Robert Lepage

The 40th anniversary of La nuit de la poésie is coming up, and Robert Lepage has been invited to recite “Speak White”, by Michèle Lalonde. But committing a piece to memory is a difficult task, and Robert takes the viewer on a journey through his childhood home, 887 Murray Avenue in Québec City, and the memories he holds of the 1960s, from the Quiet Revolution to the FLQ.

I am a total sucker for 1960s Quebec stories, and this play is no exception. It feels like a very personal play; can’t imagine anyone else doing it. It would be an impressive show to stage because of all the digital effects. I also like that it makes use of French dialogue in the English play and provides surtitles for said dialogue.

Overall, I liked this and got about as much as I could out of reading it on paper.… (mer)

This oversized graphic novel (a little outside my usual genre) was recommended by Buried in Print, where you’ll find a longer review and explanation of the work. Written by Robert Lepage and Marie Michaud, illustrated by Fred Jourdain and translated from the Mandarin by Min Sun, The Blue Dragon is set in Shanghai and centres on a Canadian from Montreal who has come to China to adopt a baby girl.

I kept returning to the artwork over and over, and it has three alternatives for an ending – you choose. It’s quite thought-provoking.

Read this if: you’ve ever wondered about the life of Canadians in China, or the difficulty of adopting there for a single woman; or you ever read ‘choose your own adventure’ books. 3½ stars… (mer)

A literate, but not too literary, memoir of war in a Swordfish from the viewpoint of a 'looker' (observer). Worth reading if only for that reason - too often we just get the pilot's eye view. The original text by Robert le Page is excellent. Some of the asides by Falla miss the mark, which could have been avoided with a little additional research.
The most irritating part of the book is the publishers failure to provide the photographs they originally advertised, mention on the dust jacket and reference in the text! This is a pity as the handful of photos reproduced on the back of the dj suggest that the author's photo album is better than average.… (mer)

A very difficult play to visualize as it relies heavily on visual technology to tell its story. The amazing visual spectacle doesn't really translate well into writing, and it is almost impossible for me to rate the play fairly since, like all other plays or even more so, it is meant to be seen on stage first and foremost. The words on the page didn't impressed me too much, but then again, this play is more about spectacle than it is about dialogues. I would really like to see it live and thus gain a better perspective on it. As it is, it's only just worth reading.… (mer)