In a beautiful, moving performance, Waas and Heerschop tell about their friendship

In March 2021, comedian Viggo Waas was struck by a cerebral infarction while playing sports. It was all right, but Waas (now 60) recovered and is back on stage, together with Peter Heerschop (62). The best friends share a thirty-year theatrical past through their cabaret group NUHR. As usual, Waas is playing full of energy and enthusiasm. ‘I just sometimes have a bit of trouble articulating,’ he says about it at the beginning.

Heerschop and Waas have created a very beautiful, funny and moving performance about the phase their friendship is in. The decor has a beautiful Droste effect: we see a kind of rehearsal room with a small raised stage. There, Peter and Viggo are working on their new performance. On the right is a cupboard with attributes, on the left a large wheel to which they occasionally give a pendulum to choose a scene.

They play short, usually striking scenes at a fast pace. Such as ‘The boxing duel’, in which a marital quarrel is fought, or ‘The diary’, in which Heerschop reads from the diary of Waas’ mother. The highlight is a magnificent scene in the nightclub, strongly designed with light and sound effects, in which an old man (Heerschop) tries in vain to act hip and youthful to a young woman (Waas).

Between skits, the men discuss serious matters and get to the heart of their relationship. What does it mean to be a good friend? What is it like to be dependent on the other? When were Heerschop and Waas really happy? Well chosen is also the line around the play Waiting for Godot. Two men in bowler hats wait and cherish the hope that something very beautiful can always happen.