Desire

In ‘Desire’ four queer men are on stage together. During what’s known as the ‘blue hour’, that transition period when night becomes day, they share their (unfulfilled) longings, thoughts, doubts and fears with each other and with the audience. The four men explore the different modes and perspectives of desire, and share those things we are normally too reticent to show. Some of the desires expressed are funny, because they’re so familiar or grotesque, or amount to commentary on the play itself. Others are instances of the characters seeking out ambiguity and vulnerability. By having the courage to expose themselves, they describe not just their personal desires but those of humankind in general. Don’t we all yearn to experience something, to be loved and feel connected?

‘Desire’ is tightly composed and divided into three parts: ‘I want’, ‘I don’t want’ and ‘I want’. The central part also deals with the antithesis of desire: fear and sorrow. It is striking that the thematic richness of the play is embedded in a remarkable formal and textual restraint. The language and phrasing of ‘Desire’ are simple but powerful, while the composition and repetition form a polyphony and evoke images that feel both intimate and universal. ‘Desire’ has been unanimously praised by the press in the Netherlands and Belgium, and was selected for the TheaterFestival 2024.