On 5 December, a dream will come true for Eindhoven comedian Gerrie Smits. And it has nothing to do with Saint Nicholas.
On the evening of Sinterklaas* (Saint Nicholas), he will be performing his own cabaret show in Parktheater. It is a performance with a smile and a tear, in which all kinds of subjects from his own life are discussed. “I have diabetes, that is also included. But it is not a show about diabetes because fortunately most people do not have diabetes. It should also be a fun evening for that. It has a lot of recognisable things. For example, I go back to the past, and it is also about the death of my father”.
Tongelre
His youth in Tongelre is also reflected in the program in various ways. “A working-class neighbourhood where very little work is done, I always say. People were not well off. And neither were we at home. That is why I think it is nice to see that even though I come from Tongelre – I had a perfect youth there, in which I learned a lot that I can perfectly apply in daily life – and on top of that, perform in Parktheater”.
Gerrie has been performing in halls, primary schools, libraries and community centres for fourteen years. To make it to Parktheater, he needed something extra. That’s why he gave 36 free performances throughout Brabant ‘to build up an audience’. “And I succeeded. People who saw my previous show last year come back. So that’s perfect”.
Ritual
To make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible, Gerrie has a fixed ritual for the performance. He puts – as he himself says – his ‘energy in the hall’. “That sounds very vague, but if I don’t do it, I notice that I miss the connection with the audience for the first fifteen minutes”.
For more information: Agenda Parktheater Eindhoven
Translated by: Bob
Ed.~ *Sinterklaas: The feast of Sinterklaas celebrates the name day of Saint Nicholas on 6 December. The feast is celebrated annually with the giving of gifts on St. Nicholas’ Eve (5 December) in the Netherlands and on the morning of 6 December.
