She manages to link minor personal stories to major recognisable emotions, universal longings and global anxieties. She is very good at describing neuroses, and what greater behavioural patterns or personality traits lie behind that. Her characters are always hurt and highly sensitive. In stead of shielding themselves, they continue to live with all their senses wide open. They are brave, they want to break through barriers, to fight against themselves and the world.They are actively in search of happiness, even though they haven’t the slightest idea what it is or where they might find it. Therefore, they are very often theatrical, tragic characters. In addition, we also very much like her sense of humour, that is harsh and yet sweet, a bit feeble and yet very smart, mad and mind-expanding.
For Rail Gourmet, Annelies Verbeke has again created special characters, which she has brought together in a universe full of parallel worlds. A railway station in Brussels becomes a metaphor for all those worlds in which people pass each other by without any real contact. We show characters who nevertheless have relationships in this environment and who try to save them, or who still manage to get in touch with each other for a moment. It provides crepitating sparks. Moments of high tension as these characters are all very emotionally charged, and for a moment find a way out.
actors Maartje Remmers, Wine Dierickx, Matijs Jansen, Walter Bart
script Annelies Verbeke
dramaturgy Jeroen Versteele
music Jens Bouttery
design Maarten van Otterdijk
coproduction Rotterdamse Schouwburg
in collaboration with KVS
thankfully deBuren, Rail Gourmet Belgium
