Can love come before learning to love oneself? Is that love reflected in the people around you and your partner? How far can you go to find yourself?
Hosanna is a fierce story on the pains of identity and self-acceptance. It is sharp in its biting wit that also hides pain behind the laughter. Although set in the early 1970’s, there is a timelessness in the current discussion on transexuality, homophobia, and the fascination with the drag queen culture. But the story is not far-off from the human need to be loved and accepted.
Following a Halloween party, drag queen Hosanna (a splendid Eloi ArchamBaudoin) returns to her dingy Montreal apartment after a petty prank was played on her. She is devastated but her lover Cuirette (the terrific Davide Chiazzese), a motorcycle-riding tough guy, thought the joke was hilarious. The couple have a fight and Hosanna is left to ponder if her struggles come from within or without.
Hosanna seeks attention and validation through her drag queen persona. She tries to imitate what she believes to be the image of a beautiful woman. But she lacks the grace to complete the portrait and her self-hatred gets the better of her. She lashes out with caustic insults that she believes makes her superior. But Cuirette tries to point out how all of this drama just creates misery for her, for him, and for everyone around them. Hosanna has to decide who she (or he) really is.
The performances are excellent. Mr. ArchamBaudoin captures the manners and gestures that Hosanna believes to be feminine. He brings out the bleakness of her deep anger and jealousy of the world and, especially, of her community. Mr. Chiazzese brings an earthy passion to Cuirette without the clichés of a macho male. While the characters may seem to be exaggerations of the masculine and the feminine, the actors explore these experiences with humanity and compassion.
The costumes and make-up are on point. The set resembled my crappy first apartment when I moved to Montreal. The production’s overall authenticity gives weight to life on the edge for this subculture.
The journey to self-acceptance begins with the self. The outside world cannot give what you need if you don’t know what it is. But it does not have to done alone.
Photo Credit: Andrée Lanthier
Hosanna: Centaur Theatre Company presents A Table D’Hôte Production. Directed by Mike Payette. Written by Michel Tremblay. Translated by John Van Burek and Bill Glassco. Show continues to June 10, 2018, at the Centaur Theatre, 453 St-François-Xavier, Old Montreal. For tickets call the box office at 514-288-3161 or go to www.centaurtheatre.com
