For the Pleasure of Seeing her Again: Not such a great pleasure

The deus ex machina ending of Michel Tremblay’s memory play about his mother is an irritating copout. The series of vignettes and memory flashes that make up For the Pleasure of Seeing her Again are not dramatically compelling. They do, however, avoid syrupy sentimentality because memories of Nana generally recall hyperbole and humour. And it is to Tremblay’s credit that even the episode showing her close to death from the cancer that killed her when he was 20 does not wallow in being maudlin.

Having indicated that another encounter with the script of For the Pleasure of Seeing her Again is not a great pleasure for me, it must also be said that director Glynis Leyshon delivers a smooth production that was very well received by the opening night audience. And the good news about the aforesaid difficult ending is the use of an idealized birch bark canoe as a tribute to the heritage of the cast and Nana.

As the narrator (a.k.a. Tremblay) Lorne Cardinal is a firm anchor, coping with the (unnecessarily) lengthy description of what the play is not with polished ease and slipping equally smoothly into the character of the son at any age. As Nana, Margo Kane is very amusing at times. However, her performance is marred by a lack of contrast – she plays at too high a pitch too much of the time. Yes, this is a character based on exaggeration. But that is exactly why a little restraint at times can give it more power and credibility. In addition, a few instances of lost lines on opening night resulted in a corresponding loss of momentum.

For the Pleasure of Seeing her Again

By Michel Tremblay, translated by Linda Gaboriau

Western Canada Theatre, Kamloops

Magnetic North Festival

National Arts Centre Theatre

Director: Glynis Leyson

Set and costumes: Pam Johnson

Lighting: Gerald King

Sound: Bruce Ruddell

 

Cast:

Narrator………Lorne Cardinal

Nana………….Margo Kane