JOHNNY & JONES Oper in one act and Five Scenes for Baritone (double roule), Tenor (double roule), Mezzo-Soprano, Man in Black Dress (silent), Flute + Afl + Picc, Cl + Basscl, Asax, Trp, Reb, Tb, Pno, Perc, StrTrio, Cb Music and idea by THEO LOEVENDIE Libretto by CAREL ALPHENAAR Premiere June 8, 2001, Stadsschouwburg

Director THEU BOERMANS Set designer BERNARD HAMMER Costume designer JORGE JARA Lighting designer GERHARD FISCHER Choreographer BAMBI UDEN Alexander/ Max Kannewasser (Johnny) : MARCEL BOONE André/ Nol van Wezel (Jones) : ARNOLD BEZUYEN Caroline van Zoelen MONIQUE : SCHOLTE Orchestra NIEUW ENSEMBLE Ed Spanjaard Co-production HOLLAND FESTIVAL

The two Dutch-Jewish entertainers Johnny & Jones ended up in the Westerbork transit camp in 1943; after stays in various concentration camps they were transported to Bergen-Belsen at the beginning of 1945. Loevendie relates the story alternating the present day with flashbacks in which the duo themselves are portrayed on stage. Two friends, Alexander and André, intend to write a book about the duo and about Caroline van Zoelen, who had succeeded in bringing the duo to her studio in Amsterdam in 1944 for a recording session/ Between the sessions Van Zoelen, who was in love with Nol van Wezel (Jones), tried to convince both of them to go into hiding. Van Wezel; hesitated, but finally goes along with Max Kannewasser's (Johnny) decision: many members of both their families are in the camp and he does not want to put them in any danger. Since the duo is highly popular and is allowed to perform often, Johnny thinks that they are safer in the camp than outside. During the interview with the now elderly Caroline, the question of guilt is raised: Caroline was prepared to sacrifice Max Kannewasser to save Nol's life. Whether she herself had collaborated remains unclear. Alexander is furious over Caroline's attitude and leaves his friend André alone with her. André realises as he reads the booklet accompanying the newly released CD that Johnny & Jones died in Bergen-Belsen shortly before the Liberation.

Johnny & Jones, Two Boys and an Opera Music documentary 55’ Hans Hylkema