Following its phenomenal success at the Théâtre du Trident in Quebec last March, in a production directed by Alexandre Fecteau, the play "Don't Wipe Away Tears Without Gloves," a grand romantic tragedy wrapped in poetry, made its way to Duceppe at Place-des-Arts for the Montreal audience. It is showing there until December 17.
This stage adaptation by Véronique Côté of the renowned novel by Jonas Gardell immerses the audience in the heart of the 1980s HIV epidemic in Sweden, through the story of endearing characters portrayed by outstanding performers. These same performers, who wowed at the Trident, set the PDA stage ablaze.
Synopsis: Rasmus flees his village and the stifling family nest to dive headfirst into his new life in Stockholm, where he hopes to finally be himself. Benjamin, torn between the path laid out by his Jehovah's Witnesses affiliation and his simple desire to love someone who will love him back, is also central to the story. It's Paul, the flamboyant mother hen to lost gays, who brings them together by chance one Christmas night. They leave hand in hand, unaware that their feverish duet will lead them to the brink of the abyss. One of them will fall victim to a grim reaper yet unknown: AIDS.
Alexandre Fecteau, who notably directed Amadeus at the Trident, tackles a masterpiece of world literature with the boldness and commitment he is known for.
The staging of this work is captivating. Dark blocks of varying sizes occupy the stage, constantly shifting and moving, with the help of the actors and stage technicians, to fit the multiple contexts over the nearly three-hour presentation, interspersed with an intermission. Interestingly and perhaps fortunately, the director plays skillfully with the humor of the text, lightening the tragic aspect of the work. There is much laughter and genuine mirth at several moments.
At the end of the first part, the stage is literally flooded by ceaseless rain, creating an even more tragic atmosphere over the events, and soaking almost all the actors' clothes. After the intermission, the stage, still filled with a few centimeters of water, sets the scene for the climax of this particularly unique Christmas night. With all the challenges and constraints it poses for the actors.
The emotion reaches its peak, and many spectators confessed to shedding tears repeatedly during the performance. The LGBTQ+ community, particularly gay men who witnessed the early stages of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s-1990s, and their loved ones, are very present in the audience. Exiting the theater, one can feel the emotion and hear the comments about the relevance and accuracy of this theatrical presentation.
A longtime activist known in the community for HIV prevention and AIDS information declared that she would "remember this play for the rest of her life," so evocative it is of the lived reality, both here and in Sweden where the action takes place.
In Montreal, more than fifteen artists on stage, most from the original creation:
Maxime Beauregard-Martin, Olivier Arteau, Samuel La Rochelle, Maxime Robin, Gabriel Cloutier Tremblay, Israël Gamache, Laurent Fecteau-Nadeau, Érika Gagnon, Hugues Frenette, Frédérique Bradet, Jonathan Gagnon, Carla Mezquita Honhon.
Four musicians complete the performance team: Anne-Marie Bernard (pianist), Jean-François Gagné (violinist), Marie-Loup Cottinet (cellist), and Karina Laliberté (violist).
Théâtre Jean Duceppe
Ticket Office: Place des Arts
From December 6 to 17, 2023
