After television and comics, it is the theater’s turn to take an interest in the fabulous novel trilogy by Virginie Despentes published by Grasset between 2015 and 2017.
Without the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, a lack of funding which almost caused the cancellation of the show, director Angela Konrad is currently presenting at Usine C, the house that she directs with all the fervor that we know him, the completeness of his irresistible Vernon Subutexa seven-hour crossing (including two intermissions) which will go down in history, without a shadow of a doubt.
From a single setting, a large all-white apartment whose back wall is entirely covered with photo and video projections, we very convincingly evoke the multiple and varied places visited by Vernon Subutex, fallen angel, former record store now homeless. His incessant wanderings take him to the four corners of Paris, to opulent homes and dilapidated slums, bohemian bars and nice cafes, dirty alleys and lush parks.
Punctuated with monologues which allow around twenty magnificent losers to open up to the public in complete transparency, but also with voice-overs, text messages exchanged and paragraphs given to read, the performance is a web of incredible adventures which provoke laughter and tighten the heart.
Lost paradise
It must be recognized that the first part, created in 2022, crowned by the Quebec Association of Theater Critics, is more thrilling than the second, which still contains several magical moments.
What this full version allows us to appreciate above all is the richness of the fresco created by Despentes. Radical rewriting of the New Testament, disturbing evocation of paradise lost, the adventures of Vernon and his disciples question capitalism, phallocracy, racism and terrorism, but without ever ceasing to celebrate love, sexuality, art and solidarity. Taking as a common thread the passage on earth of Alex Bleach, a popular singer who died of an overdose in the bathtub of a seedy hotel, the author brilliantly summarizes the disappearance of benchmarks and ideals, the disenchantment of the members of the generation X facing the upheavals of paradigms, but also the terrible paradoxes of its society, the dizzying complexity of its time.
What the nine performers accomplish is a tour de force. The costume and wig changes alone are a big challenge. In the main role, which is often a foil for the other colorful protagonists, as you will have understood, David Boutin demonstrates all the necessary humility. His Vernon is as detestable as he is endearing, frankly mediocre and yet charismatic. Around him, Paul Ahmarani, Samuël Côté, Philippe Cousineau, Blanche-Alice Plante and Mounia Zahzam are remarkably versatile. But the real stars of this long-running show are Anne-Marie Cadieux, Violette Chauveau and Dominique Quesnel, three graces, three exceptional actresses, here truly at the top of their art.
Ingenious, taking advantage of the width of the stage, carefully orchestrating entrances and exits, even daring on a few occasions to break the fourth wall, the staging places this sublime and grotesque human comedy in an imaginary space which is not without evoke cabaret.
It’s not new that the designer uses music with relevance, but this time we’re reaching a climax. Of the fifty pieces that can be heard, all are closely linked to the action and the subject. In these moments, where content and form come together, emotion is at its peak.