What happens when three young writers decide to resurrect Virginie Loveling, an almost-forgotten Flemish author? One word: heartbreak.
In their performance The Virginie Loveling Heartbreak Show, the hearts of Mees van Rijswijk, Johannes Lievens, and Marieke Ornelis are shattered—by bad boys, mommy issues, the nation state, zombies, and memories that stubbornly refuse to fade. In a mix of stories, songs, and poetry, the makers—who together form the collective Drie Dagen Fris—dive into literary history and, at the same time, into their own funny, dark, and ultra-secret dating pasts.
In her 1911 novel Een Revolver Schot, Virginie Loveling (1836–1923) tells the story of two sisters caught in a twisted love triangle with the same man—whom they eventually murder. Today, her tale of power struggles, family ties, and gendered violence feels more relevant than ever. The Virginie Loveling Heartbreak Show is an attempt to bring Loveling’s sensitive, groundbreaking work into the present through a fresh and fearless lens.
Because aren’t we still secretly exchanging sexy messages? Don’t we still love to romanticize our crush on public transport? And aren’t we, even now, still willing to go to the extremes—for love, until death do us part?
