Worn by a sublime Pascale Montpetit, the piece Doctor presents a fascinating story enriched by social questions that are very relevant to Duceppe.
Back on stage after an absence of seven years, the actress shines in the guise of Dr. Wolff, founder of a renowned medical institution. This character creates controversy by preventing a priest from entering the room where a teenage girl is dying after a botched abortion. This gesture caused a scandal which several groups with completely different objectives took advantage of to assert their ideologies and demand his departure.
Questions linked to religion, racism, feminism, gender, social classes, public discourse and medical ethics are therefore intertwined in this moral suspense where the shock of an idea does not wait for the other.
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Obviously, these positions are sometimes caricatures, but this clairvoyant work by the British Robert Icke shows how the different points of view conveyed are interpreted through the prism of each person’s identity.
The cast of this production is solid. Pascale Montpetit moves brilliantly from intransigence to vulnerability, particularly at the end of the show which ends with great sensitivity.
Yanic Truesdale stands out as the rival doctor from the one at the heart of this story. Alexandre Bergeron, Ariel Ifergan, Sharon James, Harry Standjofski and Elkahna Talbi are also excellent in supporting roles.
Just like Fanny Britt’s translation, Marie-Ève Milot’s direction is impeccable. The scenography is wonderfully simple, particularly with these large curtains which remind us of those in hospitals which are used to preserve the privacy of patients.
In short, it is an intelligent proposal, with several layers of content both in terms of the ideas discussed and the personal challenges that the protagonists must overcome. Well played and edited, it offers a moment of theater which should be unanimous and certainly spark lively discussions.
Doctor is presented at Duceppe until November 18.
Doctor ★★★1⁄2
Directed by Marie-Ève Milot
With Pascale Montpetit, Yanic Truesdale, Alexandre Bergeron, Ariel Ifergan, Sharon James, Harry Standjofski and Elkahna Talbi.