With What we breathe on Tatouinethe poet Jean-Christophe Réhel had won the Literary Prize for College Students in 2019. Suffering from cystic fibrosis, living meagerly in a room in Repentigny, the narrator describes there, directly, but without self-pity, his little life.
Between jobs, occasional poetry writing and health problems, this 31-year-old teenager, a big fan of Star Wars — echoed by the title — manages to transcend the vicissitudes of his daily life through his gaze.
A voice that we did not quite recognize, let’s say it at the outset, in this adaptation of Olivier Arteau, created at the Théâtre du Trident, in Quebec, last fall. More than a tension between pathos and self-mockery in this “happy, but always sad” protagonist, the scenic transposition seems to favor humor and a generally perky tone.
The excerpts chosen by Arteau from the novel sometimes seem to be anecdotal, like those episodes that are certainly theatrical, but wacky, misadventures where the protagonist has to put on a ridiculous elf costume or a suit that is too small for him. The story lacks a bit of gravity, therefore. Despite some more poetic paintings.
singular planet
But on the theatrical level, the show exerts an undeniable attraction by its playfulness. This narrator who summons a rather youthful imagination, interspersed with cinematographic references, seems himself on his own planet.
A telling image of the restrictions that limit his life: camped in a space that looks like a sandbox (a scenography by Élène Pearson), like Winnie the Oh good days of Beckett, he fishes in this material that surrounds him for the various accessories he needs to tell his story. What we breathe on Tatouine brings to life a whole universe live on the small stage of La Licorne, in particular thanks to the sound environment and the sound effects.
Sounds and atmospheres, some of which have spatial accents, are generated using various instruments or objects. An evocative accompaniment created by the musician Olivier Forest, as well as, sometimes, by the actress Stéfanelle Auger, who also embodies with great versatility all the secondary characters, including the sister and the colleague with whom the narrator is infatuated.
This one turns out to be a sympathetic antihero. Marc-Antoine Marceau makes him a sunny character, energetic rather than indolent, who faces difficulties with an unfailing smile. Despite reservations about adaptation, we gladly accompany him on his planet.