Play will warm any heart
Currently running at The Grand Theatre is Montreal playwright, Michel Tremblay's, theatrical gift to his mother; a one act in her honour entitled For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again.
For anyone familiar with Tremblay's body of work, the sentimental nature of the play may seem quite the departure from his usual politically motivated plays, and indeed it is. However, the play itself is not lacking any of Tremblay's usual wit and skill and is as enjoyable and thought provoking as his other works.
The script, which was translated from the original French by Linda Gaboriau, is a simple yet complex story about the simple yet complex relationship that can exist between mother and son and The Grand has portrayed this perfectly.
With some meta-theatrical elements, one character playing “The Narrator” at several ages without the ability to leave the stage for a change of costume, and an ending that exceeds the word “surprise,” the two character, one act show runs the risk of becoming far too complex for its obvious limitations. Luckily, under Susan Ferley's direction (who is also the current Artistic Director at The Grand) wedded acting duo Loise Pitre and Joe Matheson rise above their marital status to portray the exuberant Nana, who “talks a blue streak” and is prone to exaggeration, and her son, the angsty Narrator, who is technically nameless, but undoubtedly Tremblay himself. Matheson plays the perfect inconspicuous “straight man” to Pitre's wonderfully over-the-top portrayal of Nana, placing the character precisely where she should be: dead centre stage.
Not to be outdone by the action on stage, my favourite set designer and Grand Theatre veteran John Dinning provides his own “straight man” simplicity by way of a, for the most part, understated set. The dingy wallpapered walls reminiscent of 1950s tenement living and dining table with chairs of the same vintage offer a gentle hint as to the context of the play while allowing the fast-paced dialogue on stage to be concentrated on fully. Without spoiling it, I will also suggest that the scene change at the end is an absolute “must see.”
An overall delightful play, the Grand Theatre's production of Michel Tremblay's For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, runs a graciously intermission-free 95 minutes as there is no lull in the Big Fish-like witty weaving of yarns that will have you almost constantly laughing, sometimes crying and leaving with an overwhelming desire to call your mom.
Tickets for For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again are available until February 24 at the Grand Theatre Box office 519-672-8800 or 1-800-265-1593.
For anyone familiar with Tremblay's body of work, the sentimental nature of the play may seem quite the departure from his usual politically motivated plays, and indeed it is. However, the play itself is not lacking any of Tremblay's usual wit and skill and is as enjoyable and thought provoking as his other works.
The script, which was translated from the original French by Linda Gaboriau, is a simple yet complex story about the simple yet complex relationship that can exist between mother and son and The Grand has portrayed this perfectly.
With some meta-theatrical elements, one character playing “The Narrator” at several ages without the ability to leave the stage for a change of costume, and an ending that exceeds the word “surprise,” the two character, one act show runs the risk of becoming far too complex for its obvious limitations. Luckily, under Susan Ferley's direction (who is also the current Artistic Director at The Grand) wedded acting duo Loise Pitre and Joe Matheson rise above their marital status to portray the exuberant Nana, who “talks a blue streak” and is prone to exaggeration, and her son, the angsty Narrator, who is technically nameless, but undoubtedly Tremblay himself. Matheson plays the perfect inconspicuous “straight man” to Pitre's wonderfully over-the-top portrayal of Nana, placing the character precisely where she should be: dead centre stage.
Not to be outdone by the action on stage, my favourite set designer and Grand Theatre veteran John Dinning provides his own “straight man” simplicity by way of a, for the most part, understated set. The dingy wallpapered walls reminiscent of 1950s tenement living and dining table with chairs of the same vintage offer a gentle hint as to the context of the play while allowing the fast-paced dialogue on stage to be concentrated on fully. Without spoiling it, I will also suggest that the scene change at the end is an absolute “must see.”
An overall delightful play, the Grand Theatre's production of Michel Tremblay's For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again, runs a graciously intermission-free 95 minutes as there is no lull in the Big Fish-like witty weaving of yarns that will have you almost constantly laughing, sometimes crying and leaving with an overwhelming desire to call your mom.
Tickets for For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again are available until February 24 at the Grand Theatre Box office 519-672-8800 or 1-800-265-1593.
