Molokaï, the journey of Beauty and Love: Stage performance

Whoever says Molokai, thinks of leprosy and of Father Damien, the man who was elected The Greatest Belgian ever. He chose to move to this grim island of the living dead in order to give the sick who ended up there the most dignified existence possible. It cost him his life.

Yet in these stories and in the theater piece of this compelling trilogy, beauty is already brought to Molokai even before the arrival of Damien.

This happens in the form of Kanani, a fourteen-year-old girl whose name means beautiful in Hawaiian. When she has spots on her body, she is taken by ruthless lepers to a ship that will take her to this terrible island. She has to leave her parents, her sister, her whole life behind. Her name is deleted from the village register and she officially ceases to exist.

However, there is one bright spot: Kaipo, whose name means darling. He too ends up on the ship and is immediately struck by her beauty. Maybe he wants to take care of her and she wants to take care of him and they can build something of a future together?

An exciting, moving story that is playfully staged by two actors. The audience is taken on a rollercoaster of emotions. A smile and a tear are the ingredients of this theater performance.

This theater production, written by Patrick Bernauw based on the books of the same name by Guy Didelez, is performed by Paco productions. The actors are Stefanie Moens and Thomas De Wit, who also directs.