Lennox

“Lennox soon wanted to be brave. And as soon as possible. He was ready for that now. For a boy who wasn’t brave yet, Lennox luckily looked pretty cool.”

Lennox is eleven years old. He knows that his father suffers from a mysterious illness. When he is on his way to the Invisible Hospital and discovers that his father has forgotten his lucky necklace, with a pendant in the shape of a golden sickle, he decides to go with his girlfriend Aya to look for the Invisible Hospital where his father has an appointment that day. But when he finally arrives there after his wonderful search, Lennox appears to have lost the pendant along the way.

RIGHTABOUTNOW INC. and the Dutch National Opera adapt the exciting children's book Lennox and the Golden Sickle into a dynamic hip-hop opera. A musical story about courage, friendship, and the discovery that your world becomes bigger when you know more.

For the original book, author Zindzi Zevenbergen received the Silver Griffel in 2022; illustrators Hedy Tjin and Brian Elstak won the Silver Brush. Their lively illustrations are a great source of inspiration for the look and feel of this performance.

Multi-instrumentalist and producer Bnnyhunna (Benjamin Ankomah) is writing his first opera with Lennox. For his music at the intersection of jazz, gospel, afro and hip hop, he received the Buma Music In Media Award in 2023. For Lennox's composition, Bnnyhunna is collaborating with Neo Muyuanga, the composer of Hoe ANANSI de stories of the world bevrijdde.

The Dutch National Opera has been working with RIGHTABOUTNOW INC. for several years, including for the annual celebration of Club RIGHTABOUTNOW x Keti Koti. Lennox will be the first full performance as a joint co-production.

Maarten van Hinte (2023 Playwriting Award) is adapting the book into an opera libretto, Benjamin Ankomah (aka Bnnyhunna) is composing the music, and Marjorie Boston is directing this special project. Boston and van Hinte, Dutch pioneers of hip-hop theater, were also responsible for the successful stage adaptation of TORI, another children's book by Brian Elstak. Lennox and the Gouden Sikkel are collaborating with IXL Sickle Cell Awareness, a foundation that strives to raise awareness of sickle cell disease.