Soldier of Orange (Dutch: Soldaat van Oranje) is a Dutch musical production, based on the true story of resistance hero Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema. In the 1970s, he wrote his experiences during World War II down in a book and director Paul Verhoeven made it into a 1977 film, starring actor Rutger Hauer.
The musical premiered on 30 October 2010, in a theatre that was purpose-built for the production: the TheaterHangaar on the former Valkenburg air base in Katwijk (in an old hangar). Queen Beatrix attended the premiere together with Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema's widow, Karin.Soldier of Orange is produced by NEW Productions, which is a subsidiary of investment company Amerborgh Nederland.
In the autumn of 2020, an English version of Soldier of Orange was set to premier in a newly build Royal Docks Theatre near London City Airport but the plans were postponed in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic started.
It was announced that the show is will be stopping on the 14th of July in the way they preformed it for over 13 years. The new show will be making his debut on September 11th.
Student Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema and his friends are carefree, until the Germans invade the Netherlands in the early days of May 1940. The war changes everything. They can no longer take friendship and love for granted. Everybody has to make choices. Fight for the country and for freedom? Focus on studying and deny what's going on? Or join the enemy?
The book of Hazelhoff Roelfzema, with the title Cave of the Rattlesnake (Dutch: Het hol van de ratelslang), was published in 1970. It reappeared a year later under the title Soldier of Orange. Paul Verhoeven created a film version in 1977. Rutger Hauer played the character Erik Lanshoff, based on the resistance hero.
Soldier of Orange – The Musical brings the true story to the theatre. After World War II starts, Erik decides to flee to Britain. He smuggles transmitting equipment to the Netherlands and, as a pilot, is involved in bombing Germany. He becomes adjutant for Queen Wilhelmina and receives the Military William Order ('Militaire Willems-Orde'), the highest royal honour in the Netherlands, for his contribution to the resistance movement.
Producer Fred Boot obtained the rights to turn the story into a musical in 2005, after meeting Hazelhoff Roelfzema the year before.
Scriptwriter Edwin de Vries wrote the musical script. American duo Tom Harriman and Pamela Philips Oland was responsible for composition and lyrics. Dutch actor and composer Frans van Deursen translated the lyrics from English into Dutch.In 2008, Boot asked theatre producer Robin de Levita to join him. Director Theu Boermans joined the team in 2009.
The show takes place in a former flight hangar, that is converted into a theatre. The location of the so-called TheaterHangaar is former military airport Valkenburg between Wassenaar, Katwijk en Leiden, a suitable, historical place. A foyer with a bar and restaurant is placed in front of the hangar.
Producer Robin de Levita invented a new theatrical performance solution for Soldier of Orange – The Musical: a rotating auditorium in the center of a venue with 1100 seats. He named it SceneAround. The auditorium is placed on a turntable. The audience rotates from scenery to scenery, accompanied by 180 degree projections on panel screens around the auditorium. Both the auditorium and the screens are motorized and automated. The set is built around the auditorium. Almost every scenery has its own set. There is even a ‘sea’ and the runway of the airport is also part of the set.
Queen Wilhelmina returned to the Netherlands with a Dakota. The Dakota C-47 was made available for the musical by a Dutch museum and was taken to Valkenburg in August 2010. Shortly after midnight, the plane got stuck in an overpass. It was too damaged to have it repaired on time for the premiere. The Dakota PH-ALR ‘Reiger’ from 1939 that's being used in the production now, was delivered on 23 September 2010.
| Part | Cast I: 2010/2011 (From 10 October 2010 'til 31 July 2011) | Cast II: 2011/2012 ('til14 February 2012) | Cast III: 2012 (From 14 February 2012 'til 31 may 2012) | Cast IV: 2012/2013 (From 1 July 2012) | Cast V: 2013 ('til 31 July 2013) | Cast VI: 2013/2014 (From August 2013 'til 5 January 2014) | Cast VII:2014 (From 28 Jan 2014 'til July 2014) | Cast VIII:2014 (From 15 August 2014) | Cast IX:2015 (From 28 January 2015) | Cast X: 2015 (From July 2015 t/m 3 January 2016) | Cast XI: 2016 (From February 2016) | Cast XII: 2016 (From August 2016) | Cast XIII: 2017 (From January 2017) | Cast XIV: 2017 (From August 2017) | Cast XV: 2018(From February 2018) | Cast XVI: 2018(From August 2018) | Cast XVII: 2019 (From January 2019) | Cast XVIII: 2019 (From August 2019) | Cast XIX: 2020 (From February 2020) | Cast XX: 2020 (From September 2020) | Cast XXI: 2021/2022 (From 1 October 2021 ’til 10 July 2022) | Cast XXII: 2022/2023 (From 18 august 2022 ’til 8 January 2023) | Cast XXIII: 2023 (From 17 February ’til 16 July) | Cast XXIV: 2023/2024 (From 25 august 2023 ’til 7 January 2024) | Cast XXV: 2024 (From 16 February 2024) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema | Matteo van der Grijn | Julian Looman | Dragan Bakema | Matteo van der Grijn, Robbert van den Bergh(alternate) | Matteo van der Grijn, Jord Knotter(alternate) | Matteo van der Grijn, Stefan Rokebrand(alternate) | Stefan Rokebrand, Dorian Bindels(alternate) | Dorian Bindels, Niels Gooijer(alternate) | Dorian Bindels, Jonathan Demoor(alternate) | Dorian Bindels, Thomas Cammaert(alternate) | Valentijn Benard | Valentijn Benard, Jonathan Demoor(alternate) | Sebas Berman (aug-sep), Theo Martijn Wever, Alex van Bergen | Theo Martijn Wever, Alex van Bergen | Alex van Bergen, Valentijn Benard | Alex van Bergen, Theo Martijn Wever | Alex van Bergen, Alexander Schuitema | Alex van Bergen, Alexander Schuitema, Jonathan Demoor | Alexander Schuitema, Milan Sekeris | Jonathan Demoor, Dirk van den Brand | ||||||
| Charlotte | Loes Haverkort,Marlijn Weerdenburg | Linde van den Heuvel | Bente van den Brand | Loes Haverkort,Bente van den Brand | Merel Baldé,Lindertje Mans | Merel Baldé,Bente van den Brand | Linde van den Heuvel,Melissa Drost | Eva van der Post | Willemien Dijkstra | Cathalijne de Sonnaville | Diana van Die | |||||||||||||||
| Queen Wilhelmina | Catherine ten Bruggencate,Anke van 't Hof, Petra Laseur | Anne-Wil Blankers, Sylvia Poorta, Truus te Selle | Trudy de Jong, Marisa van Eyle, Myranda Jongeling | Catherine ten Bruggencate, Myranda Jongeling,Anne-Wil Blankers, Betty Schuurman | Catherine ten Bruggencate, Myranda Jongeling, Sylvia Poorta, Marisa van Eyle | Juul Vrijdag, Jacqueline Blom, Myranda Jongeling, Marisa van Eyle | Juul Vrijdag, Jacqueline Blom, Sylvia Poorta, Myranda Jongeling | Anne-Wil Blankers, Olga Zuiderhoek, Juul Vrijdag, Myranda Jongeling | Gusta Geleijnse, Myranda Jongeling | Juul Vrijdag, Olga Zuiderhoek, Gusta Geleijnse,Sylvia Poorta | Gusta Geleijnse, Henriëtte Tol, Myranda Jongeling, Juul Vrijdag | Henriëtte Tol, Myranda Jongeling, Sylvia Poorta | Juul Vrijdag, Debbie Korper | Henriëtte Tol, Myranda Jongeling | Debbie Korper, Wivineke van Groningen | Henriëtte Tol, Gusta Geleijnse | Henriëtte Tol, Wivineke van Groningen | Henriëtte Tol (until November 2019), Wivineke van Groningen, Debbie Korper | Debbie Korper, Barbara Pouwels | Sylvia Poorta, Barbara Pouwels, Henriette Tol | Debbie Korper, Barbara Pouwels | |||||
| Anton Roover | Oren Schrijver | Reinier Demeijer | Robbert van den Bergh,Oren Schrijver(alternate) | Robbert van den Bergh,Thijs Steenkamp (alternate) | Maarten Heijmans | Kevin Schoonderbeek | Thomas Cammaert | Ayal Oost | Thomas Cammaert, Ayal Oost | Jonathan Demoor | Roel Dirven | Lars Mak | Thijs Miedema | Bart van Veldhoven | Stefan de Kogel | |||||||||||
| Chris de Vries | Boy Ooteman | Thijs Steenkamp,Boy Ooteman | Thijs Steenkamp | Thijs Steenkamp,Xander van Vledder | Boy Ooteman | Zjon Smaal | Sjoerd Oomen | Dennis Willekens | Marcel Harteveld | Ludo van der Winkel | Jim Leijen | |||||||||||||||
| Fred van Houten | Tijn Docter | Xander van Vledder | Harpert Michielsen | Xander van Vledder | Kevin Schoonderbeek | Anne Prakke | Anne Prakke,Kevin Schoonderbeek | Anne Prakke | Joost Claes | Kevin Schoonderbeek | Ruben Brinkman | Jelle de Jong | Beau Schneider | Folkert van Diggelen | Alex van Bergen, Folkert van Diggelen(alternate) | Alex van Bergen, Folkert van Diggelen | ||||||||||
| Bram Goudsmid | Jorrit Ruijs | Reinier Schimmel | Rutger Bulsing | Rutger Bulsing,Jorrit Ruijs | Jorrit Ruijs | Roel Dirven | Roel Dirven,Jorrit Ruijs | Roel Dirven | Sjoerd Spruijt | Matthijs Pater | Eli ter Hart | |||||||||||||||
| Paul ten Brink | Kes Blans | Joey Schalker | Joey Schalker,Niels Gooijer | Rutger Bulsing | Daan Colijn | Alex van Bergen | Tomer Pawlicki | Marijn Klaver | Jasper van Hofwegen | Johnny Barendsen | Danny Westerweel | Ruben Kuppens | Jochem Smit | Eli Rietveld | Hayo de Kruif | |||||||||||
| Victor Versteegen | Ad-Just Bouwman | Raymond Paardekooper | Noël S. Keulen | Guido de Wijs | Johnny Barendsen | Valentijn van Hall | Johnny Barendsen | Ewout Heijbroek | ||||||||||||||||||
| Ada | Anne Lamsvelt | Christine de Boer | Christine de Boer,Anne Lamsvelt | Christine de Boer,Karolien Torensma | Karolien Torensma,Anne Lamsvelt | Sophie Schut | Sophie Höppener | Mirtele Snabilie | Lotta Sophie Bakker | Margo Verhoeven | Marle Martens | Lisse Knaappen | Julia Lammerts | Dagmar Rijff | ||||||||||||
| François van 't Sant | Nico de Vries,Bart de Vries | Bart de Vries,Edwin de Vries(alternate) | Bart de Vries,Nico de Vries(alternate) | Bart de Vries | René van Zinnicq Bergmann,Nico de Vries | Nico de Vries, Maarten Wansink | René van Zinnicq Bergmann,Nico de Vries | Mark Rietman,Huub Stapel, Nico de Vries, Kees Hulst | Nico de Vries,Jaap Spijkers, Harpert Michielsen, Raymond Paardekooper | Hajo Bruins, Jaap Spijkers, Bert Geurkink | Peter Tuinman, Bert Geurkink Raymond Paardekooper | Hajo Bruins, Raymond Paardekooper, Jaap Spijkers, Bert Geurkink | Raymond Paardekooper Wil van der Meer Howard van Dodemond | Raymond Paardekooper, Peter Tuinman | Raymond Paardekooper, Paul R. Kooij, Nico de Vries | Peter Tuinman, Raymond Paardekooper | Reinier Bulder, Peter Bolhuis | Raymond Paardekooper, Genio de Groot | Raymond Paardekooper, Peter Bolhuis | Raymond Paardekooper, Genio de Groot | Tijn Docter, Raymond Paardekooper | |||||
| Hofdame Tessa | Margreet Boersbroek | Melissa Drost | Melissa Drost,Margreet Boersbroek | Jennifer van Brenk | Vérie Thijssen | Sandra Jonkman | Cathalijne de Sonnaville | Dominique de Bont | Charlotte van der Plas | |||||||||||||||||