In The Eyes of Stone Dogs. A problematic staging of Daniel Danis translated into English.
The adventurous and talented Christopher Bedford has chosen one of the most difficult playwrights currently in vogue in Quebec, to give a group of students from the Ottawa Theatre School, professional experience on stage. The project is in itself a perilous exercise as we have already seen with Third Wall Theatre which fell soundly on its face when they used a mixed cast of professionals and students in their version of Tartuffe several years ago, in spite of David Whitely’s excellent translation. Last year, Andy Massingham staged a magnificent version of Shakespeare,s Twelfth Night using students from the Ottawa Theatre School as well as seasoned professionals but he had the good taste to give all the main roles to professionals. As a result, that performance worked beautifully. Added to the cast was the very brilliant Greg Kramer as Malvolio who created a performance we will never forget.
Daniel Danis is another kettle of fish…so to speak.
This playwright has gleaned international respect because of his extremely original form of French, nothing to do with joual, which creates new words, which renovates French syntax and completely transports us to another universe of language that constitutes the basis of his theatre.
Linda Gaboriau’s translation has captured that poetic and liberated language most beautifully, the only problem is that the actors had no idea how to speak that language and most of its strange poetry was completely garbled in an ultra-realistic reading of the text which went squarely against the esthetics of Danis’ theatre.
Apart from the fact that the young actors already had trouble articulating a text that needed a more stylized form of pronunciation, the general reading had to project a world of heightened unreality because what Danis puts on stage here has nothing to do with the everyday world in which we live.
This is the story of a human “pack”, a strange extended family of individuals who share life on an isolated island, apparently in the middle of the Saint Laurent but it could be anywhere at all. They share a life that is in many ways archaic, pre-western civilisation, also suggested by the references to a residue of native populations who have left their mark on this tiny society of creatures. Set off by the howl of symbolic dogs that echo far away in the distance (which is why the dogs must not be on stage), they have carved their lives out of the rocks of this cruel nature where they live like a pack of human animals. The howl of the dogs symbolises the constant threat of unbridled instincts: violence, brutality and all the wildness of a life close to a wild nature that thrives on brutal impulse.
And that is what we see. Constantly in heat, constantly ready to lash out, to beat others up, to howl, to challenge their bodies, to brutalize and kill, the members of this community lead a precarious life in this rocky hole. According to archaic civilisations, the pack is led by a patriarch, the old father Leo (Andy Massingham)who is driven by one single animal impulse, to protect his young. There is the young alpha male who already threatens the leadership of the old man, the wild Coyote , played by Andrew Moore who had moments of strength mainly because his role is so well written. For him, all the women are there to be taken when it suits him. All the other men must affirm themselves or be destroyed.
A similar hierarchy works itself out among the women, where Goddess (Catriona Leger) struts her body, gives herself to the alpha male and spits on the others.
This production did not at all capture the highly stylized form of performance that such a play requires. It did not have enough vocal or physical muscle. It was flabby and weak. It was of course hampered by the lack of experience of most of the cast – only Massingham and Leger are professionals – but one had the impression that director Bedford was so hampered by the young actors that he could not even pretend to elicit the kind of performance that he should have from the professionals. They certainly could have done much better but they were drowned in the general insignificance of the voices, the bodies and the whole flabby energy of the show.
Mitchel Rose gave us a few strong minutes when he describes the massacre he experienced in the war. That was very strong but it lost its impact because it was supposed to be a moment of depth and human recognition in the general chaos of the wild pack which never materialized.
Andrew Moore might have been able to adapt to something a bit less realistic and Catriona Leger showed us all her sexual animality which was very good. Pierre Ducharme’s set, showing precarious living quarters carved out of the dry dusty rock, enhanced by eery lighting effects, was excellent and clearly the best part of the evening.
It is very clear that Bedford could not have paid 11 professionals to act in this play, which was another reason for bringing in the students but it is also clear that he might not have realized the immense difficulty of this play and the quasi Impossibility of staging this work with people who have no idea how to modulate their physical and vocal performances.
It’s too bad. Daniel Danis is an important playwright, he has been translated into many languages . Ottawa has missed its chance to see something that could have been memorable.
In the Eyes of Stone Dogs plays at Arts Court until November 26, 2011
Ottawa, Alvina Ruprecht
19 Novembre, 2011
In the Eyes of Stone Dogs
at the Arts Court Theatre/ a production of Evolution Theatre.
By Daniel Danis
Translated by Linda Gaboriau
Directed by Christopher Bedford
Set and lighting: Pierre Ducharme
Costumes and props: Patrice-Ann tremblay
Sound design: Stewart Matthews
Mask design: Andy Massingham
Mask/dog choreographer: Alix Sideris
CAST
Niki : Jonah Allingham
Joelle : Caitlin Alexis Corbett
Djoukie : Dyna Ibrahim
Goddess : Catriona Leger
Mureille: Victoria Elizabeth Luloff
Leo : Andy Massingham
Coyote : Andrew Moore
Simon : Mitchel Rose
Charles : James Mcartin Smith
Chorus : Jazmine Campanale, Adam Pierre