THE BALLAD OF GEORGES BOIVIN at Lunchbox Theatre

At 77, Georges Boivin decides to “give the dice a roll.” Georges just lost his wife, the “centre of his universe.” But there is life after 70, and it must continue even after great loss. With his three friends, all older than he, he sets out on a cross-country road trip from Québec to Vancouver, in search of his first love who he hasn’t seen in 50 years. 

This poetic and playful script is a tour de force for the solo actor who plays all four friends along for the ride. It’s also a heart-warming story that challenges the myths and assumptions around aging. 

Award-winning Montreal playwright Martin Bellemare’s work has been produced extensively in Quebec and in Europe. When this script premiered in 2009 as Le chant de Georges Boivin, it was awarded the Prix Gratien-Gélinas. This translation, by Jack Paterson with Johanna Nutter, premiered in 2021 at Western Gold Theatre in Vancouver, in association with Bouche Theatre Collective.