Novels on stage
The winter season gives pride of place to literature. Several shows bring a romantic work to the stage, starting with that of Catherine Mavrikakis In The sky is a beautiful piece of trash, which we tell you about on pages 36-37. At Espace Go, the intriguer The analogous mountain, a multidisciplinary creation by BOP, is inspired by the unfinished philosophical tale of French poet René Daumal. Then, after their bursting Thirst Materials, Denis Marleau And Stephanie Jasmin bring to the stage the final novel by Marie-Claire Blais, A heart inhabited by a thousand voices. And it is the celebrated writer Kevin Lambert who signed the adaptation of this story evoking the historical struggles of the LGBTQ+ movements.
With Membrane, Cedric Delorme-Bouchard will introduce us, at Prospero, to the “first queer science fiction novel in the Chinese language”, a futuristic story by the Taiwanese Chi Ta-wei. The director has assembled an excellent cast.
After Wildlife HandbookDuceppe continues his adaptation of the satirical work of Jean-Philippe Baril Guérardwith the award-winning Royal. This scathing portrayal of the world of law students will be performed exclusively by recent theater school graduates.
Among the big visit hosted by Factory C — which also includes the incandescent Angelica Liddell and his Liebestod —, the luminous Dominique Blanc will come to play Painthe adaptation co-created by Patrice Chéreau of the autographic story of Marguerite Duras, while the director of the place, Angela Konradwill conclude its transposition of the trilogy Vernon Subutex by Virginie Despentes. After the impressive first part, we can only look forward to seeing the complete version of this ambitious fresco.
Repertoire revisited
To Prospero, The Seagull by Chekhov is the subject of a Quebec adaptation by Guillaume Corbeil. Catherine Vidal directs a tempting cast, including Macha Limonchik and Madeleine Sarr. With The misanthrope by Molière, at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, Florent Siaud tackles a character in whom he sees an echo of the current era of intransigent polarization. It brought together a great cast, including Francis Ducharme in the title role.
After a well-received birth at Trident in Quebec, The awakening of spring takes the stage at the Denise-Pelletier theater. The playwright David Paquet and the director Olivier Arteau offer a youthful cure to Frank Wedekind’s famous play on the blossoming of adolescence. The TDP also revisits The Glass Menageriea sensitive family microcosm by Tennessee Williams, in a staging ofAlexia Bürgerwhich is said to be far from realism. Speaking of Alexia Bürger, it was in May that Lysisthe feminist fresco that she wrote with Fanny Britt, inspired by Lysistrataby Aristophanes, will finally see the light of day, after two Covid postponements. At TNM.
Creations to watch
At Espace Go, Internal Affairs is the fruit of the meeting on stage between three interesting creators: Sophie Cadieux, Melanie Demers and the musician Frannie Holder. Judya creation of Gabrielle Lessard, addresses art as a force for change through the pioneering feminist fight of American artist Judy Chicago. It is also at the Center du Théâtre d’Aujourd’hui that we can see Larry Tremblay’s new play produced by his accomplice Claude Poissant : Getting oldplayed by a solid quintet of experienced performers, including Sylvie Drapeau.
At Espace libre, the great accomplices Mathieu Quesnel And Yvis Jacques create and play Sister donkeys, a comedy about a friendly relationship. Another duo that gets tamed: Volunteeringof Maud de Palma-Duquet, brings together a prisoner and the student who gives him French workshops. We can discover this text, winner of the 2022 Gratien-Gélinas prize, at La Petite Licorne.
To Prospero, The shop dedicates the first work as creator of the gifted scenographer Odile Gamache. A closing business is the protagonist of this atypical show. And at La Chapelle, Gabriel Charlebois-Plante (Popular and sensational history) adapts the myth of Sisyphus in This hill is never truly silent. A show by the Création company in the bedroom.
Science and machines
With The rebellion of the tinyAt the Stables, Antonia Leney-Granger brings art and science together thanks to an unusual genre: playful theater of objects popularizing… quantum physics. In Black Swanspresented at the intimate Prospero by the Théâtre à l’eau bleue, l’Allemande Christina Kettering examines the relationships between humans and machines, via a humanoid robot which is a natural caregiver.
Benoît McGinnis plays the brilliant Alan Turing, one of the fathers of artificial intelligence, in The Turing machinewhich won a Molière prize for author Benoit Solès. Sébastien David orchestrates a first production at the Théâtre du Rideau vert.
Based on reality
Some promising shows are inspired by true events or testimonies. In the award-winning Chimericathe British Lucy Kirkwood (The children, presented in 2020) explores Sino-American relations, imagining a photographer’s quest to find the courageous protester he immortalized confronting tanks during the repression in Tian’anmen Square. With a cast half of Chinese origin, a first for Jean-Duceppe.
The company also presents the acclaimed Me, in the red ruins of the century, with certain performers from the 2012 creation, including Sasha Samar, who himself reenacts his biographical story. An astonishing journey through a changing Soviet Ukraine, written and directed by Olivier Kemeid. Comedian and author are also found in Revenge and obliviona play on the father-son relationship inspired by Hamletwhich will be created at Quat’Sous.
And it is in this last theater that we will see The End of the Red Mananother play set around the collapse of the USSR, seen through the stories of citizens collected by Nobel-winning writer Svetlana Alexievitch.
Quebecer Roxanne Bouchard collected testimonies from Canadian soldiers for her work 5 bullets in the head, adapted to The Unicorn. The show put on by Francois Bernier notably addresses the traumatic experience of soldiers in Afghanistan.