Kuifje — De Zonnetempel (De Musical) / Tintin - Le Temple du Soleil - Le Spectacle Musical
Premièred on the 15th of September 2001 at the Stadsschouwburg in Antwerp and based on the books The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun, this musical stage-show featured a score by Dirk Brossé and lyrics and scenario by Seth Gaaikema and Frank van Laecke. A French version was performed a year later, adapted by Didier van Cauwelaert.
Synopsis
- Image © Hergé Moulinsart.
Act One
In Peru, an expedition of seven scientists discovers the tomb of the Inca mummy Rascar Capac, and provokes the anger of the Sun God. A curse descends upon them. Meanwhile, Tintin and Snowy arrive on the train at Marlinspike. At the station, Tintin talks to a fellow traveller about the recent return of the Sanders-Hardiman expedition. The man says that desecrating the burial chambers of the Incas will end in trouble, just as the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb did. There appears to be something to this: five members of the expedition have already been mysteriously struck down.
Tintin and Snowy go to Marlinspike Hall, and come across Nestor. He says that Haddock is currently horse-riding, but shortly returns minus the horse. After a short talk with the Professor, Haddock tries to show Tintin a magic trick to turn water into whisky, which fails. Angry at not being able to do it, he takes Tintin to the music hall to see Bruno the magician perform the trick.
That evening at the music hall, Tintin and Haddock watch a performance by the opera singer Bianca Castafiore, which Snowy turns into an impromptu duet. Haddock storms out from the show, determined to avoid any more performances by the Castafiore. The next turn is Ragdalam the fakir and Yamilah the clairvoyant perform; after a few novelty predictions, Ragdalam asks Yamilah to tell him about a woman in the audience, Mrs Clarkson. Yamilah says that Mrs Clarkson is married to a photographer, and that he has been struck down by the curse of Rascar Capac. Mrs Clarkson leaves the show with her daughter, Fleur, after she receives a message that her husband is indeed ill. It is the turn of the magician, and Haddock stumbles onto the stage with a stage prop of a cow's head on his, after having got lost backstage trying to find his way out.
Tintin, Haddock and Calculus go to the home of Professor Hercules Tarragon to protect him, as he and Calculus had been students together. The detectives Thompson and Thomson have also been sent to protect Tarragon. Tarragon reveals the mummy of Rascar Capac, and Tintin reads the prophecy that the expedition found in his tomb. A storm comes, a ball of lightning comes down the chimney, destroys the mummy and Tarragon realises that the prophecy is true. He is struck down by the curse.
At the hospital, Fleur and her mother sit by the bed of Clarkson. Tintin arrives following Tarragon's attack, and Fleur asks him to help her papa. Tintin promises to, and leaves the hospital, whilst Fleur reassures her mother that everything will be alright because Tintin will help them. In the garden, Calculus mysteriously disappears following his donning the bracelet.
Later at Marlinspike, Haddock is depressed because of Calculus' disappearance. Castafiore, her accompanist Igor Wagner and her maid Irma, arrive at the Hall. She announces that she'll be staying there for a period. Haddock and Tintin manage to escape and head to the docks, where they discover that Calculus has been spotted on the Pachacamac and is heading to Peru. They catch a flying boat to Peru, and as it flies into the sunset, the curtain closes on Act One.
Act Two
In Peru, Tintin and Haddock ask whether anyone has seen Calculus, but are met with "No sé" at every turn. They intervene to stop two men bullying a child, Zorrino - a street orphan. Whilst they bathe his knee, Tintin makes him a little boat out of newspaper. Zorrino reveals that he knows where Calculus is - he has been taken to the Temple of the Sun! Zorrino leads them on a perilous trek to the temple. On the journey, Snowy is taken by a condor and has to be rescued by Tintin.
Meanwhile, the Thompsons have found Calculus' pendulum and attempt to use it to locate him. They mistake the indications given by the pendulum, and travel to the North Pole and meet an Eskimo, the Far East and Scotland. Eventually they realise that the pendulum is directing them to Peru, where Tintin and Haddock are, and head off in pursuit.
Tintin, Haddock and Zorrino reach a waterfall. Zorrino and Haddock cross without incident, but as Tintin crosses, with Snowy in his rucksack, the rope snaps and they fall through the waterfall. He survives the fall and Haddock and Zorrino join him on the other side of the waterfall, in a subterranean cavern. At the same time, an Incan ceremony is taking place. Suddenly, Tintin, Snowy, Haddock and Zorrino crash through a hidden door in the wall.
They are blindfolded, and the Great Inca declares that their punishment for profaning the temple is to die at the stake, but grants them one last wish: they are allowed to choose the day and hour of their deaths. Zorrino is separated from the others, visits them in their cell, and gives the little boat to Tintin. He reads the newspaper and finds their salvation. Tintin tells the Incan guard that they wish to die in eighteen days' time. When the day comes, they are bound to the stake on the funeral pyre whilst a ceremony takes place. The Thompsons arrive, having finally found Calculus; they are also tied up. As they are about to be burnt, Tintin 'commands' the Sun; everything goes dark as the Moon moves in front of the Sun's face. Tintin reveals to a startled Haddock that he read about the solar eclipse in the newspaper!
The Great Inca begs Tintin to make the Sun show its light again, and he does so. The Inca sets them free, as they have the favour of the Sun. Tintin asks for the curse of Rascar Capac to be lifted, and in Europe the explorers awake, to the delight of Mrs Clarkson and Fleur. Back in Peru, the Great Inca adopts Zorrino, and as everyone comes together, the cast takes their bows. The curtain falls.
Scenes and songs
Act One
- The Incan cave, Peru - Rascar Capac
- The railway station - Tintin et Milou
- Marlinspike Hall - Rien dans les manches
- The music hall - Ah, je ris (duo pour diva et chien) ; L'hypnose; Rien dans les manches (reprise); Les 7 boules de cristal
- Tarragon's library - La valse des professeurs; Contrôle total
- The hospital - Contaminées; Tintin, aide nous
- Tarragon's garden - Soleil; Promenade avec Calculus
- Marlinspike Hall - Le rossignol milanais ; Tonnerre de Brest
- The docks - Tonnerre de Brest (reprise)
Act Two
- The market at Callao, Peru - No sé; Contrôle total (reprise); L'empire des riches
- Castafiore's dressing room / the journey - La vie est un opéra ; Snowy et moi
- The telephone box - Le pendule
- Castafiore's dressing room / the jungle - Feu de joie
- The waterfall
- The Temple of the Sun - Rascar Capac (reprise); Le Temple du Soleil; Prière de Zorrino
- The prison - Adieu au whisky; Le bateau-journal
- The pyre - Le bûcher; Soleil (Finale)
Cast
Tintin - Tom Van Landuyt (NL) / Vincent Heden (FR)
Snowy - Zohra & Zina
Haddock - Henk Poort (NL) / Frayne McCarthy (FR)
Castafiore - Jacqueline Van Quaille (NL & FR)
Thomson - Chris Van den Durpel (NL) / François Langlois (FR)
Thompson - Guido Naessens (NL) / Franck Vincent (FR)
Calculus - Frans Van den Aa (NL) / Jacky Druax (FR)
The Great Inca - Chris De Moor (NL) / Pierre-Yves Duchesne (FR)
Tarragon - Ernst Van Looy (NL & FR)
A brief history
- Kuifje - De Zonnetempel (De Musical) [Antwerp, 2001]
Written in Dutch, the show was first performed at the Stadsschouwburg on the 15th of September 2001. It starred Tom Van Landuyt [see photograph] as Kuifje (Tintin) and Henk Poort as Haddock. Bob De Moor's son, Chris, played the Great Inca. Its final performance was on the 17th of February 2002. It was professionally filmed and later broadcast on Canal+ with added digital effects.
- Tintin - Le Temple du Soleil - Le Spectacle Musical [Charleroi, 2002]
A straight French-language adaptation of the original show by Didier Van Cauwelaert. It starred Vincent Heden as Tintin and Franye McCarthy as Haddock. It was privately filmed for archival purposes and has never been generally released.
- Tintin - Le Temple du Soleil - Le Spectacle Musical [Paris, 2003 - cancelled]
A 'souped up' version of the Charleroi show. Some songs existed in new incarnations (most notably Tintin et Milou, Soleil and Milou et Moi), possibly remixed to increase the likelihood of radio airplay. Patrick Rocca had joined the team as the new Haddock. However, in October 2003 - a couple of months before it was scheduled to première - it was cancelled. Rumours circulated regarding the cause : it was generally agreed that a main investor had pulled out. As a result, the show was pulled, the multimedia marketing campaign for nothing and thousands of advance ticket purchases to be refunded.
Discography
See our Tintin Audio Releases page
Text © Richard Wainman. Used by permission. Image © Hergé Moulinsart.
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