By diving into the romantic universe of Catherine Mavrikakis, Pierre-Yves Lemieux and Luce Pelletier bring the voice of the writer to the stage. But we are stunned with too many words.
The sky is a beautiful junk brings the literary universe of Catherine Mavrikakis to the stage for the first time. From four of his novels (Cannibal and melancholic mourning, Bay City Sky, Absent from all bouquets And What will remain), Pierre-Yves Lemieux and Luce Pelletier tackle themes dear to the author, such as the mother-daughter relationship, death, neurosis and writing.
Unfortunately, this highly anticipated production fails to bring out a theatricality, a stage form, from the literary work. To captivate the public beyond words. And God knows there are many words in this one-act show lasting almost two hours. To the point where they knock us out at times.
Always present on stage, the excellent Catherine Proulx-Lemay, Isabelle Vincent, Sylvie De Morais-Nogueira and Lou Vincent Desrosiers accurately play four alter egos of Mavrikakis.
PHOTO MARIE-ANDRÉE LEMIRE, PROVIDED BY THE THEATER
The sky is beautiful trash at Quat’Sous left our critic unsatisfied.
They are each set in a different space-time, from 1979 to 2023. They share their mother played brilliantly by Sophie Faucher. This actress was born for the stage, why don’t we see more of her on our stages? Is it the same mother or a fabricated vision of the maternal figure, stuck between generosity and love, neurosis and guilt? We are left with ambiguity, although the dialogue scenes between the mother and the daughters form the best moments of the show.
Olivier Landreville’s decor represents a green mound from which emerges an immense library full of books. Luce Pelletier’s direction is quite static. The universe in which the characters evolve is intended to be abstract. We cling to Mavrikakis’ words, if nothing else…
PHOTO MARIE-ANDRÉE LEMIRE, PROVIDED BY THE THEATER
Sophie Faucher is extraordinary in The sky is beautiful trash !
The author Pierre Yves Lemieux speaks of “rewriting”, and not of adaptation, to describe his work. Her piece paints a global portrait of female power, through the strong voice of Mavrikakis. The piece is also part of the cycle of the feminine territories of Opsis. Was he too ambitious in tackling four novels at once?
Ultimately, the proposal fits too closely with the work. We leave the theater with the impression that Lemieux and Pelletier have constructed an immense puzzle, with tens of thousands of words, forgetting to bring out a clear and clear image.
The sky is beautiful trash
Creation by Pierre Yves Lemieux, based on the novels by Catherine Mavrikakis. Director: Luce Pelletier. A production of the Théâtre de l’Opsis.
At ThreepennyUntil February 10