
The Fountainhead by Ivo van Hove
Based on the book by Ayn Rand
Toneelgroep Amsterdam
Directed by Ivo van Hove
Its controversy precedes it: Ayn Rand’s notorious 700-page paean to radical individualism, wrapped in a saga of sex, architecture, and skybound ambition. In this brutal reexamination, Belgian director Ivo van Hove updates the action to a buzzing co-working loft, where egos collide over mobile drafting tables and stiff drinks. Blueprints come and go, as idealist New York architect Howard Roark—determined not to conform to public taste—vies with pandering colleagues while navigating the desires of the elusive Dominique Francon. As overhead cameras voyeuristically capture creative and carnal acts from above, Van Hove unravels a bête noire of the left, letting the audience decide where to cast its stones.