17 Oct

20:00

Haventheater IJmuiden

Dokweg 43-45 1976 CA, IJmuiden

A musical tribute to 't Mandje, the legendary Amsterdam pub run by Bet van Beeren, a safe haven for those who had nowhere else to go.

You Don't Have to Tell Me How to Live

More info & tickets

On Amsterdam's Zeedijk stood this small, smoky pub where the rules of the outside world briefly didn't apply. Behind the bar: Bet van Beeren. A landlady who didn't care about anything and opened her café to everyone who had nowhere else to go.

In 'You Don't Have to Tell Me How to Live,' 't Mandje comes back to life. Amidst the beer glasses, the jukebox, and the nightly chaos, we meet some of the people who found their home there. Joep, for example. Flamboyant, loud, and preferably in the spotlight. If anyone wants to show the world who he is, it's him. Marie came to Amsterdam with dreams of dance and glitter but ended up in the city's raw nightlife. And Rob? He supposedly comes to the capital from the Noordkop for work but discovers a side of himself in 't Mandje he never had words for. There is dancing, arguing, flirting, and mourning, while outside, the world slowly changes. From the first steps towards visibility to the dark years of the AIDS epidemic.

With a live band, well-known Dutch-language songs, and a café that for one evening buzzes like it used to, 'You Don't Have to Tell Me How to Live' is a bold, warm, and moving tribute to a place where everyone can be themselves.

So come on in and take a seat at Bet's bar!