The saint and
the serial killer

>> Joan of Arc and Bluebeard burn up the
stage in Jehanne of the Witches

by AMY BARRATT

Jehanne of the Witches is about the friendship between the girl who would come to be known as Joan of Arc and the man behind the legend of Bluebeard. Joan (or Jehanne) and Gilles de Rais fought side by side against the English. She, of course, was burnt as a heretic in 1431. He went on to work in the theatre. In 1440, he was hanged for the rape and murder of dozens, perhaps hundreds of children, mainly boys.

We are not making this up, and neither is playwright Sally Clark, whose play Jehanne of the Witches gets its Quebec premiere later this month thanks to Tableau D’Hôte productions.

“It’s the hidden gem,” says co-artistic director Mat Perron of the play that was first produced at Toronto’s Tarragon Theatre in 1989, and published a few years later, but remains far less known than other Clark plays, like the Chalmers award-winning Moo.

Alexandra West, who is just completing a theatre degree at Concordia, directs the piece, and Jessica B. Hill (The Lady Smith, Scapin the Schemer) is the title character.

“I’ve been fascinated by Joan of Arc since I was a kid,” says Hill. “I used a monologue from Saint Joan to audition for theatre school. The thing is, you don’t want to do the stereotype. In this play, she starts out at 13 years old. I get to play her as a normal kid.” And then she starts to hear voices.

“Sally Clark asks, ‘What does it take for an 18-year-old girl to ride into battle?’” says West. “I do believe she heard voices. To go from being a girl who, before leading an army, had only led sheep…There has to be a bit of a miracle in there. I think that’s what creates Gilles de Rais’s obsession with her.”

Jehanne is structured as a play within a play. After her death, de Rais is trying to stage a mystery play about the woman he believed was a saint.

“Clark’s using the monster to tell the story of the saint’s life,” adds Hill. “It shows how human the monster can be, and how flawed the saint can be.

“The amazing thing about this play is that it manages to be funny too.”

“I describe it as a very black comedy about Joan of Arc,” says West. “It’s almost like a class-based farce.”

Jehanne of the Witches plays at Geordie Theatre (4001 Berri) from Oct. 17–21 at 8 p.m., matinees on Oct. 20 & 21 at 2 p.m., for $15/$12.

Speaking of sainthood…

A new company, Théâtre Bilingue de Montreal, is presenting Les/The Dianalogues, by American playwright Laurel Haines. It’s a series of 10 monologues by girls and women united only by their connection—however tenuous—to the late Princess Diana. Directed by Jacqueline McClintock, the play is performed by bilingual actors Elsa Perez and Greta Papageorgiu. Les/The Dianalogues opened last night and runs until Oct. 13 at the Théâtre de l’Esquisse (1650 Marie-Anne E.). For tickets ($18/$12), call (514) 527-5797.

And princesses…

Well-received at the Fringe, Primadonna: Confessions of an Italian Princess, has been revamped and is back this weekend at the Mirella and Lino Saputo Theatre of the Leonardo Da Vinci Centre in St-Leonard (8350 Lacordaire). Produced by Luisa Pepe and directed by Nadia Verrucci, it features both of them and four other actresses. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5–6, 8 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, 4 p.m. For tickets ($25), call (514) 955-8370.