Luc Langevin presented on Wednesday the Montreal premiere of his brand new show entitled Truths. Once again, the illusionist multiplies the feats, but here with a dose of poetry that we did not know him.
Upon entering the room, the tone of this new production is set: it will be a question here of truth and all its derivatives. On a screen at the heart of the stage, quotes around this theme follow one another. But already, the doubt is installed: did these maxims really come from the mouth of Cicero? From Neruda? By Jean-Claude Van Damme? They all speak truth, but are they all true?
For 15 years, Luc Langevin has had fun fooling our eyes and our brains with his numbers; there is reason to be suspicious. Even with the smallest details. And as soon as the illustrious illusionist appears on stage, climbing on a stool worthy of a painting by M. C. Escher, we tell ourselves that this time, we will succeed in unmasking him. A little ? Maybe ?
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
As the common thread of the dozen paintings presented, the director Hugo Bélanger chose a simple light bulb, the one found on the polygraphs of yesteryear.
Well ! no way. No matter how much we dry our eyes from wanting to keep them open so as not to miss anything, Luc Langevin is stronger than a Théâtre Maisonneuve filled to bursting with skeptics.
“We only see 10% of what is happening in front of us”, likes to repeat Luc Langevin. It is in the remaining 90% that the Quebecer has made his nest. He masterfully takes advantage of this gray area to play with our perceptions. He did in these previous shows; he does it again with Truths pushing the limits of the impossible. There is no need, however, to detail here the exploits he accomplishes for 90 minutes, reading everyone’s mind and making this disappear or that appear (a big that…). That would spoil the surprise for you.
New lighting from a light bulb
As the common thread of the dozen paintings presented, the director Hugo Bélanger chose a simple light bulb, the one found on the polygraphs of yesteryear. This glass globe serves as our guide throughout the show to remind us that the truth is often only a matter of point of view. And that it is not because the light bulb goes out that nothing is happening. On the contrary.
Hugo Bélanger, who signs here his first magic show after forays into the theatre, opera and circus, has been able to breathe a soft touch of poetry into the whole. Luc Langevin often enamels his numbers with scientific explanations, but here, some paintings are more dreamlike, less talkative. And this is very well so.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Luc Langevin was visibly happy to find the public.
The public conquered in advance, it must be said, was happy to find the illusionist after this sad pandemic. And the illusionist himself seemed transported by the energy of this crowd which, visibly, he missed. His texts were delivered with a lot of naturalness, even if it is in his improvised asides that he remains the funniest and most touching.
In Truths, he also knows how to offer spectators acts where the enchantment is not technical, but at the height of the heart. From the heart of a child even. Result: we come out of the show with a thousand question marks in mind (how did he do it?), but also with a warmed soul. That’s a lot of magic for just one show.
Truths
On tour everywhere in Quebec