Waiting for the Barbarians

With Waiting for the Barbarians, the Dutch Reisopera, Club Guy & Roni, and the Noord Nederlands Orkest bring a large-scale music theater production to the stage. The 2005 opera by Philip Glass, with a libretto by Christopher Hampton based on the novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner J.M. Coetzee, is rarely seen and marks the start of the international Glass at 90 celebration.

A gripping story about power, fear, and exclusion,

Waiting for the Barbarians revolves around the boundary between 'us' and 'them.' What happens when fear of an unknown enemy grows ever stronger? And what remains of humanity when control and oppression take over? Philip Glass's music mirrors this tension. His recognizable minimal music is mixed in this opera with a variety of musical colors, almost acting like a film score beneath the story. The Noord Nederlands Orkest performs the music live at every performance.

Energy, dance, and an alienating theater world

Director Guy Weizman and choreographer Roni Haver, the artistic leaders of Club Guy & Roni, bring singing, dance, and visuals together in a physical and visual staging. Large scaffolds that resemble bunkers and imaginative, alienating costumes define the stage.

In addition to the opera singers, the dancers from Poetic Disasters of Club Guy & Roni and the choir of Consensus Vocalis are on stage. Dancer Nora Monsecour, known as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance, plays the sister of the Barbarian Girl.

International top soloists and live orchestra

For this production, an international cast has been assembled, including Charlotte Hellekant and Dutch soprano Lilian Farahani as the Barbarian Girl. Sander de Jong, Wessel Wirken, Tinka Pypker, and Fabian Homburg are also part of the cast.

Together with dancers, choir, and the Noord Nederlands Orchestra, Philip Glass’ rarely performed opera gets a new theatrical form where music, movement, and visuals constantly interact with each other