I'll Stay With You

• Date: 24 April 20:15 - 21:45
• Location: THEATER AAN HET SPUI (Zaal 1)

This spring, Toneelgroep Maastricht presents the stage version of Abbie Chalgoum's successful autobiographical book Ik blijf bij je (I'll stay with you), which he wrote together with Alwin Grijseels. Abbie himself plays the lead role and takes us back to his poignant past in which he tried to hold his own between two cultures from a young age. Directed by Michel Sluysmans, Ik blijf bij je promises to be a comforting and moving story about a man who fights all his life to belong and be seen for who he is.

In 1983, Abbie Chalgoum emigrated from Morocco to the Netherlands as a toddler. Thirty years later, he is the cuddly immigrant of Venlo; he is a beloved teacher at Valuascollege, plays in the Venlo Revue, becomes Prince Carnival, is on the electoral list of the PvdA in Venlo and steps into the shoes of Jesus during the Passion plays. He is the epitome of integration and life seems to smile at him. But then, in 2013, he experiences the darkest night of his life. He undertakes a suicide attempt that he narrowly survives. For what his exterior does not show are the destructive demons tearing him apart inside.

I Stay With You is an emotional and haunting story of an ever-growing threat. Abbie is gripped by a depression that won't let go of him. The disturbed relationship with his father, the voices in his head and his excessive drinking form the basis of this unprecedented tragedy with a happy ending.

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