Harry, Pierre, and René
Henry. October. 1970.directed by Madd Harold
Gravy Bath Productions
at Théâtre Calixa-Lavallée
If Shakespeare is meant for the masses, then somewhere he's smiling. Gravy Bath's latest production, an adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V, will definitely be one of the shows of the season to have seen. The ensemble work is top-notch, and individual performances belie the age of the actor—or do they? They're young, they're smart, they've done their research. This is raw, angry-young-man energy, beautifully balanced by a strong women's presence set in a time when young women felt they really had to fight for it.
With some added text, mostly in French, by Gravy Bath playwright-in-residence Anthony Kokx, this History Play plays out a different history. Set in Québec during the FLQ October Crisis, we get the bilingual telling of Henry V mostly through the eyes of Pierre Laporte's kidnappers (with some terrific interplay between Yann Bernaquez, Adrian Burhop, and Rick Bel) and the students integral to any political movement. Cabinet Minister meetings round out the points of view but drag compared to the other angles—and as surprisingly unbiased as the play is, angles abound aplenty.
The cast physically moves in a quick blackout to reverse the set and show us the scene as they see it. Another quick blackout has everyone topsy-turvy, upside down, on its side—surreal and descriptive all at once. Not a fan of the blackout, I somehow looked forward to what they were going to offer me next. Images were strong and simple. There was a dream sequence and inspired use of an executive bathroom.
With great creative imagination, director Madd Harold combined historical film montage with live video. The '70s-era soundtrack rocked. Perhaps nothing here hadn't been done before, but the show exploded with a "now- ness".
Many of these actors are worth watching out for. Sara-Maude Duguay as Katherine is a powerhouse and Tony Palermo is strong as René Lévesque. Nicolas Wright as the Chorus was natural and conversational, and drew us in.
Text additions were seamless. Even the make-up gets kudos. These are real people on stage: gritty, whispering, with both hidden secrets and hearts on sleeves.
Gravy Bath has done 10 shows in its short existence. With this much intelligence, energy, and imagination, I hope they'll be around for at least that many years.
Henry. October. 1970. is on until August 31, 2002
Théâtre Calixa-Lavallée, Parc Lafontaine.
Showtime: 8 p.m.
Call (514) 920-9183 for tickets and info
[ photo of Gareth Potter as Prime Minister courtesy Gravy Bath Productions ]
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