Genres and atmospheres, operateske dada blues punk pop, a high-pitched voice, dark beats and theatricality make spring of this grandly intimate spectacle.
The band The Unrequired Love of Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe and Laurens Mariën release an LP and an electronic concert that navigates between a spectacle and a love ritual. Fluctuating genres and atmospheres, operatesque dada blues punk pop, a highpitched voice, dark beats and theatricality make spring of this grandly intimate spectacle. Together with dancer Hanako Hayakawa and writer Louise van den Eede, they cherish hope for a different society where people find each other around poppy fires, where spectacles have a liberating primal force, where all possible forms of love constantly exchange costumes.
“... a piece of unadulterated magic. Meirhaeghe's impressive stage presence and his breathtaking vocal range has something to do with this. ... He combines pure operatic vocals with blues, intimate jazz and a sweep of screaming rock. This is passion kneased into music - 'operatic dada-blues-punk pop' - that cannot be tamed into a genre. ... Spectacles is a spectacular delight for every heart.”
Els Van Steenberghe - Focus Knack **** - 01.09.2021
“Benjamin is a hallucinatory talent. It’s a creator, a composer, a singer. … Benjamin plays both in the Flemish Opera and in the Vooruit. He is going to change things. … Spectales is a punk pop dada blues opera that plays with genres, with ambiances and dreams of a better word.”
Julien Broquet - Focus Vif – 02.09.2021
“His universe is baroque, grotesque, excessive, but also: beneficant, embracing, conciliatory. After two decades of theatre with sober forms and an explicit political approach, it seems that with Meirhaeghe there is again an enthusiasm for form and repertoire research, for play, for ensemble and above all: for theatre of doing instead of saying. For theatre that, if all goes well, prefers the politicising power of a daze to dry reflection. Celebrating there is an act of defiance.”
Evelyne Coussens - De Morgen - 09.09.2021
Credits
- Concept | Direction | Performer • Benjamin Abel Meirhaeghe
- Concept | Composition | Performer • Laurens Mariën
- Concept | Dramaturgy • Louise Van den Eede
- Dramaturgy • Louise Van den Eede
- Styling • Paule Josephe
- Mixing • Jasper Segers
- Musicians recording • Mattias De Craene / Lander Gyselinck / David Nuwami
- Dance • Hanako Hayakawa
| Location | Dates | Hour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| De Parade (Amsterdam) +31 (0)20 2386393 Show on map | 9/7/2021 9/7/2021 9/7/2021 10/7/2021 10/7/2021 11/7/2021 12/7/2021 12/7/2021 13/7/2021 | - 21:00 17:30 17:30 21:00 17:30 17:30 21:00 17:30 | |
| De Studio (Antwerpen) +32 3 202 46 46 www.destudio.com Show on map | 12/8/2021 | 19:00 | |
| Kunstencentrum Vooruit (Gent) https://www.vooruit.be/ Show on map | 28/8/2021 29/8/2021 | 21:00 21:00 | |
| Ancienne Belgique (Brussel) +32 2 548 24 84 https://www.abconcerts.be Show on map | 9/9/2021 | 20:00 | |
| REWIRE festival (Den Haag) https://www.rewirefestival.nl/ Show on map | 10/9/2021 | - | |
| Kaap vzw (Brugge) +32 50 33 05 29 www.kaap.be Show on map | 2/10/2021 | 20:30 | |
| Pilar (Brussels) https://pilar.brussels/ Show on map | 7/10/2021 | 20:00 | |
| Handelsbeurs Gent (Gent) +32 9 265 91 60 http://www.handelsbeurs.be Show on map | 15/2/2022 | 20:15 | |
| CC De Schakel Waregem (Waregem) +32 56 62 13 40 www.ccdeschakel.be Show on map | 19/2/2022 | 21:00 | |
| Kunstencentrum nona Mechelen (Mechelen) +32 15 20 37 80 www.nona.be Show on map | 25/2/2022 | 20:30 | |
| Muziekcentrum TRIX (Antwerpen (Borgerhout)) +32 3 670 09 00 www.trixonline.be Show on map | 18/3/2022 | 19:00 |