The visions are an ordeal for Katinka. Not only are they accompanied by excruciating pain, the content is also no fun. The motherly voice that speaks to her at unexpected moments gives her a difficult task: to break the curse that rules the Islands of Treis Méres, which means that all “non-dragas” (also known as women) are only allowed to stay there for three days. have life. Within 72 hours they mature from baby to fertile woman to old berry. Only Katinka, for mysterious reasons, has the long life span of a “carrier” (man). “My daughter,” she hears in her visions; “pull out the roots of the disease that is destroying this world.” Whereupon Katinka drops to her knees and says: “Mother, I function very poorly under pressure.”
A mixture of Game of Thrones and TheOfficeis how Jip Smit describes her theater trilogy Motherland, the first part of which was published in 2022. The second part that Smit is now bringing to the stage – Motherland: Katinka strikes back – is again a combination of epic fantasy and dry humor. In the medieval-looking fairytale world that Smit has imaginatively devised, there remains room for recognizable silliness and human discomfort.
Because Katinka is “the chosen one”, but also an insecure and petty young woman with a great sense of self-pity. In this second part she must measure her leadership qualities against those of the mysterious hunter Selwin (Dorien van Gent). Lyrical, at times archaic lyrics alternate with passive-aggressive conversations such as you might hear in an office setting today. To critical questions about her rudderless leadership, Katinka answers: “If I understand you correctly, you want me to give even more input – right?”
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This fusion of fantasy with modern humor could quickly descend into complete blandness. But Smit manages to find a successful balance between the dark, serious elements of her fantasy world and well-written, quick jokes. The physical humor incorporated into the performance also provides lightness without going too far (with the exception of the few moments when Katinka spits into a helmet for a very long time, for example).
In addition, the players (in addition to Smit and Van Gent, there is another role for Teun Donders as the vengeful Crown Prince Ipsilon) have an admirable ability to play their characters with unwavering seriousness and dedication. Even when they suddenly perform a rather ridiculous act, such as Selwin pouring water into a stone bowl from a plastic drinking bottle during a solemn ritual, they do not lose that gravitas. As a result, you never step outside the reality created by Smit: her strange fantasy world is convincing, and despite all the corniness, you do take the theme (inequality, oppression, being different) seriously.
Add to that the interactive moments with the audience (who are assigned the role of Katinka’s animal army) and the juicy storylines full of revelations, betrayals and cliffhangers, and you end up with an immensely entertaining performance. At the end of the hour and a half Katinka strikes back takes, you are not actually ready to say goodbye to Katinka and her visions. Fortunately, the third part is yet to come.
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Tags: fantasy performance Motherland Katinka strikes chosen petty young woman
