Sometimes, in the middle of a theater season marked by engaged, even combative, speech, there’s a little play that gets off the beaten path. His comforting, surprising words contrast with the outcry of revolt from some contemporary artists.
Posted yesterday at 8am
This is the case of Old Orchard, a dramatic comedy by Thomas Gionet-Lavigne (S’aimer, Basse-Ville…), a Quebec writer with a real talent for well-crafted dialogue.
This intimate one-act play has great qualities of heart and spirit. The author benevolently deals with the existential and sentimental contradictions of his generation: the 30 to 40 year olds.
PHOTO SÉBASTIEN BOUCHER PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
François-Simon Poirier, Jean-René Moisan, Myriam DeBonville and Milène Leclerc at Old Orchard
Admittedly, Gionet-Lavigne’s new work, which he directed himself at La Licorne, is not perfect. The last quarter is in stark contrast to the rhythm of the performance… We can understand the characters going through an epiphany, but not to the point where they completely change their personality in 24 hours! His positioning of the performers in the narrow stage space of the room is somewhat awkward. An outside perspective would have done the author good for the production.
Old Orchard is the story of two friendly couples who meet for a weekend at the beach in the popular vacation spot of Maine. They first meet in a bar, then continue at the hotel… the room of a drunken night, with very lively discussions and many twists and turns.
Two boys from Quebec, a social worker and an accountant (played by Jean-René Moisan and François-Simon Poirier respectively). And two girls from 450, a reticent restaurateur (Myriam DeBonville) and a cop who doesn’t have her mouth in her pocket (Milène Leclerc). If the four performers have mastered their score well, we give special mention to Poirier’s playing for his accountant’s “Ptage des Ticks” at Desjardins. Yummy !
It’s hard to love
“How do we know if our life is like us? “Why choose to touch one’s existence instead of really anchoring oneself there, at the risk of being wrong? These are some of the questions raised in Old Orchard. Against all odds, these four solitudes with opposing values will transcend their differences to come together in a beautiful search for meaning.
PHOTO SÉBASTIEN BOUCHER PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Myriam DeBonville and Milène Leclerc, two friends looking for love and meaning in Old Orchard
At the end of their beach vacation, the characters may have discovered a kindred spirit; but above all human warmth. Enlightened by a new awareness, the quartet then surveys the horizon with the beginnings of answers to their questions about the absurdity of life. In an epilogue reminiscent of the grandiose final scene of Albertine en cinq temps.
“We want to tell poetic, colorful and sensitive stories that inspire viewers of all ages and walks of life. Our motto is: open everything and close nothing,” writes Gionet-Lavigne on the website of his company, the Théâtre Hareng rouge. With Old Orchard it is clear that his goal has been achieved.
Old orchard
Text and direction by Thomas Gionet-Lavigne. A production of the Théâtre Hereng rouge.
At the Grande Licorne until April 8th