It can be risky for an artist to go back on a success, the comparison with the previous work being inevitable. In 2015, Simon Boudreault hit the mark with a summer piece transposing intense power struggles, worthy of Shakespearean characters, into a recreational environment more associated with lightness. He revives this original universe in Boisbriand in Minimum size requireda production of the Petit Théâtre du Nord, which celebrates its 25 years of existence, during which it staged Quebec creations in the summer.
In case of rain, no refund told of the irresistible rise of an ambitious man, by dint of tricks, at the head of an amusement park. Eight years later, the “hunchback boss” (Lucien Bergeron) still reigns over the Kingdom of Super Fun. But the revolt rumbles among his subordinates, and the company is no longer successful. So enters the scene a marketing consultant (Sarah Cloutier Labbé) and her assistant (Luc Bourgeois, flamboyant), responsible for putting the entertainment empire back on its feet.
In Minimum size required, we also reconnect with the typical figures, but a little changed, well camped by Sébastien Gauthier, Louise Cardinal and Mélanie St-Laurent. These dissatisfied employees decide to organize the Resistance (read a union), supported by an idealistic recruit (convincing Jérémie St-Cyr). A happy addition to this theatrical microcosm, which responds to the first name of Tybalt. The Shakespearian inspiration is indeed manifest – notably by these ghostly scenes – in this play, where the playwright has fun playing pastiche of the greats, including a famous tirade of Cyrano de Bergerac.
With this network of conspiracies and alliances, Simon Boudreault satirizes, as he has made his specialty, relationships within a workplace — but in a style closer to a universe Game Of Thrones only La Ronde… This transposition is well done. The problem is that the long construction of the plot and the description of the multiple machinations of the characters tend to make the comedy rather wordy. We can also regret that the Machiavellian hunchback, a true emulator of Richard III in In case of rain…, has lost interest now that he is at the top of the pyramid — and has found his “soul mate” in manipulation at the consultant.
On the other hand, Boudreault’s staging always stands out for its inventiveness and its sense of visual comedy. It gives rise to some entertaining numbers. Like the intro scene, which traces the history of the park in a fun way. And under the colorful decor of Francis Farley, the various rides of the amusement park where the action takes place are skilfully exploited, from bumper cars to a dartboard illustrating the confrontation between characters. Simon Boudreault also puts his experience as a puppeteer to good use in the hilarious number of the water slide, the humorous pinnacle of the show.
If this new opus may not arouse quite as much surprise and laughter as the first incarnation of the Kingdom of Super Fun did, it remains that this small recreational-Shakespearean world, both dark and wacky, deserved well a second round of merry-go-round.