As soon as we arrive in the hall of the Les Gros Becs theatre, the fragrant and soothing smell of burning sage forces us to slow down, to instantly forget all the hubbub of the street. In a natural way, this olfactory atmosphere prepares young and old to enter the cozy universe of Toqaq Mecimi puwiht / Delphine is still dreaming. A bilingual show in French and Wolastoqey in which the author of Mokatek and the vanished starDave Jenniss, once again conveys his culture, as rich as it is poetic.
Co-produced by the Théâtre de la Vieille 17 and Productions Ondinnok, this new creation is a tribute to legends, to the power of dreams, to native culture, but also to the language of the ancestors which vibrates and sings here in a harmonious waltz with the French. On a scene in autumn colors, Delphine (Jemmy Echaquan Dubé) daydreams while her father (Christian Pilon) tries to close the house of the late grandfather. Entrusting herself to her caribou, gri-gri that she wears around her neck, Delphine quickly switches to the side of dreams, where she goes in search of the lost drum of her muhsums. In this parallel space, both strange and comforting, she meets Madwest (Christian Pilon) the porcupine, the owl opera singer (Emily Marie Séguin) and the terrible Kiwahq (Geneviève D’Ortun), the beast with a heart of ice that she will have to face. Three characters as astonishing as necessary for the balance and sustainability of culture and language.
Jemmy Echaquan Dubé — who we saw in particular in the series Runaway— plays an endearing Delphine, as candid as she is determined. The real age of the actress – 29 years old – is erased behind her expressive and luminous face and her posture of a little girl. His frank and sensitive acting makes us want to believe in his dreamlike story, which sometimes suffers from a few lengths. The musician and actress Geneviève D’Ortun plays for her part the flute, the saxophone while interpreting with rhythm this ugly Kiwahq. And what about Emily Marie Séguin as a bird opera singer who captivates as much by the accuracy of her role as by the power of her voice. Christian Pilon, however, clashes with the greatness of these ladies, offering an honest performance, but somewhat stuck and little assumed. Lecturer, animator, traditional canoe craftsman and sometimes comedian, we will however forgive him this lack of fluidity, because he has no other claim than to share his culture. What he does with authenticity.
Milena Buziak’s warm and clever staging allows you to enter and leave the world of dreams. Installed on a small round and pivoting platform, the facade of the grandfather’s house moves as Delphine crosses over to the side of dreams and reveals the presence of the musicians and actresses who will come to life before our eyes. The muted and enveloping lighting by Emilio Sebastiao ensures the dreamlike side of the show, while the music by Marie-Hélène Massy Emond and Emily Marie Séguin is part of this great whole that beats to the rhythm of the drum without which words do not exist. not.