“Glows”: Dreaming of tomorrow

After, after, after. Far, far, far. Somewhere” in the heart of a new world, in a forest inspired by the Paramo, Freya and Leone tame the days, let themselves be carried away by the changing landscape that presents itself to them, discover many creatures, sometimes disturbing, often amusing, and tell,
in a few words, what inhabits them during this crossing.

With Lueurs , its brand new creation, the L’Illusion theatre invites children to dive into the heart of
a universe that borders on phantasmagoria, in which nothing is entirely clear, where everything
is presented in filigree, in a vaporous way, like this unknown land in which Freya (Zoé Ntumba)
and Leone (Marion Daigle) find themselves.

If the very short text, made up of a few words thrown here and there by the characters, allows us to grasp the state they are in — sometimes happy, other times worried or intrigued by their surroundings —, the absence of complete sentences, however, prevents us from understanding the meaning of their journey. Against a backdrop of music composed by Nicolas Ferron, sometimes evoking nature, other times punctuated by techno or African accents, the disjointed narrative framework is interspersed with dances, games undertaken by the characters, notably with a beam of light, and encounters with various creatures.

If the unsaid and suggestion remain elements often hoped for in the theatre, some markers are also necessary to maintain and bring the spectator into the proposition offered, here, the strings are held by very little. To this end, the explanations of the director Sabrina Baran enlightened several children after the performance last Thursday. The desire to play with the poetry of words, to let them resonate nobly and humbly explains this way of doing things.

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Clinging to the scenography

But if the plot sinks into some opaque areas, like, that said, this foreign country in which the

characters end up, the striking scenography of Laurence Gagnon contributes to the beauty of the show. At the center of the stage, from what looks like a pond, a changing glow is projected upwards and becomes the place of all possibilities, sometimes a refuge, sometimes a space for meetings. Around
it, several decor elements unfold before the children’s amazed eyes and come to life in the hands of
the puppeteers.

A flower thus transforms into a sea creature, or is it a fish? Moose antlers become Boisboui, an invented being, shells, once assembled, resemble butterflies, even the pond unfolds to take the form of a dragon, or is it a mountain? Imagination and vagueness are welcome here.

The magic thus operates thanks to these sets which offer a visually very beautiful spectacle. Add to that the quality of the actresses’ acting. The naivety they exude marries the unknown they discover. Lueurs is a luminous and hopeful proposition, but whose thread would gain from being a little more visible.