Waiting in the wings

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by AMY BARRATT

If you've seen the film Being John Malkovich, you already know that the next big thing in the theatre world is going to be... puppetry. Don't laugh, it could happen. After all, 15 years ago, who'd have believed "spoken word" would get so huge? Trend-watchers out there should take note of some bloody big, bloody elaborate puppets coming to the Saidye Feb. 4-6. San Guo Zhi--The Tale of Three Countries is a traditional Chinese tale set in the second century. Now, it would be rare enough to get to see classic Chinese puppetry, but this production is in fact a co-production with Kageboushi Theatre of Japan, a country with very different artistic traditions.

"The creative energy released from the collaboration between masters of the two highly refined puppetry traditions," reads a press release from the folks at Kageboushi, "has allowed for fresh approaches and cross pollination of techniques, resulting in a visually stunning display." Who knows what heroic feats they'll inspire our local artists to?

Chekhov, mate
Chekhov's La Cerisaie (The Cherry Orchard) is the not-to-be-missed event at TNM in the coming months. A co-production with Theatre de L'Opsis, it is part of that company's "Chekhov Cycle" which began last January with Je suis une mouette, an adaptation of The Seagull performed at Quat'Sous. The two productions share a director, Serge Denoncourt, and he has reassembled four cast members of Mouette (Monique Miller, Jean-Francois Casabonne, Annick Bergeron and Suzanne Clement) along with several others, for this show. The publicity doesn't hint whether this play will be deconstructed to the extent that The Seagull was, but knowing the company, and the kind of liberties TNM is willing to take with "the classics" lately, it's safe to assume this won't be a boringly faithful, mothball-reeking treatment. March 28-April 23 at Theatre du Nouveau Monde.

For a quick Chekhov fix in the meantime, you've got 'til Sunday (Jan. 16) to catch a trio of the master's one-acts, cheekily titled Men Are From Mars, Women Are From St. Petersburg, at the Atwater Library. The Dangers of Tobacco, The Marriage Proposal and The Bear are presented in that order by Arbat Theatre, the little company responsible for last year's critically acclaimed Glass Menagerie. Performances are uneven and attempts at humour may be a tad broad (fart jokes) for some tastes, but overall it's an entertaining evening, especially Stephanie Baptist, John Paul Hopkins and Constantine Kourtidis in The Bear.

Pleasures and possibilities
I'll admit it: I have a weakness for American playwrights old enough to be my great uncles. So I'm always up for another production of a Williams, a Wilder or even, God help me, an Inge play (though nobody's fed that nasty little habit for a long time). That's why I'm excited about Arthur Miller's The Crucible, playing tonight through Feb. 6 at the Centaur. But that's just me.

Theatre de la Manufacture presents Inexpressible Island, by happenin' Toronto playwright David Young, translated as Antarktikos by Andre Ricard. The play is based on the true story of a team of scientists who became stranded during an expedition to Antarctica in 1912 and survived for seven months in, basically, a snow fort. To Feb. 12 at La Licorne.

It should be a winter of content for Michel Tremblay fans, with revivals of three plays from different points in his career. Espace Go tackles Albertine, en cinq temps (to Feb. 12) with a stellar cast including Monique Mercure, and Martine Beaulne in the director's chair. Jacques Leblanc incarnates Hosanna at Salle Fred-Barry, (Feb. 29-March 18) and For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again returns triumphantly to Centaur after its Canadian tour (March 21-April 2).

The Montreal Young Company, making its debut in February at the Saidye, really does have some of the finest young actors in the city on its roster (Shawn Campbell, Eric Davis, Paul Fauteux...). They will have a chance to show off their range in two plays in rep: Howard Barker's The Possibilities, and Shakespeare's Measure for Measure (Feb. 14-March 5).

Finally, not to be a nag, but the following remounts really should not be missed: Black Theatre Workshop's My Children! My Africa! returns to the MAI Feb. 17-19 and 24-26, and infinitheatre brings back the hilarious grrll power of Mask On! Jan. 27-Feb. 6; 987-1774. :