Mexican Bárbara Colio has written no fewer than thirty plays, presented internationally. But her work has apparently never been performed here. An author that the Coop Ludotek-Art (Migraaaantsin 2019) invites us to discover La Petite Licorne.
Strings refers to the thread that the father of the three characters, a famous tightrope walker, used for his art. A progenitor who abandoned his sons early, forcing them by his absence to also go through life above an existential void. We imagine that we could also see in this title, more metaphorically, what binds the members of a family, however distant they may be.
The play tells the story of the reunion of these three dissimilar thirty-somethings, with strained ties. At the request of their father, who wrote to them, the responsible eldest (Christian Rangel), the bohemian youngest (Víctor Cuéllar) and the anxious youngest (Étienne Pilon, in a delightful performance) take a plane to attend the final performance of the tightrope walker, whom they have not seen for 20 years. Revelations, reminiscences and questions about the family heritage are of course part of the journey. An eventful journey, which could well bring the siblings closer together.
This dramatic comedy, the press release informs us, won the Scène Panamá Award for best drama in 2021. However, it is through a mostly humorous, light tone that it reaches us. The story is sometimes funny, and the exchanges between the brothers often seem somewhat anecdotal. We expected more depth. But the show also includes some more poetic, introspective interludes, where each brother delves into his childhood memories.
Interestingly, this masculine universe, which notably addresses the need for paternal recognition, is examined here from a feminine perspective, from the translator Amélie Lafortune-Lauzon to the two directors, Margarita Herrera Domínguez and Inés Adán Mozo. In the evening’s program, they explain that they want to explore the idealization in society of the figure of the absent father. Here, the father takes the form of a famous artist, whom even his resentful sons come to look at with admiration. The scene of the tightrope walker show, which we only see through the eyes of the brothers, is very evocative. An eloquent scene thanks to the music — composed by Julien Eclancher — and the palpable emotion in the eyes of the three performers.
The show also retained an undeniable Mexican color, through songs and even some passages of the text in Spanish (but the essential part of which always seems to be taken up in French). And the dynamic small production expressively evokes on stage the hazards of this road trip colorful, a route deployed flexibly in the modular decor of Fernando Maya Meneses. Overall, a rather pleasant theatrical journey.