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Few people have followed Ivo van Hove's trajectory as closely as David Willinger. Indeed, it was Willinger who published the first articles on the director's initial production, Rumors, in The Drama Review and the Flemish newspaper De Standaard. A small-scale production, Rumors was initially neglected by the press. Only when Willinger, who was researching the theatre in Belgium, drew attention to the outstanding quality of the performance did Flemish reviewers flood the small auditorium. It marked the beginning of Willinger's life-long fascination with Ivo van Hove's work, a fascination that has now resulted in a richly documented book that spans the director's entire career.
Although technically an "edited collection," the bulk of the volume is written by Willinger himself. His contributions consist of two major parts: the first considers different thematic motifs in van Hove's oeuvre, while the second presents performance analyses of fifteen key productions. Willinger's contribution is followed by five essays in which other scholars focus on one or more of the major productions.
Through the course of his two parts, Willinger considers the entirety of van Hove's career, from its early beginning in Antwerp, to his artistic leadership of Zuidelijk Toneel and the direction of the Holland Festival, right up to his current role as the director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam (now Internationaal Theater Amsterdam). Never falling into the trap of idolatry, Willinger does not shy away from considering the difficulties that have cropped up in van Hove's career. In particular, his early years as head of Toneelgroep Amsterdam were turbulent, with an ensemble that could not cope with his more distant style,...