The current co-production from Satellite Theatre and Théâtre populaire d’Acadie uncovers the humour within the frustrating monotony of the daily grind.
Brian K.
Fredericton theatre audiences are in for a treat this Halloween when Satellite Theatre’s Grum On A Wire, a co-production with Théâtre populaire d’Acadie, takes to the Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne stage on Tuesday October 31.
Award-winning actor Mathieu Chouinard, who some may remember from last season’s Theatre New Brunswick production of A Sunday Affair, plays Grum, a character described as “a ridiculously sour and anti-social being at odds with his everyday routine”. Together with physical theatre artists Martin Vaillancourt and Marilyn Perreault, Chouinard leads this skillfully produced performance that blends theatre, dance and live music to create another mesmerizing production from Satellite Theatre.
Grum On A Wire condenses modern man’s absurd and pathetic solitude, at odds with a world where everyday rules seem more and more fragile and puzzling as we go on living our lives. Plunging into Grum’s wonderfully bizarre and completely chaotic universe, the audience is confronted with it’s own insecurity, but also with it’s own relationship with what is real.
The production finds the company continuing to explore the humour and stark emotional bareness of Clown’s vast theatrical expression.
“As of yet, the show has been very well received,” said director and Satellite Theatre co-founder Marc-André Charron. “This ‘clown for adults’ thing has been good to us. People come with a very vague idea of what to expect. Is this Mr. Bean? Chaplin? Beckett? All and none of that, I guess.”
In a theatre sense, Clown blends slapstick with elements of mime and movement to create a highly physical form of expression. While words are few, experienced Clown performers are able to convey all the emotion and dialogue of complex text. And Chouinard, a graduate of the L’École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq, is a masterful performer.
“Mathieu Chouinard, in the title role, is amazing,” said Charron. “He’s as generous and meticulous and earnest as someone can be in front of an audience.
“It’s definitely a show where people can and do laugh, but that’s not all,” said Charron. “Clown is a very fragile and vulnerable approach to acting and, I think, seeing an actor open up that way also opens up the audience that much more. So laughter is fresher, but so are all the dramatic and tragic aspects of the performance.”
If you’re able to escape the trickers and treaters on the 31st, come out and experience the work of one of New Brunswick’s best kept theatre secrets – Satellite Theatre.
Grum On A Wire | October 31 | Fredericton | Centre communautaire Sainte-Anne | 7:30 p.m. | View Event
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Théâtre populaire d’Acadie | WEB | FACEBOOK
