Robert Lepage is one of Canada’s most acclaimed and well-known directors (in addition to being an actor and a playwright). His work is known around the world for its innovation, versatility and creativity.
Lepage’s work has always been embraced on the Toronto stage, and this month the city welcomes the critically acclaimed The Blue Dragon where it will play at The Royal Alexandra Theatre until February 19th. The show is a loose sequel to Lepage’s 1980’s The Dragon Trilogy, and it explores Lepage’s alter-ego Pierre LaMontagne 25 years after the original production took place. Now living in Shangai, Pierre’s life is turned upside down by two women – one from his Western past and one from his Asian present.
Applauded for it’s stunning use of imagery, lighting, set design and choreography, The Blue Dragon employs many different techniques to tell its story – including no less than three languages (English, French and Mandarin). Lepage played LaMontange during the show’s run in Quebec, and now Henri Chasse steps into the role. BWW spoke with him about the challenges associated with performing this type of piece, and about how he juggles three different languages:
Welcome to Toronto and congratulations on the opening of The Blue Dragon! Could you tell us a bit about how the show has evolved over the last few years?
Well, they did the show in France at the beginning and it was very different than the production you will see in Toronto. When they moved it to Quebec they made some large changes, and since then it has been smaller stuff along the way. It’s great working with a piece that’s constantly changing though, because you feel like you get to grow with it. Robert works a lot with improvisation too, so being in one of his shows is almost like “playing.” That’s how you figure out what works – by trying things out. And we continue to do that.
Does that help you keep the show fresh?
Absolutely! When you do 200 shows you need to keep it from becoming a routine and this helps.
Does it ever get boring?
That depends. If you do a show that isn’t very good then it can get boring! Thankfully this show is very good *laughs* Also it’s our responsibility as actors to find a way to keep it alive and fresh.
Is this your first English language show?
Yes! It’s not my first time performing it in English as I performed in Ireland but it is my first English production.
What has it been like having to learn to perform in another language?
It’s great but you have to be more concentrated in order to make it work. It’s fun to play with and explore. I worked with a dialect coach for both the English and the Chinese. It’s very different – I certainly couldn’t do an interview in Chinese! I have this new phrase that I have to say and it’s only three words, but when I come to that part I kinda go “oh boy”. So I technically speak Chinese but I don’t know Chinese. It’s a strange experience.
Have you found the audience reaction differs depending on city?
Definitely. Sometimes there is no reaction – it’s just completely silent. That can be frightening, especially at the beginning because you don’t know if the audience liked it. Some audiences are more vocal than others so you find yourself tweaking your performance depending on where you are. Audiences in Australia and Montreal for example – they laughed a lot! I find that the “younger” countries are often different as well, more vocal and participatory.
How about technology? These days the arts have to compete on a high level with people who are used to the “immediateness” of our digital world. How do you reach out to them? Do you think culturally shows like this are still relevant?
Absolutely. And Robert Isn’t afraid of anything when it comes to technology, including people and their various gadgets! Plus this show is a great opportunity for people to experience something together, and have a collection reaction to this piece of work. It’s different than a movie because you are righ here with us, engaged and all together in the moment.
