We had a twinge of heart when the curtain fell, during the premiere of Star trails, last Thursday. Because we had just witnessed a magnificent production, carried by a marvelous duo of actors. And also, because we felt, like an evanescent memory, the same delight that we had had at the creation in French of the play by Cindy Lou Johnson… in 1992.
However, you don’t need to have seen the play in 1992 at the Quat’Sous to appreciate the current production of Le Rideau Vert, masterfully directed by Pierre Bernard. His new staging of the contemporary fable, 31 years later, is both close to the old one and renewed by the patina of time. This abrupt encounter between two solitudes is likely to resonate also in your hearts, young or less young.
During a blizzard, Rosannah DeLuce arrives in a gale, with her wedding dress (!), at Henry Harry, who lives as a hermit in the depths of Alaska. The woman drove about 5,000 kilometers in the car, without stopping, except to fill in gas and refuel with granola bars. Stuck in the storm, a white outshe takes refuge with this mysterious man for a few days.
Why did she give up on her marriage? What is she running from? Where is she going ? Henry asks him these questions, but he does not receive straight answers. Rather, this stranger brings him back to his own escape. And to a suffering he believed he had left far behind him. To better rise from its ashes. When fate knocks on the door, you have to know how to open your heart.
The uncovered heart
PHOTO FRANÇOIS DELAGRAVE, PROVIDED BY LE RIDEAU VERT
Mylène Mackay is impeccable in her role as a woman in crisis. And Maxim Gaudette is just as great.
The beauty of Star trails, is to manage to make us believe in this impossible story. The piece is reminiscent of the work of Tennessee Williams, with characters in a state of crisis, wavering, madness. And trying to escape their inner storm. Like Blanche DuBois, Rosannah is always on the run so as not to disappear. She clings to life, ‘trusting in the kindness of strangers’.
Mylène Mackay is flawless as Rosannah. Maxim Gaudette is also terrific.
What’s more, the actor replaced at short notice – just three weeks before the premiere – comedian Émile Schneider, who had to withdraw from the project for health reasons. This is remarkable to have memorized and internalized this demanding score in such a short time!
PHOTO FRANÇOIS DELAGRAVE, PROVIDED BY LE RIDEAU VERT
Mylène Mackay and Maxim Gaudette on the Rideau Vert stage
Note also the translation by Maryse Warda and the beautiful inclined decor by Daniel Castonguay (the same who designed the decor in 1992 at the Quat’Sous). Its scenography reproduces Henry’s warm lair, where only a small window lets us see the storm outside. As a metaphor for the inner torment of the protagonists.
In an interview, Pierre Bernard confided that his “career as a director will be well and truly over” after this production of the Rideau Vert. A decision that also makes us feel heartbroken.
star trailss
By Cindy Lou Johnson. Director: Pierre Bernard. With Mylène Mackay, Maxim Gaudette.
At the Green Curtain.Until June 10.