Sex, drugs and New Age collide to form a funny, harsh and wacky existentialist firework, albeit a little long, in Unbearable long embraces, at the Prospero Theater.
Presented for the first time in Quebec, this text is the fruit of the abundant imagination of Ivan Viripaev, a Russian playwright who shines all over the world, but who broke his ties with his native country to become a Polish citizen because of the Kremlin totalitarianism.
In this production, the actress Christine Beaulieu finds the director Philippe Cyr, with whom she had collaborated for the successful play I love Hydro. She does not disappoint her admirers in the role of a thirty-year-old who decides to leave everything after feeling a huge void following an abortion. Despite all his problems, his character seems the least lost of the four who do everything to fill this hollow in them.
Joanie Guérin is succulent in the guise of this Amy ready to give herself to the first comer, while Simon Lacroix is hilarious in the skin of a Czech who arrives in New York and who will live colorful experiences. Marc Beaupré completes this excellent cast wonderfully by playing a man who only thinks of getting high, without thinking about the hangover the next day.
On two continents
This story of two men and two women losing their bearings begins in New York to be transposed to Berlin. Black humor, self-destruction and violence rub shoulders with pleasure, esotericism and the desire to be loved in a sort of baroque portrait of our time. These contrasts form a surprising whole in an easy-to-follow framework and a successful minimalist staging.
After beginnings that make you laugh yellow, the piece becomes heavier as it advances. The story unfortunately gets bogged down towards the end and we come to want everything to end sooner. Nevertheless, for those looking for a sharp and cheeky subject, this show carried by talented actors boldly portrays our modernity.
♦ Unbearable long hugs is presented until April 22 at the Prospero.
Unbearable long embraces ★★★1⁄2
- Directed by Philippe Cyr
- With Christine Beaulieu, Marc Beaupré, Joanie Guérin and Simon Lacroix.