Tortot is a field cook at a time of endless wars.
The reasons for the fighting leave him cold.
He always joins the winning side, and always just in time.
His heart is as cold as that of a fish, but he is a dab hand when it comes to conjuring up a delicious soup with no more than a limp carrot and a shrivelled-up onion.
One day, hidden away in a storage vessel, he finds the very young soldier George.
Tortot wants the child out of his kitchen, but George manages to melt this cold fish’s heart…

Tortot is a theatre adaptation of two award-winning novels by the Dutch writer Benny Lindelauf, translated into English as ‘Tortot, The Cold Fish Who Lost His World and Found His Heart’ (2016) and ‘Whole Stories for a Half Soldier’ (2020).

Laika and Theater FroeFroe have turned the two stories into a tender-hearted show about a friendship that blossoms amidst the mud and the blood of the battlefield, amidst the banging and clanging of pots and pans, the clash of weapons and soldiers’ songs.
The heart of the story reflects Laika’s love of cooking and the end result is a sensory total spectacle. A brass band ventures into the theatre of war, portrayed with the help of FroeFroe’s rich world of puppetry. Adding further zest to the production is the conciliatory meal, so packed with aromas that you want to shake the enemy’s hand.

A timeless and palatable fairytale that exposes the inhumanity and absurdity of all wars with humour and compassion.

Do you have a food allergy? Ask for a copy of our allergen sheet at info@laika.be.