Review: BELLES SOEURS the Musical at the Segal Centre

By Marilla Steuter-Martin, special to BroadwayWorld.

When a 23-year-old first-time playwright named Michel Tremblay wrote Les Belles-soeurs in 1965, no one could have predicted how it would turn into an international sensation over the next four decades and go on to be produced in over 30 languages.

The action of the show centers on a small kitchen party of a dozen Montreal women, each with their own hopes and heartbreaks. It is within these emotional and elegantly woven character studies that the play finds its heart and soul.

The English musical incarnation of the show, Belles Soeurs: The Musical, premiered at the Segal Centre in October and will run until Nov. 16.

The musical is lively and boisterous, with a stellar all-female cast who keep the laughs coming. Astrid Van Wieren leads the group as the central character and hostess, Germain Lauzon, who incites the jealousy of her friends and neighbours when she wins a contest and receives one million trading stamps.

The musical is very much an ensemble with most characters on stage at all times and many of the songs calling on the support of the strong chorus. Soloists Élise Cormier and Geneviève Leclerc stand out especially in their roles as Germaine's daughter and estranged sister respectively.

The set and costumes were bright and playful, nodding to the 1960s-era with iconic checkerboard linoleum and colourful floral housedresses.

The show's production number, An Ode to Bingo, comes during the second act and brings the whole cast together for a comedic song about the community's favourite pastime. The choreography for this number was imaginative and comical, as the women recreated The Last Supper in tableau while fervently chanting and stamping their Bingo cards.

The musical's score is a mix of jazzy energetic dance numbers and solo ballads, none more powerful than "If Life Was A Movie," performed by Germaine's other sister Rose. Played by Stephanie McNamara, Rose sings passionately of her failed marriage and alludes to her husband being abusive.

While the original play script touches much more heavily on themes of domestic abuse, racism and women's rights, the musical tends to feel glossed over and gutted in this respect. This is also reflected in the language, which has been obviously sanitized dramatically from the source material.

While highly entertaining, the show's content does lack substance and leaves several plotlines unresolved. Under the direction of René Richard Cyr, who also wrote the book and lyrics for the earlier French musical adaptation, one can't help but feel some things were simply lost in translation.

Regular tickets are $64 while student tickets are priced at $32. For more information about Belles Soeurs: The Musical visit: http://www.segalcentre.org.

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