WHEN AND WHERE / QUAND ET OÙ :
October / octobre 11-20th 2012
La Chapelle Theatre
Text / Texte : Suzie Bastien;
Translator / Traduction : Nadine Desrochers;
Director / Mise en scène : Emma Tibaldo.
ACTORS / ACTEURS :
Hugo : Éloi ArchamBaudoin;
Ada : Jennifer Morehouse.
DESIGNERS / CONCEPTEURS :
Set / Décor : Lyne Paquette;
Costumes / Costume : Fruzsina Lànyi;
Lighting / Éclairage : David Perreault Ninacs;
Sound / Son : Matthew Waddell;
Composer / Compositeur : Michael Leon;
Movement / Mouvement : Rasili Botz;
Video / Vidéo : Jean Ranger (Mindroots).
SYNOPSIS / RÉSUMÉ : Ada is a mother who has forgotten her child during an emotional trauma. Ugo's childhood fear has come to pass, his mother has forgotten him. The Medea Effect is an emotional roller-coaster ride launching the audience into abstract heights and plunging them into emotional depths. It is also an emotional tug-of-war between two isolated minds over the same subject: the mother.
Written by Quebecois playwright Suzie Bastien, translated for Talisman Theatre by Nadine Desrochers, and directed by Emma Tibaldo, The Medea Effect has never been produced in English in Montreal! Opening October 11,2012 at La Chapelle, The Medea Effect will star Jennifer Morehouse as Ada and Éloi ArchamBaudoin as Ugo. The Medea Effect is like quick-sand--the unwitting audience member is lured into its emotional quagmire by the familiar surface of simple speech and common empathy. Simple speech is revealed to be a complex system of references with no inside nor outside, no beginning nor end. Once trapped, the audience is drawn inexorably into a region of profound philosophical inquiry.
REVIEWS / CRITIQUES :
The Gazette : "Suzie Bastien's The Medea Effect, however, is an exception. It's contemporary and universal, inspired by Pirandello as well as Euripides. And it offers terrific acting opportunities to a mature woman who knows how to command the stage and a younger man who knows how to hold his own against her. [...] This is actor's theatre (with director Tibaldo as rigorous coach) that hits the motherlode of gravitas required for tragedy. Morehouse is a marvel. Catharsis delivered. Bravo!"--Pat Donnelly, October 18, 2012. More / Plus...
Westmount Examiner : "The Medea Effect shimmers with the sparks and flashes of profound insight penned over two thousand years ago but refracted and focused through a contemporary lens."--Author, October 18, 2012.
The Gazette (preview) "Talisman Theatre actually specializes in producing English translations of French-language works. Its mandate is to bring 'the visceral intensity of Québécois theatrical practices to non-francophones.' [...]The Medea Effect is little known in francophone Montreal, having only been produced in French in Quebec City, directed by Marie Gignac, in 2005. [...] Thus Talisman, which was founded in 2005 by Emma Tibaldo and current artistic director Lyne Paquette, is encouraging Montreal audiences to embrace a playwright (Bastien) who is respected in Quebec literary/theatrical circles--and in Europe--but hasn't yet found her place on Montreal stages."--Pat Donnelly, October 18, 2012.
Cult#MTL : "Talisman Theatre's The Medea Effect... is a play that sticks the knife in and twists. ...Nadine Desrochers' seamless translation affords English-speaking audiences access to this dark tale, and makes The Medea Effect a profound example of the cultural experience Talisman offers to the theatre-going community of Montreal."--Emma Overton, October 16, 2012. More / Plus...
Voir Montreal : "C'est le théâtre dans le théâtre. La démonstration que le théâtre influence des vies. Voilà qui est très intéressant. Deux personnages, Ugo et Ada reconnaissent l'effet de Médée sur eux. Suzie Bastien offre un texte riche, très humain. Une belle matière pour des comédiens de talent. Jennifer Morehouse (Ada) impressionne par la profondeur de son jeu. Elle porte sur ses épaules tous les malheurs, toutes les douleurs, toutes les blessures qui ont marqué son personnage, Morehouse a une très forte présence sur scène, présence à laquelle Eloi ArchamBaudoin (Ugo) répond de belle façon par un jeu énergique et nuancé."--Bernard Wheeley, October 18, 2012.
Bloody Underrated : "Deceptively, the show appears at first to be a rudimentary allegory... instead, the play addresses these expectations dead on, and then continues to slowly unravel the layers of cliches and simplistic explanations. ... This transition towards the intimate and personal is represented through a shift from naturalistic dialogue to highly stylized and expressive movements, due in no small part to some achingly beautiful sound and lighting design by Matthew Waddell and David Perreault Ninacs. ... This is a polished piece that reaches profound levels of psychological complexity. ... That said, it's an innovative professional show with great performances, and one that makes use of all the elements in its theatrical toolbox."--Daniela Smith Fernandez, October 18, 2012.
Lois Brown : "I don't think there have been any reviews yet - but here are some from people who have seen it "C'était une magistrale première!", "ce texte incroyable", "Haunting" and from me: "A tough, and lyrical rendering of an intense text." Talisman's work with translation is rigourous, yet Emma and Lynn bring a singular and strong aesthetic to the text. And the exploration is new. Important work - important to see."--Lois Brown, October 18, 2012.
Charpo-Canada : "Emma Tibaldo has never been shy when it comes to her thoughts on Medea, the famed murderess of Greek myth. 'She's always been a hero to me,' says the artistic director of Playwrights Workshop Montreal, one of Canada's longest-running play development centres. It's a bold statement, given that Medea murders her own children to enact revenge on a faithless husband. But Emma Tibaldo sees it as something more then just an act of infanticide. 'She's a hero to me because of her willingness to do something extra-ordinary to get justice.'"--Joel Fishbane, October 18, 2012.
Hannah Liddle : "Fortunately the lights were off and no one was looking at my face, or they would have seen a gaping mouth and furrowed brow. I was on the edge of my chair and I couldn't help it, only changing my position once to kick my coffee over and receive a look of disdain from the guy next to me. [...] I could hardly wrap my head around the play without wanting to burst into tears. Likely, that sense of overwhelming is the effect of Medea, and I only became one of her many subjects."--Hannah Liddle, October 18, 2012.
Rover Arts : "The play Medea has always been problematic; it involves betrayal of epic proportions and tragedy that is earth shattering. ...But Jennifer Morehouse gives an amazing performance..."--Anna Fuerstenborg, October 18, 2012.
@cbcdaybreak : "TIBALDO: "It is an extraordinary story! Suzie Bastien allows us to accept the unacceptable through this play. She makes us understand why this woman does what she does and she also makes us understand why we are so fascinated with Medea. Also, from a Director's point of view: Why is this story so important? Why do we choose to go see it? Why do we like to see a trainwreck? Why do we want to find out the horrible things about humanity? What is it that drives us to that point? And once we have the information: What do we do with it? What do we do with that emotional catharsis? Where do we go with the pain that we carry when we find out about these stories?"--@kellyculture, October 18, 2012.
The Gazette (preview) : "Meanwhile, Talisman Theatre launched The Medea Effect, a Quebec take on Medea by Suzie Bastien, translated into English by Nadine Desrochers, Thursday, Oct. 11 at Théâtre La Chapelle. ...The Medea Effect is a deconstruction of the Greek play, twice removed by translation..."--Pat Donnelly, October 18, 2012.
Le Messager Verdun : "C'est la première fois de la Verdunoise [Jennifer Morehouse] foulera les planches avec la compagnie Talisman Theatre. Cette dernière a travaillé en télévision, théâtre, cinéma et doublage de films d'animation depuis une vingtaine d'années. Elle a obtenu plusieurs nominations au cours de sa carrière, en particulier du côté du théâtre, incluant une citation pour le prix Dora et deux pour le prix Betty Mitchell."--Francois Nadeau, October 18, 2012.