Review of The dreamer in his bath | masters of illusion

For the 25th anniversary of his company, Tout à trac, the play by Hugo Bélanger, The dreamer in his bathwas finally created at the TNM thursday night, after being postponed to 2021.

The creator invites us to travel to the land of dreams and wonders with this “feel good” show, in which Bélanger pushes back the boundaries between dream and reality, imagination and humanity, theater and other disciplines. Like cinema, magic, circus, comics…

Between the lines, his work also poses a question to 6 million: is creation more important than life? Without answering it directly, The dreamer in his bath skilfully demonstrates a universal truth: the day you stop dreaming and believing in the impossible, you start to die a little.

Exploded universe

Inspired by the genius of precursor artists of the XX^e century — such as the filmmaker Méliès, the illusionist Robert Houdin and the cartoonist Winsor McCay; and also of forgotten women artists, such as Hannah Höch and Alice Guy-Blaché — the author imagined a hermit character (brilliantly defended by Normand D’Amour) living in a cabinet of curiosities from where one wants oust him. When his son (Renaud Lacelle Bourdon, always righteous) comes to ask him to leave his home, the dreamer refuses to get out of his bathtub. Because he awaits the return of the muse who will give him the inspiration to create an ultimate masterpiece.

Hugo Bélanger offers here an exploded, playful and very colorful universe. A show that will appeal to a wide audience. However, the story remains fairly banal and altogether agreed. As much when his text addresses the ethics of creation (“genius does not excuse everything”) as the conflicting father-son relationship. The dialogues then become a bit heavy, compared to the whimsical production.

Solid direction of actors!

In addition, Hugo Bélanger proves to be a solid director of actors. The entire cast excels in sparkling scenes, meticulously rehearsed, where the performers must quickly change skin.

We should mention the acting prowess of Carl Béchard, in four different roles. Béchard is a master of comedy, an interpreter always on the edge of histrionics, without ever falling into it.

Let’s also underline the wild mime, totally overexcited, of the very gifted Éloi Cousineau; the Octave of the fabulous Sébastien René, whose comparison with Philémon, character of the cartoonist Fred, is striking; and the captivating muse of Cynthia Wu-Maheux.

Designer Marie Chantale Vaillancourt has created several very beautiful and colorful costumes. The magnificent decor by Jonas Veroff Bouchard is enhanced by the beautiful lighting by Luc Prairie. A remarkable work in a production which, without reinventing the wheel, appeals to our capacity for wonder and our child’s heart.

The dreamer in his bath

Text and direction: Hugo Bélanger

With Normand D’Amour, Cynthia Wu-Maheux, Sébastien René, Carl Béchard
At the New World TheaterUntil May 27

7/10