Driven by a duo of virtuoso actors, the play When we’ve tortured ourselves enough depicts a united couple in a very perverse relationship. The British author Martin Crimp explores in his text the relationships of domination between individuals, the brutality of desire and the abuse of male power.
Posted at 10:00 a.m.
Let’s say it from the outset, this text is difficult, but in the end, this story is very powerful. The playwright was freely inspired by the book Pamela or rewarded virtue, by Samuel Richardson, published in 1740. It is said that the work prefigured the novels of Sade and Laclos (Dangerous relationships). Christian Lapointe therefore transports us through the centuries and styles in his exploded, aesthetically very charged staging.
Through 12 paintings, we see the two protagonists confront each other with brutality, while remaining linked to each other, as if they fed on their relationship of dependence. The actors perform both for the audience and for the camera, which is moved from scene to scene through the set.
This fierce duel in which the couple sinks is not devoid of humor. The replicas fuse without filter, and the roles are sometimes reversed. Because violence can be a two-edged sword.
In the words of the director: “Crimp gives us to see and hear the violence of the world that is lived behind closed doors, but also in broad daylight under the eyes of passers-by and accomplices, collaborators and customers. »
The production of just over two hours stretches at times. Requested by the projections, the video (by Lionel Arnould and Dominique Hawry) and various scenic elements, the show suffers from an uneven direction and sometimes lacks cohesion.
PHOTO MATTHEW FOURNIER, SUPPLIED BY THE PRODUCTION
The performance of Céline Bonnier and Emmanuel Schwartz is simply electrifying.
Bonnier and Schwartz at the top of their game!
The performance of Céline Bonnier and Emmanuel Schwartz is downright electrifying. The breaks in tone in the story allow us to see the virtuosity of the two actors, the extent of their performance. A colleague had the image of Formula 1 racing cars to illustrate their performance. However, they are also reminiscent of two Stradivarius, so much the richness of their instrument seems limitless. A mention also to Lise Castonguay, tasty in the role of the servant of the house, as perverse as her masters.
In the last scene, that of the couple on a picnic, Bonnier and Schwartz play the member of the opposite sex. It is a brief and great moment of theatre! We realize that domination in male-female relationships is not a one-way street. Because the game of perversion is as cruel as it is endless.
When we’ve tortured ourselves enough
By Martin Crimp. Directed and translated by Christian Lapointe. With Céline Bonnier, Emmanuel Schwartz, Lise Castonguay and Laura Côté-Bilodeau.
At the Prospero TheaterUntil March 5 (full)