Review: Canadian Slavery and Women's Mistreatment Motivate ANGELIQUE in Gripping Toronto Premiere

Late playwright Lorena Gale's ANGÉLIQUE makes its Toronto debut in this Black Theatre Workshop and Tableau D'Hôte co-production, presented by Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre. The play follows the true story behind Marie Joseph Angélique, an enslaved black woman, as she attempts to navigate the cruel world of slavery in 1700s Montreal. Her story, like many enslaved peoples, ends in tragedy as Angélique is hanged based on accusations of setting a fire that destroyed a large part of the colony in 1734.

Angélique (Jenny Brizard) is the clear standout of this production. Brizard's small frame and stature in comparison to her colleagues only makes her passionate depiction of the opinionated woman more interesting. Throughout the ups and downs of the show, Brizard leaps from comedy to sorrow with ease and offers a look at the woman behind the story, making her personable and incredibly sympathetic even when she is presumed as guilty.

Supporting Angélique through the story is a strong ensemble who drive the action around her. Between her creepy owner François (Karl Graboshas) and his wife Thérèse (France Rolland), it first seems as though Angélique might be happy in her new home - she was just a present for the man's grieving wife, named for their lost child. As her stay progresses, she is subjected to sexual, verbal, and physical abuse at the hands of the slimy François, whom Graboshas makes immensely unlikeable through a fantastic performance. Rolland drives Thérèse's jealousy wonderfully, at times seeming incapable of cruelty before completely flipping and becoming, in some ways, worse than her husband. She's also given her own fair share of struggles based on her gender that are handled blatantly, although nothing compares to her treatment of Angélique.

As Angélique's love interests and friends, the white servant Claude (Olivier Lamarche) and slave of François's colleague Ignace (Chip Chuipka), César (Omari Newton), both men present fundamentally different personalities. Lamarche's Claude is loud, witty, and openly against his masters throughout with a high degree of charm infused in the character - so much so that his final choice in the show is surprising, until a brief look into his childhood is an emotional attempt to explain his motivations.

As the slave chosen to be Angélique's partner, Newton is a sweet and sincere César. The role largely relies on his realistic nature, but in the moments where he's given a chance at comedy Newton's delivery results in theatre-wide laughter that lasts well into his next lines.

The show is set beautifully using levels, ladders, and a multifunctional sliding bench/platform (set design and costumes by Eo Sharp), and the decision to utilize modern and historical apparel throughout the show drives a powerful message - most noticeably in the final moments before Angélique's hanging where a prison jumpsuit is worn over a simple white shift dress. There are a few moments where characters are overtaken by dance (choreography by Ghislaine Doté), all of which are coordinated perfectly to the percussion accompaniment (Sixtrum Percussion Ensemble). The musicians, located in the upper balcony of the stage are visible throughout, and boast a large collection of instruments to provide sound effects and music throughout the show.

While ANGÉLIQUE was written over 20 years ago, it's hard to believe that such a strong story could take so long to reach Toronto. Despite the wait, the companies involved have developed a dynamic, moving production that marries cast and creative nearly perfectly. The difficulties faced by the title character are reflective of her time, but the show serves as a reminder that all humans are capable of love and of cruelty equally. Given today's political climate and the #MeToo movement, ANGÉLIQUE is a strong criticism of women's rights and capabilities not just in history but today.

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Black Theatre Workshop and Tableau D'Hôte's co-production, presented by Factory Theatre and Obsidian Theatre, ANGÉLIQUE runs through April 21 at Factory Theatre, 125 Bathurst St., Toronto, ON.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit https://www.factorytheatre.ca/2018-19-season/angelique/

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