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Amazing Grace et Gloria >> Heartwarming in either language by AMY BARRATT
Let's be clear: there's nothing cutting edge or even particularly original about the script by Virginian Tom Ziegler. The culture clash between an older "traditional" woman and a younger, urban career gal has been done by everyone from Athol Fugard (The Road to Mecca) to Anna Quindlen (One True Thing). Still, Grace et Gloria works because the characters are fully developed individuals, not symbols. For those who saw the Hallmark special Grace and Glorie the other night: don't let it scare you off the play. Although the TV movie was based on Ziegler's work, the resemblance between the two is faint. The adaptation seemed to deliberately cut out all the humour and bite of the play. And trust television to cast the radiant Gena Rowlands as someone who, in the original, is 90 years old and dying of cancer. I've got nothing against Rowlands or Diane Lane, but give me Viola Léger and Linda Sorgini any day. I adore these two actresses and always feel privileged to see them perform--in French or in English. I first saw Léger as La Sagouine when I was about seven, and Sorgini about 10 years ago as Adelaide in Centaur's Guys and Dolls. They are both amazingly giving actresses, who never stoop to soppiness and are so technically skilled that you never see the technique. Thanks to a collaboration between TRV and the Saidye Bronfman Centre, English audiences will get to see them perform Ziegler's original play next fall. The production, under the expert direction of Denise Filiatrault, will be moved, lock, stock and soup tureen to the Saidye in October, where it will run for three weeks before taking off on a cross-country bilingual tour. The real reason Michel Tremblay's French translation works is because it is not an "adaptation," moving the action to the Gaspé or someplace, but a faithful translation in which the characters remain Americans and the text retains many English expressions (Grace calling Gloria "honey," for instance). Filiatrault's production credits the audience with an ability to recognize the universality of the story. Although it will no doubt be strange for Léger and Sorgini to suddenly be playing these parts in English, it won't require any major re-interpretation of their characters. Guy Neveu's set is a little too gorgeous for a humble cabin in the woods, but this is a play more suited to the golden glow of romanticism than the harsh white light of realism anyway. And that's where Michel Beaulieu's lighting comes in: beautifully evoking emotions along with different times of day. No one ever talks about props, but this is a very prop-y show and Jean-Marie Guay has done an expert job, using objects to reveal aspects of the characters. Ditto Anne Duceppe's costumes. Grace et Gloria isn't a holiday play per se, but it is--dare I say it--life-affirming. And performances this brilliant could give even a confirmed skeptic a religious experience. Grace et Gloria to December 19 and January 5-10 at Théâtre du Rideau Vert,4664 St-Denis, 844-1793, $32.90
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If you can't stand heartwarming, stay away from Théâtre du Rideau Vert this holiday season. Personally, I'm a sucker for it, so I was there, pockets stuffed with Kleenex, for opening night of Grace et Gloria, a remount of last spring's hit production. And I came away with cockles as warm as fresh-baked bread.