Will Jan Kooijman’s career switch to musical actor be a success? That was certainly not his first TV appearance in that capacity. “I think he was a little nervous.”
Most people know Jan Kooijman as a soap opera in Good Times Bad Times and as a jury member in TV shows such as Dance Dance Dance, but now he takes a different tack. He will play the leading role in the musical Pretty Woman from next month and yesterday he first appeared in that capacity in ‘Musical Awards: the Kick-off 2023’.
Little voice
Nearly 800,000 saw on NPO 1 how Jan entered the Carré theater in Amsterdam dancing, singing and acting, but according to Show news the reactions were not exactly positive. “The casting director who cast Jan Kooijman really has to stop his/her job. What a tragedy,” it sounds, for example, on social media.
Viewers do not think Jan’s singing voice is good enough for the lead role in a musical. Someone else: “How can Jan Kooijman dance, eh? Oops, that is a very thin voice.”
Nervous
Eline de Ruig, Shownieuws’ new show connoisseur, doesn’t think it’s good either. “I think he was a bit nervous, because that didn’t go very well. There was quite a bit of criticism on Twitter as well, from: what can that man dance, and: cobbler stick to your reading. I think he just needs to get into his role for a while.”
Then Shownieuws shows the fragment of Jan and his ‘thin voice’. It’s actually not too bad, says photographer William Rutten. “Mia & Dion was worse, right?”
Big gamble
It is indeed not very bad, says Eline. “Yes, exactly. I am very much looking forward to this performance. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a hit on Broadway. The reviews are not too good there, but they are really going to make a whole new version of it here and I still think it will be a success.”
Evert Santegoeds: “It’s a gamble with him in the leading role, of course, isn’t it?”
Eline: “It is a gamble, but I also like it.”
Nervousness
It may just be nervousness, says Evert. “I can imagine that when you are standing there with the entire top of the musical world in the room, you are nervous. Well, that was a bit heard. Well, he still has a while before it premieres.”
Elaine: “Exactly. I’m sure that will be fine.”