The death of Benny Simmons

In this magical realist production, a young boy tries to sabotage his own death in order to avoid leaving his family behind. When Benny Simons witnesses a street fight, he intervenes. Suddenly, the aggression turns against him, and he is stabbed. After his abrupt death, he watches his family slowly unravel; his brother, mother, and girlfriend become lost in their anger, grief, and the emptiness that has emerged. In this vibrant and musical performance, Benny - now that he's no longer here - grapples with the question of how he can ensure that the people he loves the most don’t lose each other in a world where it is so easy to become lost.

The Death of Benny Simons marks the theatrical debut of filmmaker Shady El-Hamus. Similar to his films, this production features a protagonist with grand dreams who is suddenly thrown off balance. Shady El-Hamus achieved significant success with his film debut De Libi (Gouden Kalf for Best Screenplay) and was the first Dutch filmmaker to release a Netflix movie: Forever Rich. His third film, Crypto Boy, premiered on Netflix in 2023.

Lead actor Daniël Kolf starred in De Gliphoeve, the acclaimed production by Orkater in 2021. Previously, he portrayed the main character in Shady El-Hamus' successful film debut De Libi. He was nominated for a Gouden Kalf for his role in El-Hamus' Netflix film Forever Rich. [Source (Original or ML Translation): Internationaal Theater Amsterdam]