Soon after entering the room, when Lisa Ostermann has enthusiastically started a medley of Amsterdam folk hits, you are convinced of the talent of this 31-year-old comedian. Her singing voice, the sparkling appearance: this is an artist who won all prizes at the Leids Cabaret Festival in 2020.
The Amsterdam medley is a handy starting point for the story that Lisa Ostermann tells in her debut performance All together† As ‘Jordenese Trees’ she will sing songs at the spring festival in a nursing home. After performing for the elderly, Lisa is picked up by her driving instructor Danilo, a tough Amsterdammer who seems to know everything for sure in life. For example, there are more people in Lisa’s environment with firm convictions, while she herself is full of doubts.
The search for certainties rubs against the typical millennial theme, but luckily Ostermann manages to get a number of original jokes out of it. Gradually you will notice that not all stories are equally striking or fascinating. It goes in many directions, with audience questions about what constitutes a good relationship, pieces about Lisa’s divorced parents, female versus male comedians, maintaining friendships. Ostermann is often comical, but what is missed is the firm hand of a director who had applied a more logical structure. And also shortened the whole thing, because at 105 minutes the performance is on the long side.
The songs that Ostermann sings are strong, the highlight being the exciting song in which Lisa finds herself crying in the toilets of Disco Dolly. How she ended up there becomes clear thanks to a wide spreading lyrics, exciting electronic music and Lisa’s impressive vocals.
All together
Cabaret
By Lisa Ostermann.
9/5, De Meervaart, Amsterdam. Tour until 11/6, reprise in the autumn.
