Orphan Muses

Electrifying performances and a richly textured script combine to create Touchstone Theatre's potent production of Michel Marc Bouchard's new drama Orphan Muses, now on stage at The Firehall Theatre.

The play, set in a small house in Saint Ludger de Milot, Quebec, centres around the reunion of four grown siblings awaiting the return of their mother who had abandoned them in their childhood. Her well publicized and passionate affair with a Spanish dam worker had driven their father away and further established the reputation of the family as the town "freaks." Ostracized for flaunting her infidelity, their mother eventually deserts her children to follow her lover to Spain. Now, 20 years later, it's clear that the scars have profoundly shaped the lives of the orphans she left behind.

Brother Luc (Dmitry Chepovetsky), is an aspiring novelist just returned from Europe, who defiantly parades around in Mom's Spanish skirts. His sister Martine (Deborah Williams) is a lesbian who followed her father's footsteps by joining the armed forces stationed in Germany. The sterile and promiscuous Catherine (Christine Willes) has remained at home, assuming the role of mother towards the whimsical Isabelle (Laara Sadiq) who, at 27 years of age, has the curiosity and mental capacity of a 12 year-old.

Much hostility exists between the characters, and the term "dysfunctional" doesn't even begin to describe this family circle. For instance, Isabelle, the organizer of this familial convention, had to take some rather creative measures in order to get some of the members to return. So Martine only comes home from her post in Germany believing she is to attend Luc's funeral. Daggers are hurled from the start and deeply rooted frustrations are dished out. Yet, despite the verbal attacks and abuse endured over the course of the Easter weekend, there are moments of genuine affection, forgiveness and affinity. One of the most powerful scenes occurs when the characters break beautifully into song-the moment intensifies the pain and the yearning felt by the siblings after all this time. What bonds these characters together are the unanswered questions about their mother and her absence which have plagued them for years.

The performances are terrific. Dmitry Chepovetsky has the difficult task of portraying a male character who dons women's clothing for most of the play; he pulls it off with dignity and grace, never falling into the effeminate caricature pit. Deborah Williams' rigid and sardonic Martine deftly delivers a lot of the great punchy lines and she is also effective in conveying the emotion and anguish that seethes beneath Martine's controlled demeanor. Christine Willes as Catherine, who desperately clings to her vision of the ideal family, is strong and touching and Laara Sadiq as the inquisitive Isabelle is remarkable, maintaining the balance between wide eyed naivetŽ and the sense of a burgeoning soul about to blossom.

Along with impressive acting and the turbulent emotional ride, this play is also , surprisingly, very funny . The dialogue is frequently punctuated with wry, pithy lines which not only adds a bit of relief in the context of a rather sombre production, but also reflects a self-awareness among the characters. They have suffered profoundly, but Quebec playwright Bouchard never allows their pain to become heavy handed. The play depicts eccentric characters coping with an extraordinary situation but never strays from a skillful scrutiny of the ever familiar territory of family and sibling relationships. Bouchard's family of orphans will be hard to forget.

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