Rum and Coca-Cola – Izaline Calister
Theatre concert Rum and Coca-Cola by singer Izaline Calister is performed at Theater Ludens in The Hague. The show combines live music with stories about the Caribbean during the Second World War, including an interval drink.
What do you actually know about the Second World War in the Dutch West Indies? For most people, it remains a blind spot. Izaline Calister came across an old songbook from her father's estate and became fascinated by the world behind it. She knew the melodies, but the context was missing. That sent her digging.
She learned about German submarine attacks in Caribbean waters, the strategic importance of oil refineries on Curaçao and Aruba, and the arrival of American troops on the islands. That presence brought prosperity and tension in equal measure. The islanders danced to calypso, tumba and reggae, but also had plenty to say about their new American neighbours. The protest song Rum and Coca-Cola captures that ambivalence better than any history lesson.
Izaline Calister at Theater Ludens The Hague
In this theatre concert, Calister weaves music and personal stories together. She takes you to an era of fear and celebration, occupation and dance, cultural clashes and unexpected connections. The tropical rhythms come alive, and so do the stories behind the songs. The result is a show that makes history tangible without ever feeling heavy.
Theater Ludens is an intimate venue in The Hague, and that intimacy suits this kind of storytelling well. The performance includes an interval drink.
