Now that she has played a leading role in entertainment for forty years, colleagues take this for granted that no one doubts the future of Karin Bloemen. She continues to be asked for performances on TV, radio, on occasional stages and in theater settings. But she is also welcome in roaring banquet halls to make it cozy. Ten years from now she will still be standing there. Then know what she’s up to next. In her career she is irresistibly on her way to gold. What is striking is that she combines ‘small’ with ‘big’. She is undertaking her jubilee tour with the Metropole Orkest, a club with an enormous reputation. One evening later, however, she opts for a gossamer, intimate format with one specific accompanist, Cor Bakker, in Waar were we stayed. The question mark has been deliberately omitted. She keeps things exciting in terms of dynamics, sparkle and versatility. Handing in is not her forte. Do deliver. Always ambitious on the road, and not afraid to tackle something new. This includes commercial jobs, in contrast to artistically demanding projects. Paul van Vliet has a nice expression for such people. His song about a procession through time’ typifies what Karin Bloemen has encountered and picked up during all these years, privately and in work situations. Everything, including a family tragedy, a burnout and bankruptcy. Sometimes she went far in her drive. So far that she could no longer stand on her legs and had two brand new knees mounted in one operation in 2019. And yes, she whizzed across the stage again. Moreover, thanks to her, the famous costume designer Jan Aarntzen needed considerably less material. After all, she had lost 25 kilos and was able to start Souvenirs, a fresh show with a stylish combination of partly new and varied Dutch and international song repertoire. It became a concert with an appendix of comic characterizations. One of her best performances. If there were such a thing as a top 10, Souvenirs would be in the upper echelons, just below La Bloemen, from 1993 to early 1995. That program established her name as a maker of theatre. This was preceded by Bosje Bloemen and Karin in Concert. On television, her appearance with the North Holland fellow countryman Gerard Joling became legendary. The way she slapped him around the ears with a primal false imitation… Too crazy. This also applies to the rather exhausted, more or less legendary, combination with Adelheid Roosen. Two crazy girls in dialogues and sketches. It was fun until it wasn’t fun anymore. On the other side is a Bloemen who can have a meaningful conversation and who realizes what works on TV and in the room. In the confrontation with a professional like Cornald Maas, Karin recently told Volle hallen what the power of humor means and how vulnerable you are. ‘As if you are looking for an escape route to get away and still want to lend a helping hand by giving dark and light a place. It’s not a therapy session. People are not concerned with my pain. The question is: who do you want to be and do you dare to face your own demons?’ She is compellingly pure in the songs. The strongest copywriters in the Netherlands reside at the base. Karin Bloemen has a nose for it. Hence the names Jurrian van Dongen, the late Jeroen van Merwijk, Jan Boerstoel and Jan Beuving. South Africa and Ne me quitte pas in the language of the country are songs of reassuringly high quality. By the way, of exactly the same eloquence as No more child. Masterpieces. Her jubilee song With all my heart fits in with this. When we telephoned once, Bloemen reported as ‘Carolina Flores.’ I had to check twice before I figured it out. And now that we saw the musical Les Misérables last week, Karin’s parody from years ago flashes by. A deadly ironic version of Can you hear it sing on the street, the battle song of Enjolras, students and civilians. What also stuck is her appearance in a gaudy faux fur hat and a ridiculous costume, simply as a jury member on the insignificant television program Ice Masters. Great find, great effect. The star Jasperina de Jong was one of her examples. She sang the pretentious Minute Waltz with that terrifyingly high c. Karin Bloemen accepted the challenge. It became a creation. Finally: those who were there can talk about her debut. That was in 1983 in the musical De son by Louis Davids. A supporting role in the year she graduated. Not more than that. Although, startling. A career was born. PHOTO no. 20230 309 4690Karin Bloemen in 1983 – 1984, at the start of her career. PHOTO ANP/ANP PHOTO no. 20230 3094 715Karin Bloemen in 2007. Exuberant, after being awarded the knighthood of Oranje Nassau. PHOTO ANP/ANP KIPPA