Review of Vengeance and Oblivion | Dark tragic jewel

After many rereadings and films inspired by his torments, everything has been said about Hamlet, one could believe. Playwright Olivier Kemeid proves not with a powerful tragedy over which the shadow of the Shakespearean hero hangs.

Titled Revenge and oblivion, this piece presented on the boards of Quat’Sous is freely inspired by the legendary work of the bard of Stratford-upon-Avon. Here, Hamlet is not a Danish prince, but a theater graduate who helplessly watches the slow death of his father, an eminent drama professor. Around the dying man and his son, a few figures keep watch. A dear friend (Sasha Samar), a new flame named Ophélie (Anna Romagny), an uncle with troubled plans (Richard Thériault) and a mother whom Hamlet would have liked to be more grieving (Mireille Naggar).

None of them will be spared when the young hero begins to doubt. Did his father die naturally? Did someone rush the inevitable? And if so, who dared? Disturbed by the specter of the father who appears to him and puts fantasies in his head, Hamlet ends up slowly sinking, deaf to the words (and the evils) of those around him.

Olivier Keimed, who also directs, offers here a painful portrait of a father-son relationship which is lost in a veil of lies. The finely crafted text (like Romain Fabre’s decor) grabs the viewer from the first lines and leads him into the twists and turns of a sick brain where it is not always easy to separate fact from fiction.

The text also touches on the universal by probing the notion of inheritance. What do we keep from what our parents left us? How far should we go to honor the memory of those who came before us? When certain memories are sometimes heavy to bear, isn’t it better to get rid of them?

A masterful interpretation

In the role of Hamlet, Gabriel Lemire offers a breathtaking performance. He had already dazzled us by playing the young Jean Paul Riopelle in Riopelle Project by Robert Lepage. He is magnetic here.

Sometimes touching, sometimes frighteningly cruel, Gabriel Lemire is in every scene and delivers his score with an intensity that commands admiration.

In fact, on the night of the premiere, all the performers shone, despite a few nervous moments.

Mireille Naggar is also very moving in the role of the mother who refuses to be consumed by remorse and who chooses life rather than mourning. Anna Romagny plays a freedom-loving Ophélie. In L’Hamlet by Olivier Kemeid, women are strong figures who assume responsibility for their choices without ever trying to justify themselves.

In the design, we must highlight the beauty of Martin Labrecque’s lighting which adds to the anxiety-inducing atmosphere of certain scenes. Under his direction, the small stage of the Quat’Sous was transformed into a bar, a theater dressing room or a family room, all with great savings in accessories. Philippe Brault’s atmospheric music also wraps the story beautifully.

In short, it’s a little tragic gem that Olivier Kemeid offers us for his swan song as artistic director of the Théâtre de Quat’Sous. It’s hard to imagine how he could have had a better exit.

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Revenge and oblivion

Text and direction by Olivier Kemeid. With Gabriel Lemire, Mireille Naggar, Anna Romagny, Sash Samar and Richard Thériault.

Threepenny TheaterUntil May 11

8/10