[Reellife] Wow, this is serious theatre...

[dave olsen]

I just saw my first Michel Tremblay: //À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie Lou/ 
<http://seizieme.ca/14-15/marie-lou/?lang=en>./  Now I know why his work is so 
highly regarded.

Actually, I'm almost shocked.  Writing about the working class has never been a 
way to attain fame and fortune, but surprisingly he has received overwhelming 
critical acclaim for doing just that, /and/ with a clear bias toward women.  
Hmm, openly homosexual in the 60s, writing in Joual (dialect of French in 
Quebec), strong women, working class politics, and condemning of the Church.  
How did he even survive?!

Take a trip to Theatre Seizieme <http://seizieme.ca> and find out first hand.  
Written in 1970, /À toi, pour toujours, ta Marie Lou/ 
<http://seizieme.ca/14-15/marie-lou/?lang=en>//is not only rare for its time, 
it's radical for any time.  Orchestral in its flow, full of swearing, and 
unremittingly harsh in its portrayal of the reality of this family, it's both 
timeless and perfect for Quebec in 1970, all at once.

When you see this (there's English surtitles on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and 
Saturdays as well as meet the artists on Fridays), give yourself time to absorb 
the set...it not only sets the stage, it's an award winner guaranteed.  
Outrageously stunning.

But the players make this script come alive.  Joey Lesperance plays Leopold, the 
abusive husband and father and wow, does he ever.  But before you let yourself 
ease into the simplicity of writing Leopold off, Tremblay subtlety lets the 3 
other actors, all women, expose themselves in a way that will make you wonder.

Foremost for me was the character of Manon ( Siona Gareau Brennan).  She hates 
her father but was given the gift of his physical genes and worse, learned his 
behaviour unwittingly.  I'm not sure I've seen this portrayed before and it 
reflects the reality of the dysfunction that engulfs us all.

Marie Lou ( France Perras) shines as the mother, ceaselessly knitting and 
spewing her own brand of abuse.  Just as I did, Manon idolizes her mother as the 
martyr that saves her, but the reality is far different.  Her sister, Carmen ( 
Julie Trépanier), tries to help her see through this fog throughout, but has 
taken a path so radically different than the acceptable religious one, she is 
rebuffed at every opportunity.

I hope Theatre Seizieme follows up with /Sainte Carmen de la Main/, which 
follows Carmen later in life and poses a very different question.

In the meantime, there are only 20-30 tickets left in the entire run of /À toi, 
pour toujours, ta Marie Lou/ <http://seizieme.ca/14-15/marie-lou/?lang=en>, 
which ends next Saturday, October 25th.  I understand another show may be added, 
so stay tuned to their website <http://seizieme.ca/14-15/marie-lou/?lang=en> to 
get in on that action.  You may see your family on the stage, but you won't be 
disappointed!

And if you still haven't had enough film, the Amnesty International Film 
Festival <http://amnestyvancouver.org> starts tonight (Friday) and runs all day 
Saturday in the Alice MacKay Room, in the lower level of the Central Library in 
Downtown Vancouver.  And it costs the same as everything did before civilization 
overran the planet: absolutely nothing.  Enjoy!
<http://seizieme.ca/14-15/marie-lou/?lang=en>
-- 

Warmly,
dave/
//
Parenting with an Open Heart: a seminar series for all Parents, Caregivers, and 
Parents-to-be: for info and session dates, please visit/ 
/http://humanpowered.wordpress.com <http://humanpowered.wordpress.com/>

Movie and Theatre lovers who know a saner world is possible may enjoying reading 
and sharing their thoughts on Reel Life, Real Ideas: Movies and more... 
<http://reellife.wordpress.com/>

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