By combining two works by Michel Tremblay, 50 years apart, Maxime Robin had flair. With Hosanna or the Scheherazade of the Poor, he delivers a very entertaining, thoughtful, moving and, above all, successful piece of theater.
Hosanna or the Scheherazade of the Poor is showing at Trident until October 7th and is about Claude “Hosanna” Lemieux. A character invented by Tremblay for the 1973 play Hosanna, which tells the story of a young man in search of his identity who leaves Saint-Eustache to find himself in Montreal on the “hand” of time.
In “The Scheherazade of the Poor,” a novel published in June, 75-year-old Hosanna opens up to a young journalist who wants to learn more about what the “queer” scene was like in Montreal in the ’60s and ’70s. Years when transvestites had a solid and royal time.
Maxime Robin, making his first production at Trident, offers a series of journeys back and forth between the present and the past. It is dynamic, colorful and rhythmic. The characters of Sandra, Cuirette and the Duchess of Langeais are larger than life and their tongues are very angular and sharp.
Stephane Bourgeois
On his upstairs balcony, Claude, in a bathrobe, with a “fake cigarette” in his hand and surrounded by bottles of alcohol, tells his story to journalist Yannick (Carla Mezquita Honhon).
There are some amusing references to the pandemic, to the current debate about gender identities and to the lies of all categories of politicians.
Claude’s memories then come to life in a magnificent setting where we find Hosanna’s apartment upon his arrival in Montreal, a cabaret, Cuirette’s motorcycle, costumes and a colorful poster from a pharmacy.
Moving and dramatic
Seventy-year-old Claude is played by Luc Provost, known for his character Mado Lamothe. Without his extravagant costumes, Luc Provost is solid with his facial expressions, his gestures and his interventions. It’s a joy to see his talent blossom outside of Mado Lamothe. An absolutely successful non-Mado excursion.
Maxime Robin offers a nice nod by bringing back Jacques Leblanc in the role of Duchess de Langeais, which he played brilliantly on the same stage in winter 2019.
Stephane Bourgeois
The younger Hosanna is played by Vincent Roy. The young actor shines again and embodies this character perfectly in the search for his identity. As do Jonathan Gagnon (Sandra), Gabriel Fournier (Cuirette), Jacques Leblanc (the Duchess of Langeais) and Valérie Laroche, who plays multiple characters, singing and flying around the stage on roller skates as if she had been doing it all along Life. The actress skillfully sings Les moulins de mon coeur by Legrand, Dufresne and even Elvis. Josef Asselin and Philomène Robitaille take turns playing Claude as a child.
Hosanna or the Scheherazade of the Poor lasts two hours and ten hours, with an intermission, and unfolds in two phases. A bubbly, colorful first part with lots of humor and a more dramatic final section. A section in which Claude recounts his humiliated fall on stage at the Hawaiian Lounge while impersonating actress Elizabeth Taylor, whom he admires.
Stephane Bourgeois
A section in which Claude struggles with his identity and struggles with the gravity of differences. He lives to have fun, like a woman, but in reality he is a man. A moving section paired with a bright, well-performed and well-thought-out finale.
At the end of the piece, the audience stood as one, including Michel Tremblay, who was present. For good reason. Hosanna or the Scheherazade of the Poor is a quality theatrical property that is a great way to open Trident’s 53rd season. Great and very good theater. As is often the case with Tremblay’s works.