Jim Bakkum belongs to many, but his name is certainly also connected to_grease_. The singer and actor played Danny Zuko, the legendary role of JohnTravolta in the 1978 movie classic, in the musical. It was a memorable tour inmany ways. Starting tonight, Bakkum is a jury member in the TV program_Seeking_ …
In live broadcasts, AVROTROS is looking for both ‘a new John Travolta andOlivia Newton John’ (the star who died in August starred in the film Sandy).Jim Bakkum looks at the candidates together with presenter, actress andmusical star Marlijn Weerdenburg and theater maker and musical connoisseurMaurice Wijnen with a (constructive) critical eye. Frits Sissing talks thingstogether traditionally. He also took on his familiar role in previous talentsearches for the leading roles of Evita, Joseph, Mary Poppins, Zorro and Maria( The Sound of Music ).
Jim Bakkum and talent shows
Subway said Jim Bakkum about Seeking… as the personification of grease_in the Netherlands. He played ‘Danny and Sandy’ in 2006 and 2007 with hiscurrent wife and mother of their children Bettina Holwerda. Another versionfollowed in 2015 and 2016 with a good Vajèn van den Bosch and a slightly lesssuccessful Tim Douwsma (thought _Subway anyway).
Jim, have you ever been on a talent show yourself?
Jim Bakkum sighs. And Jim Bakkum laughs.
That question is not serious, of course. In March it will be twenty (!) yearsago that Jim and the other final candidate Jamai experienced the most bizarrethings at the talent show of all talent shows, Idols. interviewed last year_Subway_ Jim Bakkum about his book The road to Bakkum. In it, the now35-year-old North Hollander took plenty of time to look back on that almostidiotic television period (millions of viewers, screaming teenagers on DamSquare in Amsterdam). Nevertheless, grease So. That’s what it’s all about onNPO 1 from tonight.
Is it nice to do live TV again with Looking for…?
Jim Bakkum: „Yes, I think we will have a nice winter. Since I played the roleof Danny Zuko myself, it makes sense that I get to sit in the jury’s chair.Not that I want to put myself above the candidates or anything, but I hope Ican at least give them something. Of course I’m in Seeking… with an opinionand I will not hide it. But I would like to convey my twenty years ofexperience and then in a normal way.”
By Grease world stars
Special that this time two leading roles are being sought…
“I think so too, but grease is of course not just one main role. Forexample, Sandy doesn’t have a bigger share than Danny, it’s really about thosetwo. John Travolta and Olivia Newton John both became world stars because ofthe film. It therefore feels logical that we are looking for two people in theprogram. We have never seen that before in the Netherlands. I think viewersare already going to make couples at home and see who fits together. Whicheventually happens, of course, because the participants also have to singtogether.”
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Candidates for Grease
Jim Bakkum gets sixteen grease talents presented. Now they are still(relatively) unknown, but not anymore after the coming Friday evenings.
- For the role of Sandy: Lya Luca, Dominique de Bont, Wendela van Sprundel, Magtel de Laat, Melissa Peters, Aimée de Pater, Imahni Tsolakis and Danique Graanoogst. * For the role of Danny: Victor Lammertijn, Paul Morris, Davy Reedijk, Dylan Meischke, Jarno Korf, Shay Lachman, Tristan van der Lingen and Jeffrey Zwaan.
Should the two also fit together? Or can the talents also play that they fitwell together?
“I rather go for two separate great people who can also play well. There mustbe some chemistry between the two, but they should at least be able to playthat they like each other. This applies to all musical roles in which you haveto pretend to be in love. I also didn’t really fall in love with all my co-stars, no matter how pretty and fun they often were.”
After one then…
“On one yes, Bettina of course. But not after that.”
Jim Bakkum, Bettina and the drama
We are then immediately at a miserable evening, at the end of February 2007.In the theater of Almere, the musical grease with Jim Bakkum and BettinaHolwerda. Evening after evening they drive onto the stage in a flashy car, butthat one time it goes wrong. The carriage does not stop and plunges off thestage and into the orchestra pit. The John Travolta and Olivia Newton John ofthat time are injured and are forced to stop their part in the musical for afew months. Bettina suffered a hand fracture, Jim a severe concussion and ashoulder blade injury. Luck in an accident: Jim Bakkum and Bettina Holwerdaget into a relationship that has lasted for almost sixteen years now.
That night at Grease ‘s will forever be with you.
Jim Bakkum: „Somehow that fall in the orchestra pit comes across as it_grease_ always goes back. Bettina also had a hand injury during rehearsals.It came in the door, so it wasn’t the season of the hand. The fall happened inthe middle of the tour, so that was bad. Coincidentally, I was in that theaterin Almere again last week to watch a performance. Then I have to think aboutit myself. That’s still difficult, because I can’t remember anything about theaccident. So it’s not trauma or anything. You only know it happened in thatplace and it’s a big thing in our life anyway. People often start talkingabout it, which I don’t mind. And it still came into it at the time _NOS News_also. Everyone seems to still know. Very strange, especially since I don’tknow anything about it myself. I’m especially glad it didn’t turn out evenworse. There could have been deaths if the orchestra had been set up in adifferent way.”
“Don’t judge by appearance anymore in this day and age”
“It was also in the NOS Journaal at the time. Everyone seems to still know.”
Back to Looking For… Does the one who will play Danny Zuko always focus onthat 1978 John Travolta?
“As a jury member, I am more likely to look at the Danny Zuko type. JohnTravolta put it first, that’s true. But you play Danny, not John. In any case,I think that in this day and age you should no longer judge someone by theirappearance. You don’t necessarily have to be a tall guy with dark hair to playhim. You just have to attitude have. Danny is macho, but you don’t have tobe a handsome man. A character that girls go to. That sounds superficial, butthat is Danny Zuko. We can’t get around that. The hearts of the women must gofaster because of his radiance. Sandy is a blonde girl in the movie. On_Seeking…_ girls from different backgrounds also participate. We are makinggood progress in that regard.”
All participants in Looking for… withpresenter Frits Sissing in the middle. Photo: Ruud Baan
Jim Bakkum does not want to hear school singing
Do you prefer to be blown away in Looking for… or do you also look with abusinesslike eye at those who could carry the musical Grease for a season?
“Both. I hope I get blown away because that makes me really happy. But most ofall I hope I’m blown away by authenticity instead of doing something rightwith schooly mannerisms. I’d rather hear something sung that comes out oftheir toes than something neat and tidy. I want to hear them, not what theylearned in school. And this Jim Bakkum can sit back and enjoy all the peoplefighting for a role. All I have to do is try to give the candidates somethingto say and advise the public who they should vote for. After all, the peopleat home decide who Danny and Sandy will be.”
Searching for… can be seen from tonight on Friday at 8.34 pm at AVROTROS onNPO 1. More information can be found on the AVROTROS website. The musicalGrease will go through the country with the new Danny and Sandy from April.Jim Bakkum is currently touring the country with the Frank Sinatra big bandshow Under His Skin until mid-January.