"Idols" Star Hurt as Car in Dutch Grease Falls Off Stage

By Ernio Hernandez
27 Feb 2007

Jim Bakkum and Bettina Holwerda in Grease.
Jim Bakkum and Bettina Holwerda in Grease.
Photo by Roy Beusker

The car used onstage in the Dutch production of Grease fell off the edge of the stage and into the orchestra pit during the Feb. 25 show at Schouwburg Almere, according to reports.

Jim Bakkum — a finalist on "Idols," the Dutch television version of "American Idol" or UK's "Pop Idol" — and his co-star Bettina Holwerda were in the car when the accident occurred.

Holwerda, who plays Sandy, was able to jump out before the car landed and may have broken her arm. Bakkum, who drove the car in the role of Danny, reportedly suffered a concussion.

The "Greased Lightning" vehicle — which was comprised of a classic red-and-white convertible chassis with the engine of a golf cart — went off the stage into the empty portion of the pit during the drive-in scene. No musicians were hurt.

Both actors were taken to the hospital in Almere, a city east of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The production was scheduled to transfer to Amsterdam this week and continue to tour through July, but producers have canceled the show until further notice.