 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Kuifje – De Zonnetempel" De Musical – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(June 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| Kuifje – De Zonnetempel De Musical | |
|---|---|
 Original Cast Recording | |
| Music | Dirk Brossé |
| Lyrics | Seth Gaaikema Frank van Laecke |
| Book | Seth Gaaikema Frank van Laecke Didier van Cauwelaert |
| Basis | The Adventures of Tintin comicsThe Seven Crystal Balls andPrisoners of the Sun byHergé |
| Productions | 2001Antwerp |
Kuifje – De Zonnetempel, subtitledDe Musical, is a 2001Belgianmusical in two acts with music byDirk Brossé, lyrics and scenario bySeth Gaaikema andFrank van Laecke, based on two ofThe Adventures of Tintin byHergé:The Seven Crystal Balls (1948) andPrisoners of the Sun (1949). It premièred inAntwerp in September 2001 in Dutch, and was translated into French and premièred a year later inCharleroi asTintin – Le Temple du Soleil.
Note: This refers to the musical itself, not the books, and therefore use the Dutch names – English equivalents are given.
An expedition of seven scientists, theSanders-Hardiman expedition, discovers the tomb of theIncanmummyRascar Capac and provokes the anger of the Sun God. Acurse descends upon them. Meanwhile, Kuifje (Tintin) and Bobbie (Snowy) arrive on the train at Molensloot (Marlinspike), and Kuifje talks to another traveller about the recent return of the expedition fromPeru. He says that all will end badly, desecrating the burial chambers of the Incas likeTutankhamen's – five members of the expedition have already been mysteriously struck down.
Kuifje and Bobbie go to Kasteel Molensloot (Marlinspike Hall) where Kapitein Haddock (Captain Haddock) lives, and they meetNestor the butler. He says that Haddock is currently horse-riding, but he shortly returns minus the horse. Haddock introduces their old friend Trifonius Zonnebloem (Professor Calculus), and then tries to show Kuifje a magic trick to turn water into whisky, which fails. Angry at not being able to do it, he takes Kuifje to the music hall to see Bruno the magician perform the trick.
That evening at the music hall, Kuifje and Haddock watch a performance by the opera singerBianca Castafiore, which Bobbie turns into an impromptu duet. Haddock storms out from the show because of Castafiore's singing. Ragdalam thefakir and Yamilah theclairvoyant perform after Castafiore; after a few novelty predictions, Ragdalam asks Yamilah to tell him about a woman in the audience, Mevrouw Heining (Mrs Clarkson). She says that her husband is aphotographer, and that he has been struck down by the curse of Rascar Capac. Mevrouw Heining leaves the show with her daughter, Fleur, when she receives a message that her husband is indeed ill. The magician's act is on, and Haddock stumbles onto the stage with a stage prop of a cow's head on his, after having got lost backstage trying to find his way out.
Kuifje, Haddock, and Zonnebloem go to the home of Professor Hippòlytus Bergamot (Professor Hercules Tarragon) to protect him, as he and Zonnebloem were students together. Thedetectives Janssen and Jansen (Thomson and Thompson) have also been sent to protect Bergamot. Bergamot reveals the mummy of Rascar Capac, and Kuifje reads theprophecy that the expedition found in his tomb. A storm comes, aball of lightning comes down the chimney, destroys the mummy, and Bergamot realises that the prophecy is true. He is then struck down by the curse like the others.
At the hospital, Fleur and her mother sit by the bed of Heining. Kuifje arrives following Bergamot's attack, and Fleur asks him to help her 'papa'. Kuifje says he will, and leaves the hospital, whilst Fleur reassures her mother that everything will be alright because Kuifje will help them. In the garden, Zonnebloem mysteriously disappears following his donning the bracelet.
Later at Molensloot, Haddock is depressed because of Zonnebloem's disappearance. Castafiore, heraccompanistIgor Wagner, and hermaidIrma arrive; Castafiore announcing she will be staying for a period. Haddock and Kuifje manage to escape and head to thedocks, where they discover that Zonnebloem has been spotted on the shipPachacamac and is going to Peru. They catch aflying boat to Peru, and as it flies into the distance, the curtain closes on Act One.
InPeru, Kuife and Haddock ask whether anyone has seen Zonnebloem, but are met with "No sé" ("I don't know") from everyone. Kuifje and Bobbie intervene to stop two men bullying a child. The child,Zorrino, reveals that he is an orphan living on the streets. Kuifje cheers him up by making him a little boat out of newspaper. Zorrino reveals that he knows where Zonnebloem is – he has been taken to the Zonnetempel (theTemple of the Sun). Zorrino leads them on a trek to the temple, with many perils against them. Bobbie is taken by acondor, and Kuifje climbs to the top of a cliff to look for him. He is attacked by the condor and, hanging onto its legs, is carried to the ground where he discovers Bobbie.
Meanwhile, the Janssens have found Zonnebloem'spendulum and attempt to use it to locate him. They mistake the indications given by the pendulum, and travel to theNorth Pole and meet anEskimo, to theFar East, and toScotland. Eventually they realise that the pendulum is pointing to Peru, where Kuifje and Haddock are, and head off in pursuit.
Kuifje, Haddock and Zorrino reach awaterfall. Zorrino and Haddock cross without incident, but as Kuifje crosses, with Bobbie in his rucksack, the rope snaps and they fall through the waterfall. He survives the fall and Haddock and Zorrino join him on the other side of the waterfall, in acavern. At the same time, an Incan ceremony is taking place. Suddenly, Kuifje, Bobbie, Haddock and Zorrino crash through a hidden door in the wall.
They are blindfolded, and the Grote Inca (the Great Inca) declares that their punishment for profaning the temple is to die at the stake, but grants them one last wish : they are allowed to choose the day and hour of their deaths. Zorrino is separated from the others, visits them in their cell, and unfolds the little boat that Kuifje had made him. Kuifje reads the newspaper and finds their salvation. He tells the Incan guard that they wish to die in eighteen days' time. When the day comes, they are bound to the stake on the funeral pyre whilst a ceremony takes place. The Janssens arrive, having finally found Zonnebloem; they are also tied up. As they are about to be sacrificed, Kuifje "commands" theSun; everything goes dark as theMoon moves in front of the Sun's face. Kuifje reveals to a startled Haddock that he read about thesolar eclipse in the newspaper!
The Grote Inca begs Kuifje to make the Sun show its light again, and he does so. The Inca sets them free, as they have the favour of the Sun. Kuifje asks for the curse of Rascar Capac to be lifted, and in Europe the expedition members awake, to the delight of Mevrouw Heining and Fleur, who thank Kuifje. Back in Peru, the Grote Inca adopts Zorrino, and as everyone comes together, the cast takes their bows. The curtain falls.
|
|
The show boasts an orchestral score composed byDirk Brossé with lyrics bySeth Gaaikema and performed by HetNationaal Orkest Van België (the National Orchestra of Belgium). There are around twenty different songs in the show, and a few reprises. The two main themes that run throughout the show are Haddock's (first heard when he performs the trick with the whisky, later heard in full at the docks) andDe Zon, or Kuifje's theme, sung first after his leaving the hospital and as a finale.
TwoCDs were released for the actual show – the first, a single ofDe Zon released on 9 April 2001 featured the actors playing Kuifje and Haddock, and a children's choir plus aninstrumental version of the song. It also contained interactive features and some desktop wallpapers.
The second CD (released on 2 October 2001) was a full cast album for the show, containing 18 studio-recorded songs sung by the original cast. Most songs were present in their full versions as heard in the show, in the correctchronological order.
However, four songs were omitted completely – one,Wandelen in de zon met Zonnebloem takes place in the garden of Bergamot's villa; two others are sung by Castafiore and are heard at Molensloot in the first actDe Milanese Nachtegaal, and in her dressing room in the second actHet leven is als een Opera. The last one is Bruno's songNiets in mouw that lasts about 30 seconds in the show. None of the reprises were recorded for the cast album.
A third CD released in 2002 contained a thirteen-minute orchestral suite based on some of the songs appearing in the show. The music was performed by theJWF Military Orchestra, conducted byJørgen Jensen. It is listed in the Audio Releases section below.
A fourth CD was recorded in 2007 during a try-out in Kursaal Oostende. This recording has 19 tracks and is different than the second CD. It also includes three of the songs that were omitted from the original cast album, these beingWandelen in de zon met Zonnebloem,De Milanese Nachtegaal andHet leven is als een Opera, but at the same time omits the songDe Professorenwals. 2 Radio tracks were added (Kuifje en Bobbie / De zon) so the total tracks on this CD is 21.
The show features an incredible array ofspecial effects and imaginativestaging, including :
The show itself is two hours and ten minutes long, excluding the interval. It was professionally filmed for Dutch television and broadcast in its edited form onCanal+, in widescreen. It featured additional digital effects, such as bats flying during the descent into the tomb. The edits removed some of the delays inevitable with a live show, and a couple of sequences such as Zonnebloem and Bergamot's waltz (but still appeared on the CD), which in the live show was necessary as a 'stage wait'.[citation needed]
It has never seen a repeat broadcast or a commercial release, although personal recordings circulate amongst fans.
In 2007 the musical came to stage again this time with Jelle Cleymans as Kuifje, first in Het nieuwe Luxor inRotterdam, The Netherlands, from May 22 until June 17, and then from July 8 until August 19 in Oostende, Belgium. Then finally it returned to Antwerp, where it was performed from October 18 until its final, November 1.[3][4]
The show was adapted as aFrench performance that premièred atCharleroi in 2002 asTintin – Le Temple du Soleil – Le Spectacle Musical. It was also scheduled to be performed inParis at theHippodrome d'Auteuil on 8 November 2003, but was cancelled due to production difficulties.
Released in a cardboard sleeve with accompanying leaflet advertising booking for the show. The CD features interactive content such as lyrics and desktopwallpapers.
Packaged in ajewel case with 24-page booklet containing full lyrics and cast photographs.
The second track is anorchestralsuite composed of excerpts from the songs on the cast album, namelyRascar Capac, Als het kampvuur brandt, De professorenwals, Vriendschap tot het eind der tijden, De brandstapel &De Zon (finale). The suite's running time is 13:31.
Radio tracks
Packaged in ajewel case with 24-page booklet containing full lyrics and cast photographs.Tracks 1–19 were recorded live on May 12, 2007, in Kursaal Oostende.
