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Écume : a fairy tale for adults
Théâtre la Seizième is thrilled to wrap up its 38th season with Écume, by Anne-Marie White. Lauded by the critics, this captivating production by Ottawa’s Théâtre du Trillium will be presented at Studio 16 with English surtitles from April 17-20, 2013.
Joëlle Bourdon and Pierre Antoine Lafon Simard in Écume. Photo : Marianne Duval
Émile, a young biochemist, falls helplessly in love with Morgane, a mysterious fish-woman showing off her scuba diving abilities at the local pool. Once the young lady discovers she is pregnant, she decides to return to her native village to share the good news with her mother… deceased years before. Enter Momo, an undertaker suffering from insomnia able to speak with the dead. During this perilous voyage to the edge of the sea, Émile plunges head-first into a dimension where all of his convictions are rudely put to the test.
In this multi-award winning play, dreams and realities chase each other and then meld into one, raising a forgotten, yet crucial question: what do we choose to believe in? Despite its darker themes, this play possesses refreshing humour and comforting tenderness. Anne-Marie White has created a universe filled with kindness, a show where words, bodies and music come and go, creating waves that gently rock the audience.
For this second version of Écume – the play was first produced by Théâtre de la Cabane Bleue in 2007 – White has surrounded herself with the actors Joëlle Bourdon, Marc-André Charette, Pierre Antoine Lafon Simard and Geneviève Couture, who also designed the costumes and accessories. Josée Bergeron-Proulx designed the set, Olivier Fairfield the music, and Guillaume Houët the lighting, design for which he received a Rideau Award.
REVIEWS
” It’s like lace, like candy, it makes you smile, it makes you cry, it makes your eyes well with tears. The four actors are extraordinary, you believe them.” — Danièle Grenier, Première chaine, Radio-Canada, Ottawa/Gatineau, October 2010
“Strong work, accomplished, no pretentiousness. A very personal story that carries universal content, rocks you to the rhythm of the sea, gracefully welcomes the audience and introduces itself using romantic and yet urban poetry. A strange elixir to the lighter-than-air, elastic temporality, every drop of it absorbed with total joy. Probably a life-defining piece.” — Mélanie Rivet and Guillaume Moffet, VOIR, Ottawa/Gatineau, December 2010
“Absolutely fabulous and charming. You cry, then you laugh. You just float through this play. […] There’s a tenderness, a musicality to this play. Théâtre du Trillium has a gem, I don’t know what else to say this morning.” — Marjorie Vallée, Première chaine, Radio-Canada,Ottawa/Gatineau, October 2010
BOX OFFICE : 604.736.2616
TICKETS : $24-27, $8 rush tickets for students
WHEN: April 17-20, 2013 at 8 p.m.
WHERE : Studio 16 – 1545 7th Avenue West, Vancouver
