Review: Village de fous

(l-r) Antoine Durand, Claude Prégent, Émilie Bibeau, Pauline Martin (photo credit: François Brunelle)

Fool's Gold
by Élaine Charlebois

Un village de fous, the adapted and translated take on American playwright Neil Simon’s 1981 play Fools, tells the story of the village of Kulyenchikov and its inhabitants who have been cursed with the plight of ignorance and stupidity for 200 years. 

Though it was initially difficult to get into the story and its characters - namely Antoine Durand’s performance as Léon Tolchinsky, the new professor in town who is determined to release the villageois from their curse after falling in love with Sophia Zubritzky, played by Émilie Bibeau - the play’s entertainment value grew as the piece progressed. 

Review: Mary Poppins

Madeleine Trumble and Con Oshea-Creal (photo credit: Jeremy Daniel)

A Jolly Holiday
by Élaine Charlebois

I will be honest. 

While getting ready to go see Mary Poppins at Place des Arts last night, I was mentally preparing myself to ignore the whispering of young children I assumed would comprise the majority of the show’s audience. 

As it turns out, most seats were occupied by middle-aged couples and friends who had seemingly come to the show for a nostalgic experience. And they definitely got what they paid for. Not only was the show itself wonderfully performed, but the set design and costumes were exciting and unexpected. 

Review: Les Femmes Savantes

(photo credit: Yves Renaud)

Two Sides of Love

by Élaine Charlebois

Les Femmes Savantes, brilliantly directed by Denis Marleau at the Théâtre du Nouveau Monde, tells the story of a family divided by the marriage choice of youngest daughter Henriette, played by Muriel Legrand with great energy and emotion. 

On one side of the debate we find Philaminte, the matriarch of the family (played by Christiane Pasquier with authority and spot-on severity), Armande, the eldest daughter (Noémie Godin-Vigneau), and Bélise, sister-in-law of Philaminte, a character brought to life with great humour by Sylvie Léonard. They all promote female intellectual emancipation over physical and emotional love. On the other side of the family feud with Henriette stands Chrysale, the passive father figure (played by a charismatic Henri Chassé), Clitandre, Henriette's fiancé (François-Xavier Dufour), and Ariste, Chrysale’s brother (played with subtle yet effective comedy by Bruno Marcil). This group values the simple satisfaction of romantic love.