Nominated for the 2014 Harry S. Rintoul Award for Best New Manitoba Play at the Fringe Festival.
CBC *4 STARS* REVIEW:
"A Victorian Gothic story redolent with romance and the supernatural, La Belle Laide tells the story of a man attracted to two women. He chooses one, they marry, and a life of marital bliss seems assured. But the jilted woman obsesses over her lost love, and hangs herself in despair. She proceeds to haunt her lost love, ultimately destroying his marriage, his sanity, and his life.
The entire story is told solely through movement. The director and creator, Jacqueline Loewen, mixes modern and classical movement to convey the action. Far from jarring, the combination of modern and classical idioms strengthen the storytelling. The classical sections describe their surface Victorian lives, while the more discordant modern work exposes the characters’ inner emotional turmoil. Very clever.
The cast, Rodrigo Beilfuss, Janelle Hacault, and Tanja Woloshen, are wonderfully expressive performers. Beilfuss, in particular, captivates with his heart-wrenching portrayal of a man in torment.
Elegant and haunting, La Belle Laide is a superb example of physical theatre." - Michelle Palansky
****
The FRINGE FESTIVAL: arguably the best two weeks to be alive in Winnipeg - one of those rare occasions when it actually feels like we live in a global city. Kind of.
"La Belle Laide" is the name of the piece I'm working on, and it's a highly original script. There will be NO words, and ALL dance/movement. I'm the only actor in it, and the other two cast members, Tanja and Janelle, are professional contemporary dancers. It's terrifying, and I'm learning a lot.
The plot of the this dark fairly tale was developed by the great Jacqueline Loewen, who's also facilitating and directing the piece. I hate to call it a "devised" piece of theatre (because it sounds pretentious), but that's what this is (devised, not pretentious). It's a highly physical (I'm sporting several colossal bruises on my knees and arms), fun, dark and cheeky play - we've been calling it a "physical musical". So come check it out!
Below you shall find all of the details:
"A young man who must marry is forced to choose between two equal but different women. One is chosen and life shuffles on, but the path not taken becomes more and more scintillating with every step he takes further into the mundanity of wedded "bliss".
Exploring the power of our obsessions with what could have been, La Belle Laide (The Beautiful Ugly) is a Victorian Gothic fairy tale told through theatre, movement and the dusty sounds of an old Victrola."
Cast: Rodrigo Beilfuss, Janelle Hacault, Tanja Woloshen.
Director: Jacqueline Loewen
VENUE 6: MTC Tom Hendry Warehouse
Show dates/times: July = 17 9:30PM, 19 12:00PM, 20 4:45PM, 21 10:30PM, 23 1:00PM, 25 7:15PM, 26 3:45PM
Length: 45 mins.
Tickets: $10