Half-documentary, half-fiction, the play If you ever listen to us ingeniously combines a part of space exploration and debates on human evolution, despite a certain lack of emotion.
Performed at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, this play tells the story of the development of the gold disc placed in the probe Travel, launched into space in 1977, like a bottle in the interstellar sea that could eventually be collected by extraterrestrials. This disc summarized in sounds and images the Earth and the human species.
The show presents what it conveyed by following the deliberations of members who chose the content for NASA. They are the famous astrophysicist Carl Sagan (Robin-Joël Cool), his wife Linda Salzman Sagan (Évelyne Rompré), Timothy Ferris (Simon Landry-Désy), Ann Druyan (Phara Thibault) and Frank Drake (Olivier Morin).
Written and directed by Maxime Carbonneau and Laurence Dauphinais, the play begins with very comfortable actors who play themselves by addressing their own fears about the future of humanity, threatened by climate change, nuclear, etc Nothing new under the sun, even if the whole thing is well summarized.
This sets the stage for the arrival of the characters and of this golden disc, this object which “is used to leave a mark for those who will survive us”. A general public didactic approach follows to popularize this subject. A host of details, the relevance of which varies according to the degree of knowledge and interest of each spectator, are then revealed. This pedagogical discourse is well supported by archival images and a simple but attractive setting.
a bit of fiction
The story then slips on the impossible choices that the five protagonists had to make in terms of images and sounds to sum up our world. These fictitious debates give rise to lengths, even if tensions between the participants add a little spice. Obviously, it is not difficult to conclude that these choices would certainly not be the same today.
More lyrical, the last part of the show is successful. It shows with more emotion the immensity of space and the grain of sand that the Earth represents in this whole.
With an interesting fictional plot, but without bite, as well as an educational discourse where consensus prevails over controversy, this show should above all appeal to an audience who knows little about the cosmos or the great challenges of humanity. Note that an interactive digital experience can be enjoyed before the performance by downloading the application bearing the same name as the play.
If you ever listen to us is presented until November 25 at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier.
- If you ever listen to us ★★★1⁄2
Directed by Laurence Dauphinais and Maxime Carbonneau
With Robin-Joël Cool, Simon Landry-Désy, Olivier Morin and Évelyne Rompré