Ice breaker

>> >> The frostiest season is off to a great start with Le Rire de la mer

by AMY BARRATT

This column is supposed to be a preview of coming theatre events, and I'll get to that, but one of the best shows of the winter season is already running. I would be remiss if I didn't draw your attention right away to Le Rire de la mer, which is running until Feb. 3 at La Licorne. It's brilliantly acted, really creatively designed and one of the most satisfying evenings at the theatre you're likely to spend in 2001.

Le Rire de la mer is a new text by Pierre-Michel Tremblay, performed by Les Éternels Pigistes, the same troupe that delivered Quelques humains some two years ago. If you liked that one, this one is even better. Quelques humains was a series of only loosely linked sketches. With Le Rire de la mer, Tremblay has found a way to use a series of seemingly unrelated stories in the service of an overarching narrative.

The playwright's interest in the Greeks, especially Homer, was evident in the earlier work with the appearance of Odysseus in a suburban backyard. It surfaces again here in a twist on the Odyssey which has Penelope going on travels instead of waiting patiently at home for her husband's return. Our heroine is Pénélope Bouchard (Isabelle Vincent), who finds out, in her mid-30s, that she has an inoperable cancer. The play is supposedly composed of stories written by Pénélope near the end of her life, and is narrated by her former lover, Alex (Christian Bégin). This explicitly sombre subject matter is handled by Tremblay with the light touch which is his great talent. The impeccable timing of all the actors helps make Le Rire de la mer laugh-out-loud funny all the way through, and ultimately quite moving, without a single detour into maudlin. Go see it! At La Licorne through to Feb. 3.

Witty woman, hungry man

In English theatre this winter, one of the most eagerly awaited events is the Centaur production of Margaret Edson's Pulitzer Prize-winning Wit. It is, coincidentally, about a woman struck with cancer in her prime. Vivian is a literature professor who battles her illness with the poetry of Donne and her own fierce wit. Jan. 23-Feb. 18 at Centaur Theatre.

Also highly anticipated is the return of the Montreal Young Company, which debuted at the Saidye a year ago. They will once again present two plays in repertory: Terence Rattigan's After the Dance, directed by Chris Abraham, and Undiscovered Country, by Arthur Schnitzler, directed by Bill Glassco.

Premiering Feb. 24 and 25, respectively, at the Saidye Bronfman Centre. Byron Ayanoglu's play Food draws on his many years experience as a food/restaurant critic. The play simulates a TV cooking show, complete with real gourmet food served to the audience at the end.

Tickets are pricey at $75, but for anyone pining for good dinner theatre, it's a very good bet. We're not talking about a slab of meat and a baked potato here: the food will be supplied each night of the run by a different upscale Montreal restaurant. Produced in French and English by Infinitheatre at Le Lion d'Or, as part of the Montreal Highlights Festival, Feb. 8-17.

Usine C, a venue known for supporting good theatre no matter what language it's in, presents Mr. Lear, beginning tonight (Jan. 18). This one-man adaptation of King Lear stars Carbone 14 actor Georges Molnar, and is directed by John Sipes of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.

In English. To Jan. 27 at Usine C.