A musical about Josephine Baker premieres at the old Luxor Theatre

Josephine Baker was born in the United States in 1906 but acquired French citizenship in 1937. She was much more than the first black superstar. As a spy, she joined the French resistance. On Sunday afternoon, 16 February, the musical Josephine B.- A Life in Revue about her life will premiere at the old Luxor Theatre. There is already a try-out on 15 February.

The dance in the spicy banana skirt was the big break in Paris for the American-born. After that, things moved quickly. In the early 1920s, Josephine made her debut on Broadway to become the first 'superstar' of colour. She wound a host of men around her finger but also used her name and fame to fight against racial discrimination. She adopted 12 children to show the world that skin colour and religion do not matter.

The Netherlands was not unknown territory for Josephine Baker. In 1928, she gave her first performances here including in Rotterdam. With Dutch writer and illustrator Piet Worm, she wrote the children's book The Rainbow Children in 1957. Inspired by her adopted children. She died in 1975 and in 2021 she was interred in the Pantheon in Paris, the place of honour for French greats. A special tribute because of her resistance work in World War II, commitment as an activist and her social importance in a broad sense.

With Channah Hewitt as Josephine Baker, Joey Ferré as Pepito de Abatino, Yannick Plugers, Martijn Vogel, Victor Marinus, Leo-Alexander Hewitt, Ryk Helle, Youri Ouwerkerk, Matthew De Bruyne and a five-piece live orchestra.