In this televised theater play by John Lanting's Theater van de Lach, Rich girl and would be painter Helène van Galen (Arnica Elsendoorn) is celebrating her birthday at the family mansion. Stuck up Aunt Ada (Bep Westerduin) orders overworked butler Jacobs (Dick Scheffer) to keep an eye on her wheelchair bound brother Johan (Flip Heeneman). His daughter Helène has invited some of her artistic friends for her birthday and wants her suitor Cornelis the art critic (Paul van Oort) to stay the weekend. However, the party is is only used as a backdrop (and the obligatory excuse to have all sorts of people drop in unannounced). Johan is looking for for the last living relative of his former employee Theo Bastenberg. That's why his boring lawyer Pijper (an underused Bram Biesterveld aka Pommetje Horlepiep), who secretly has a crush on Ada, is present. Enter Sleazy accountant Leendert Holleman from Hoogezand (a typecast Lex de Regt) with dumb as a donkey yokel Bennie Bastenberg (John Lanting). Bennie stands to inherit the hefty sum of one hundred thousand guilders, but only in case he's the last living Bastenberg. Naturaly Holleman wants to get his hands on at least half the amount. Both men are asked to stay for the weekend and dress up for the party.
Sneaky Jacobs the Butler wants a piece of the action too and starts blackmailing Holleman in return for all kinds of services. Then Bijnand Bastenberg, the posh twin brother Bennie never knew existed (also John Lanting), arrives on his own from Wassenaar. He's already wearing a tux, and arrives just as Bennie is putting on a tux of his own. The only difference between the two of them is a cap and a change in accents, although Holleman keeps asking them how much equals two and two (only Bijnand knows the answer). Meanwhile, Johan Van Galen, adamant that his daughter will not get engaged to her art critic, wants Bastenberg to occupy her all weekend long. To start off the patented mix-ups, Holleman introduces Bennie as the new "Johan Sebastiaan Rembrandt" to Ada instead of Helène. Ada wants to be painted in water colors as a birthday present for her niece. Of course Bennie misunderstands. He is after all a simple interior decorator, but with all the painters and art critics around, you can guess where this subplot's going.
Lanting gets to shine during a couple of set peaces: the silly painting scene is followed by one of his specially choreographed tango sequences. When Bennie's wife Truida arrives with the announcement that she's pregnant, the nasty Butler comes up with a plan to knock the woman out with sleeping tables. Meanwhile, Bijnand (the slightly smarter twin) has been posing as Bennie and finds himself falling for Helène. Not wanting the inheritance to end up in Bijnands hands, Holleman asks Jacobs for horse tranquilizer pills and almost gets knocked out himself. By the time Bijnand is drugged, Benny is punch drunk. Just when Holleman and Jacobs have both twins locked up in different rooms, a third Bastenberg, Thijs from Rotterdam (Lanting times three) arrives on the scene. This one smokes pipe, is the smartest of the three and has a crooked streak and a tendency to pickpocket. By this time Jacobs only has some hunting dog tranquilizers left to get rid of the unwanted Bastenberg. Also, Cornelis the critic is hatching a cunning plan of his own to get Helène back. It all gets so complicated that people have to start explaining things to the female characters in order to help the audience along.
In the final act everything resolves around the documents in Arnold Pijper's briefcase (poor Pommetje had been sitting backstage doing nothing for most of the play). We are reminded that Pijper is supposed to be in love with Ada, but she's been knocked out by mistake somewhere off stage. Naturally Bennie has to dress up in drag while Jacob swipes Pijper's glasses. Nasty Thijs with his loose fingers does his best to get the inheritance all to his own, and to see John Lanting (aided by one stunt double) play three different parts who are continually thrown into closets and chests only to reappear on another part of the stage with a different accent really makes this farce stand out above the usual Theater van de Lach fare. Just when Johan van Galen finally catches on and decides to grant all three Bastenbergs10.000 guilders. Yet another brother, Marcel Bastenberg from Brussel, arrives on the scene. No wonder their old Theo man left this Earth so soon. He must have been exhausted.
8 out of 10
Sneaky Jacobs the Butler wants a piece of the action too and starts blackmailing Holleman in return for all kinds of services. Then Bijnand Bastenberg, the posh twin brother Bennie never knew existed (also John Lanting), arrives on his own from Wassenaar. He's already wearing a tux, and arrives just as Bennie is putting on a tux of his own. The only difference between the two of them is a cap and a change in accents, although Holleman keeps asking them how much equals two and two (only Bijnand knows the answer). Meanwhile, Johan Van Galen, adamant that his daughter will not get engaged to her art critic, wants Bastenberg to occupy her all weekend long. To start off the patented mix-ups, Holleman introduces Bennie as the new "Johan Sebastiaan Rembrandt" to Ada instead of Helène. Ada wants to be painted in water colors as a birthday present for her niece. Of course Bennie misunderstands. He is after all a simple interior decorator, but with all the painters and art critics around, you can guess where this subplot's going.
Lanting gets to shine during a couple of set peaces: the silly painting scene is followed by one of his specially choreographed tango sequences. When Bennie's wife Truida arrives with the announcement that she's pregnant, the nasty Butler comes up with a plan to knock the woman out with sleeping tables. Meanwhile, Bijnand (the slightly smarter twin) has been posing as Bennie and finds himself falling for Helène. Not wanting the inheritance to end up in Bijnands hands, Holleman asks Jacobs for horse tranquilizer pills and almost gets knocked out himself. By the time Bijnand is drugged, Benny is punch drunk. Just when Holleman and Jacobs have both twins locked up in different rooms, a third Bastenberg, Thijs from Rotterdam (Lanting times three) arrives on the scene. This one smokes pipe, is the smartest of the three and has a crooked streak and a tendency to pickpocket. By this time Jacobs only has some hunting dog tranquilizers left to get rid of the unwanted Bastenberg. Also, Cornelis the critic is hatching a cunning plan of his own to get Helène back. It all gets so complicated that people have to start explaining things to the female characters in order to help the audience along.
In the final act everything resolves around the documents in Arnold Pijper's briefcase (poor Pommetje had been sitting backstage doing nothing for most of the play). We are reminded that Pijper is supposed to be in love with Ada, but she's been knocked out by mistake somewhere off stage. Naturally Bennie has to dress up in drag while Jacob swipes Pijper's glasses. Nasty Thijs with his loose fingers does his best to get the inheritance all to his own, and to see John Lanting (aided by one stunt double) play three different parts who are continually thrown into closets and chests only to reappear on another part of the stage with a different accent really makes this farce stand out above the usual Theater van de Lach fare. Just when Johan van Galen finally catches on and decides to grant all three Bastenbergs10.000 guilders. Yet another brother, Marcel Bastenberg from Brussel, arrives on the scene. No wonder their old Theo man left this Earth so soon. He must have been exhausted.
8 out of 10