát honest, because from the first moment of the show, that started with howling of the wolves in a dark theater, they snugged in to their seats.

Since that moment there was a clever interpretation of the books about Dolfje Weerwolfje (Dolf the Werewolf), from bestseller children's literature author Paul van Loon. A musical that shows that it's not strange, to be different.

Petrified

On the night of Dolf's seventh birthday, he asks himself what's gonna happen to him. He feels different. Not like the rest of the kids at school. He's not really loved. Well, little Timmy and his parents love him. Ok - and Noura, the pretty girl from his school, but she doesn't tell it out loud, of course. He looks into the light of the full moon and experience a terrible itch. There is hair growing on his hands. Long, white hair. He gets a tail: he's becoming a werewolf. He stands in his room, petrified. When Timmy wants to congratulate him, he's shocked. Why is there a wolf in Dolf's room, with small, round glasses?

Chickens in the coop

In 75 minutes we discover some of Dolf's adventures. Wrapped in smart songs and with lots of interaction. We see that he can't control himself when he sees the chickens in the coop of his neighbor. Also we find out who that strange man who pops up on stage: his grandfather. And what happens when a wolf gets in trouble? You have to howl the code: short - short - long. And Dolf did notice that: over six hundred little wolves were howling in the theatre. The writer grins.

You have to be yourself

Twenty years after the first Dolfje Weerwolfje and it's still a big success. You can change the subject of the wolf for something else; a child with overweight, a girl that loves to play soccer or a boy that wants to play with dolls and you know where it is all about: you have to be yourself. And if that's a little different - well, that's okay. And to attract thousands of children to the theatre, isn't that just prodigious? Dolfje Weerwolfje runs for a couple more months in The Netherlands. For more information or tickets: www.rep.nu

Photo credits: Peggy de Haan

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