in 1983 he bought a former flower auction building near amsterdam which he turned into a large studio complex where he could record his television productions. in september 1988, van den ende produced a dutch version of the musical barnum in the scheveningen circustheater, starting a new musical tradition in the netherlands that continues to this day. in october 1993 he opened his first show on broadway: cyrano. the production ran until march 1994, and although the show resulted in a financial loss, the musical was van den ende's introduction to broadway and earned him the respect of his american peers.