by Yanik Comeau (Comunik Média / ZoneCulture)
I remember having been charmed and delighted by Evelyne de la Chenelière’s airy, light, sweet, romantic yet never tout Des fraises en janvier when I saw it at Compagnie Jean-Duceppe over twenty years ago, and wanting more, more, more. This was before two productions of Bashir Lazhar (which Philippe Falardeau then made into an Oscar-nominated film), Désordre public, L’Histoire de Darwin, Henri et Margaux, which allowed me to discover the scope of de la Chenelière’s talent. That being said, my very fond memory of Des fraises en janvier, as my great love for Michel Tremblay’s classic Les Belles-Soeurs, made me very weary of a musical adaptation. In both cases, as I admitted to director Frédéric Bélanger on our way out of Centaur’s theatre after Friday’s première, I am totally sold on this beautifully sweet, never cutesy musical retelling of this classic story.
Strawberries in January is Quebec’s answer to the best made American romcoms with our own local touch yet it is so universal. The musical reminded me of some of my favorite intimate musicals like the Segal’s production of Once (not surprisingly, Eva Foote, who starred in that production, worked on the original music for this one), The Pianist of Willesden Lane and Théâtre de l’Oeil Ouvert’s Clémence. With Strawberries in January, as René Richard Cyr and Daniel Bélanger did with Belles-Soeurs Musical, Audrey Thériault (La Géante) and Frédéric Bélanger, working with Alexis Diamond who translated the lyrics, did an amazing job respecting the important essence of de la Chenelière’s characters and script to bring to life a new classic piece that stands alone yet totally captures the original work. Thériault is used to working with Bélanger as she’s created music and lyrics for many of his Théâtre Advienne que pourra productions including Le Chat Botté, Les Aventures de Lagardère and D’Artagnan et les trois Mousquetaires. This beautiful work chemistry translates to the stage as the songs and dialogue just flow so naturally in and out of each other.
Centaur Theatre Artistic Director Eda Holmes couldn’t have scheduled this production at a better time although there is a part of serendipity involved since the pandemic did have a say in it being postponed. That being said, as I think was the case for Frédéric Bélanger’s amazing production of La Nuit des rois at TNM, this postponement might just have been a good thing somehow. Even though the cast had very little actual rehearsal time (as is often the case with ACTRA Montréal productions), the show is mind-blowingly flawless and flows like a pristine stream.
Ryan Bommarito as François is totally charming, charismatic, cute and totally believable as he breezes around the stage, tickling the ivories here, grabbing his guitar there, singing, dancing, oozing chemistry with all three of his on-stage partners. As Sophie, a.k.a. Geneviève (well, not really), Madeleine Scovil is also a triple-threat, running the gamut from regally elegant and confident to sweet mess when wondering if she was up to par and “will he call her back?”. Exquisite! Eloi ArchamBeaudoin is also perfectly cast as literature professor Robert who is as on point vocally as he is delivering his lines. He even brought a few tears to my eyes, I must admit. Also hard to not be charmed by Métushalème Dary’s beautiful performance as Léa, the single mom who has lost touch with her childhood friend.
Francis Farley-Lemieux’s minimalist set design and Sarah Balleux’s costumes, marked by specific touches of colour, blend in so well with Bélanger’s clear direction. Everything about this production is a homerun and it will make even the most cynical curmudgeons want to bite into love… and a big, juicy red strawberry as Valentine’s Day approaches.
Strawberries in January – A Musical Fantasy based on the original play Des Fraises en janvier by Evelyne de la Chenelière Translated by Morwyn Brebner Adapted by Frédéric Bélanger and Audrey Thériault Original Music by Ludovic Bonnier, Eva Foote, Audrey Thériault and Habib Zekri Song Translations by Alexis Diamond Directed by Frédéric Bélanger Musical Direction by Nick Carpenter Arrangements by Nick Carpenter and Habib Zekri Starring Eloi ArchamBeaudoin, Ryan Bommarito, Métushalème Dary, Madeleine Scovil Accompanied by Khalil Bouaziz (guitar), Quinn Dooley (violin), Tobias Kimmelman (cello, guitar, mandolin) and Christophe Papadimitriou (band leader/bass) Set Designer: Francis Farley-Lemieux Costumes: Sarah Balleux Assistant Costume Designer: Jonathan Beaudoin Lighting Designer: Stéphane Ménigot Stage Manager: Trevor Barrette Assistant Stage Manager: Ava Bishop Apprentice Stage Manager: Caroline Nowacki A Centaur Theatre Company and Théâtre Advienne que pourra coproduction From January 21st to February 9th, 2025 (duration: 1 hour 45 minutes with no intermission) Centaur Theatre, 453, rue Saint-François-Xavier, Vieux-Montréal Reservations: 514-288-3161 Information: https://centaurtheatre.com/shows/strawberries-in-january/ Photos: Andrée Lanthier
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