Arts & Culture
Gateway production showcases array of BC actors
With a cast of 15 strong actors, Les
Belles-soeurs offers a view of women’s lives in Quebec before the Quiet
Revolution that changed everything. Gateway’s latest offering features Michel
Tremblay’s 1965 Canadian classic in John Van Burek and Bill Glassco’s English
translation. It is produced by Ruby Slippers and directed by the award-winning
Diane Brown, whom audiences will remember from last season when she directed
the moving and humorous You Will Remember Me.
Les Belles-soeurs kicks off Gateway’s 2018-19
season with ribald humour as a group of women assemble to past prize stamps
into their booklets so the woman who won the million stamps can redeem them for
gifts from a catalogue, much as we do electronically with reward miles today.
The show-goers had two advantages; there were
more volunteers again so that patrons could be shown to their seats and as we
were seated we were treated to French Canadian songs played as duets by two
accordions on stage. It added to the atmosphere and theatre-goers felt all the
more welcome.
community volunteers add to the warmth and
the feeling of support for our community’s theatre. It is much the same at Bard
on the Beach where the nightly contingent of nightly volunteers is vast, warm,
intelligent and welcoming. Everyone is directed to their seat.
The show was sold out with only Coun. Chak Au’s
seat empty. He was introduced but a no show.
The play began with the dynamics of a neighbourhood
and a family living in poverty, under the rule of the Catholic church and as
second class citizens as Francophone-Canadians were in those days, are amply
displayed through Tremblay’s writing and the performances.
The set was flexible and set the scene in a
down in the dumps apartment building in the 60s. The lighting and sound were good throughout though with one
performer, she was hard to hear when she wasn’t facing the audience. The montage of old radio shows further
set the scene and the era.
Two stand-out performances were Lucia
Frangione. Normally a woman of grace, her character, Marie-Ange Brouillette,
was coarse and blousy. A totally believable performance in both her actions and
her body language.
The other stand-out was Patti Allan as Rhéauna
Bibeau. Allen shows why older actor should be cast; they have their full
palette of skills. Her character sang out vividly from the stage and propelled
the play forward magnificently.
One thing not in the control of the Gateway
team is the audience’s behaviour. We have a row of four people behind us, young
adults who spent most of the performance chatting and opening crinkly packages.
At one point, a young man said when a character on stage said she had some
news, “She’s pregnant.” Not even a spoiler alert.
Richmond actor, Beatrice Zeilinger, spoke
with the Sentinel before the production and said the play “talks about
oppression, these bleak lives of these extremely Catholic women, these
contained lives they live, lives limited by religion and the mores of the day
and by their class and education or lack thereof,” she says. Her soliloquy as
Rose Ouimet was magnificent.
Lest the play sound too dour, Zeilinger
assured, “There is a lot of humour in this play.” And there was. Allen’s timing, in particular, was snappy and
heightened the humour.
Zeilinger says, “My first thought when I got
the part was that I was excited to work with Diane (award winning director,
Diane Brown) again because I’ve worked with her a number of times in the past
decade. It’s a big cast. There’s a fine group of actors and production artists
involved in this production.”
The fine group of actors had moments when all
on stage spoke in unison. While not my cup of tea, it was done with precision
and great diction, no mean feat.
As the play ended, the audience roared to its
feet. The enthusiastic applause commanded two curtain calls.
Afterwards, the crowd stayed to discuss the
play, meet the theatre company and enjoy nibbles from the Sheraton Airport
Hotel and Anna’s Cake House. The crowd around the food tables was at times
three deep as people waited to sample the scrumptious fare.
Another stand-out was the staff at the bar.
Not your usual, just get people through sort of group, they went out of their
way to be gracious and helpful. They too are to be applauded.
Les Belle-soeurs runs through Oct. 6 at the
Richmond Gateway Theatre. Click for more information.
Tickets also available through the box office 6500 Gilbert Rd, Richmond,604-270-1812.