By Sharman Yarnell for Curtains UpJacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris is not a piece often performed here in Montreal. A revue, with songs in french and english, it debuted in the late sixties off-Broadway, with 26 songs. A film version saw the addition of five more songs including ‘Ne Me Quitte Pas’.
In Your Face Entertainment makes the phrase “anything good is worth waiting for” so very true, with their wonderful production that’s on at Mainline Theatre. The result is a beautifully performed, artistic creation. Erudite, yes. But so imaginative and so very entertaining. They sing of love, of war, of death, of Peace – the realities of life we all face. 24 songs in all. Amongst them, If We Only Have Love, Carousel and Madelaine.
Brel, a Belgian singer, songwriter and actor, died in 1978 at age 49, leaving behind a treasure chest of his art through music. While some of his songs have been translated into english, he is known to be one of the greatest “representatives of french chanson”. Indeed, it is the french versions that really move the soul –
The show consists of two males and two females. In this production, Serge Turcotte, Martin Provost, Nadia Verrucci and Alisha Ruiss, all putting in sharp, polished performances. (Not often that you see singers who can also act well.) The voices are pure and definitive. The actors move from funny to plaintive, sarcasm and sadness with such ease.They couldn’t have chosen a better place to mount the show than Mainline. It is intimate, dark, and one can almost imagine being in a smoky bistro in Paris, as the actors dance, cajole, sing, sometimes directly to the audience, other times to each other.All performed on a sparse set with few props – a ladder, some small platforms, a bench and a folding table. The stage is used with great variations of movement and placement, under lighting exquisitely managed by Jimmy Karamanis.The music performed by four musicians, directed by David Terriault, was very much in keeping with Brel’s magic.
The interaction within the cast is seamless, precise and exploratory, showing the work of co- directors (Verrucci and Jacqueline van der Geer) who clearly know their Brel. It is fast paced and the actors never drop a beat in movement or song.
This gem of a show, on at Mainline until March 24th, is a must see production.
