A Belgian performer tells the story of his hero through a show opening in Dubai tonight.
Jacques Brel was a Belgian French-speaking singer-songwriter whose quality and style of lyrics continue to be highly regarded by leading critics of popular music 30 years after his death.
Cedric Vandenschrik is a Belgian French-speaking singer-songwriter whose passion for Jacques Brel's lyrics has brought him worldwide fame.
And after more than 12 years on the road, Vandenschrik has finally landed in Dubai to perform the show is wrote in celebration of the man he admires — Jacques Brel, Rough Diamond.
The show will be staged at the Madinat Theatre from tonight until February 2 from 8.30pm as part of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF).
Excited about his first performance of the musical, Vandenschrik said: "Brel's life was a great adventure. He lived intensely, following his feelings, his rebellions and his passions.
"His songs were stories, pictures, living tales of success, failures, adventures, friendship, dreams, disillusions, heartaches and pain, and I was inspired by him from an early age."
Avid fans
Brought up in a bourgeois family, Brel was an eccentric, author, composer, performer, actor, director who was renowned for always giving everything he had in whatever he did.
Vandenschrik was first introduced to his music at an early age as his parents were avid fans of Brel's songs, which were always sang in French.
Vandenschrik added: "My first real inspiration came when I was 14 years old and I really sat and listened to the words. I moved to South Africa as a youngster and realised many people listened to very poor translations of his songs and decided to try and improve the translations so people could really appreciate the depth of his lyrics and true meanings."
Simple goal
In 1995, after three months' hard graft, Vandenschrik and his pianist Stella Konik, took to the road with the new show which set out with a very simple goal: to present Jacques Brel's music, life and thoughts in a direct, minimalist, intimate way.
With more than 350 performances under his belt, Vandenschrik has proved irrevocably the timelessness and relevance of Brel's work.
The show has received critical acclaim all over the world and has been performed in places as far as Mauritius, Reunion, Ireland, Italy, Edinburgh, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Meet Cedric
Cedric Vandenschrik leads an internationally-experienced company, Wide-Eyed Productions, which stages shows for public and corporate entertainment including tribute shows, themed musicals, eclectic repertoire, original music, multi-lingual cabaret, or specifically written and crafted shows or songs. Vandenschrik is a prolific singer songwriter and producer who has been seducing audiences all over the world with his musical appearances in intimate, musical theatre to full-scale orchestral rock concerts.
Performing in English, French and Italian due to his multi-lingual background, Vandenschrik has found himself crossing from one musical style to another with great success.
Who was Brel?
Jacques Romain Georges Brel was born on April 8, 1929. His songs are not well known in the English-speaking world except in translation and through the interpretations of other singers, most famously Scott Walker. Others who have sung his work in English include Marc Almond, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, the Dresden Dolls, Terry Jacks, Nina Simone, and Beirut. In French-speaking countries, Brel is also remembered as an actor and director.
Brel was born in Schaarbeek, a district of Brussels, in Belgium, but lived most of his life in Paris. He died of lung cancer in Bobigny, in the suburbs of Paris, and is buried in the Marquesas Islands.
The show
The setting is simple: a pianist and a singer exposed to the audience.
Many of the songs are sung in the original French, but a clever script and some songs in English allow other nationalities to understand the meaning of the work and the flow of the show, bringing them closer to the true essence of Brel.
Cedric Vandenschrik's Belgian background is a variable which doesn't go unnoticed, since Brel himself was Belgian. This undoubtedly allows him to dive into the Brel character and expose his most intimate aspects.
Vandenschrik said: "When Jacques Brel left us, it was as though he took with him a little of the potential that lies dormant in each of us."
Tickets please
Tickets, priced at Dh150, are available from the Madinat Theatre Box Office. Visit www.madinattheatre.com
