Page 153 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - The Netherlands

ENTER T AINMENT IN A MSTERD A M  151

performances in large halls
and aircraft hangars. The
musical dramas of Orkater
appear mainly at the
Stadsschouwburg and the
Bellevue Theater. Summer
outdoor the ater can be
seen in the Vondelpark (see
pp124–5) and the Amsterdamse
Bos (see p193), a sprawling
woodland park on the edge
of town.

Disco in the Heineken Music Hall
For most Amsterdammers, rock Hove. The annual highlight for
and pop are synonymous with opera, theatre and dance is the
two venues. Paradiso, which Holland Festival, held from late
has hosted the Rolling Stones, May to June. It overlaps with
Prince, David Bowie and other the International Theatre School
international music stars, is Festival, whose experimental
housed in a converted church drama pops up at De Brakke
just off Leidseplein, while Grond and Frascati.
Melkweg occupies a former The chief musical theatre is
dairy nearby. Both offer a the Koninklijk Theater Carré The Art Deco Tuschinski Theatre, a luxurious
varied and enter taining diet (see p139). It stages box-office cinema experience
of rock, pop, dance, rap and hits such as Les Misérables
world music. and Miss Saigon. De Kleine
Mega-concerts are booked Komedie, a magnificent Cinema
into the 50,000-seat Amsterdam 17th-century building on Film fanatics are well looked
ArenA, and headline acts the Amstel river, is a favourite after, with more than 40 cinemas
sometimes play at the more venue for cabaret groups. in town. Foreign language
intimate Heineken Music Hall. Stand-up comedy has gained films are shown in the original
As a multicultural society, the in popularity, led by the language with subtitles. The
Netherlands is a natural breeding hilarious English-language leading Dutch filmmaker is
ground for world music. Tradi- routines of Boom Chicago. Amsterdam-born Paul Verhoeven
tions from West Africa and the Experimental theatre can (of Basic Instinct fame). He
West Indies, Indonesia, Suriname be found at a range of venues returned to his homel and to
and Turkey come together in including Westergasfabriek, shoot Black Book, the highest-
this fascinating melting pot. a converted former gas works grossing Dutch film ever.
Akhnaton is a cultural centre in a lovely park setting. The Cinema programmes change
with a potent cocktail of company De Dogtroep stages every Thursday, so check the
Caribbean, African and Arabic offbeat street theatre, while website www.filmladder.nl. De
music. De Badcuyp, in the lively Theatergroup Hollandia has Filmkrant is a free monthly film
Pijp district, plays with salsa, won great acclaim with its magazine with complete listings.
tango, African music and other
dance options. In bars such as
Café Nol and De Twee Zwaantjes
you can enjoy traditional Dutch
folk music smartlappen and
mingle with the locals.

Theatre and Cabaret
The heart of the country’s lively
theatre scene is in Amsterdam.
The premier venue is the
Stadsschouwburg (see p116),
home to the Amsterdam
Theatre Group and led by the
imaginative director Ivo van Musicians providing entertainment in the Vondelpark

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