Ottawa, April 1, 2014 – The NAC’s Théâtre français is pleased to present Une vie pour deux (La chair et autres fragments de l'amour), by Evelyne de la Chenelière, based on the novel by Marie Cardinal, from April 9 to 12 at 8 p.m. in the NAC Studio. An additional performance will take place on April 12 at 4 p.m.

 

Simone and Jean go on vacation in Ireland with the hope of rejuvenating their marriage. One day Jean discovers a dead woman on the beach, and is distraught by what he has found. Who is this woman? Who was she? Simone is jealous of his obsession, and the shadow of the woman lurks constantly between them. She becomes such a force in their relationship that they decide to invent an existence for her, a game that will have an unexpected impact on their lives.

 

Une vie pour deux (La chair et autres fragments de l'amour) probes the close relationship that Simone wishes to have with her husband. After twenty years together, how can their retrieve what’s been lost over the years and share their private worlds with each other? Both fantasy and a phantom presence, the dead woman on the beach leads to new dialogue between them, one that reflects the couple’s obsessions, the dissembled image of each one’s remorse and regrets. Together they concoct a story of the dead woman that, bit by bit, gives voice to Simone’s own life story.

 

The writer Evelyne de la Chenelière wanted to create a piece based on an existing novel, adapting the plot and turning it into something new, a theatre piece. Her great accomplice Alice Ronfard suggested Une vie pour deux, a novel written by her mother Marie Cardinal (1928-2001) that is based on a true story – the discovery by Marie and her husband, the director Jean-Pierre Ronfard, of the body of a young woman on an Irish beach in the late 1970s.

 

For her performance of the role of Simone, the actress Violette Chauveau received the 2012 Prix d’interprétation féminine de l’année (Montreal) from the Quebec Association of Theatre Critics.

 

Written by: Evelyne de la Chenelière, based on the novel by Marie Cardinal // Directed by: Alice Ronfard // With: Jean-François Casabonne, Violette Chauveau and Evelyne de la Chenelière // Assistant director and Stage manager: Alexandra Sutto // Set design: Gabriel Tsampalieros // Lighting and video images: Caroline Ross // Graphic imagery and video edit: Éric Gagnon // Music: Simon Carpentier // Costumes: Ginette Noiseux // Makeup: Jacques-Lee Pelletier // Dresser: Nicole Langlois // Video production and programming: Steve Lalonde // Costume assistant: Pierre-Guy Lapointe // Wigs: Cybèle Perruques // Set construction: Productions Yves Nicol inc. // Painting and patina: Longue-Vue Peinture Scénique // Costume creation: Amélie Grenier // Produced by: Espace Go

 

 

WHAT THE CRITICS SAY

 

Excellent actors – eloquent, lucid, expressive. Violette Chauveau explodes with the strong, terribly vibrant personality of a passionate woman, jealous and uncompromising. She gives very touching force to the final monologue.

Marie Labrecque, Le Devoir

 

Eighty minutes of truth. The roles are performed with rigour and intensity by Jean-François Casabonne and Violette Chauveau. A must see.

Jean Siag, La Presse

 

Well directed by Alice Ronfard, the actors offer a remarkable performance that will touch any spectator who has been married or in a long-term relationship… The final scene is so disturbing that it’s best left unmentioned. Better to experience its impact, full force, right in the solar plexus.

Louise Vigeant, Revue JEU