Theatre--Review (UL-Opera Theater and The Compound)

One of the greatest privileges of my life has been to witness multiple productions of a show and to marvel—or regret—at the changes made from one venue to another. In 2006 I soaked in the treasures of the British version of Mary Poppins with its quirky song “Temper, Temper,” where all of Jane and Michael’s toys come to life, put the kids on trial, and then threaten them with execution. When I succumbed to the 2010 American version in New York City, the song was replaced with the tepid “Playing the Game,” and I felt the production suffered considerably. I was shocked to find a touring production of Cabaret in Lafayette, Louisiana, far out-shone an off-kilter, disjointed West End production in London! The changes made in Sunset Boulevard as it traveled from the UK to the US made a lackluster play crackle with life. And now, I can add Grand Pré to the list of productions I’ve re-visited; it was akin to rejoining an old friend reflecting on the good old days, and while my memory isn’t what it used to be, the affinity was there. It was a lovely evening of beautiful music highlighting one of the most significant Diasporas of the eighteenth century.

Grand Pré marked its debut in 2005 as part of the 250th anniversary of the Acadians’ deportation from Nova Scotia to all parts of the globe, including my hometown of St. Martinville, made famous by Longfellow’s poem Evangeline. Cody Daigle and Roy Bertucci created the score, which in 2005 was taped, but has been lovingly expanded for an eight-member orchestra. I wish I could remember the original production more clearly, but part of me is grateful for I feel I can judge this production on its own without too many comparisons to the original. People wishing to catch this poignant production can see the show beginning Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, March 8th, 9th, and 10th at 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 11th at 3:00 pm in Angelle Hall at UL.

The music forms the heart of this play, as it does in most musicals, and the opening act sets the tone. The opening song Grand Pré judiciously paints the portrait of a village on the eve of destruction, where British demands for loyalty will result in deportation for the citizens. Two families, the LeBlancs (pure-blooded Acadians), and the Johnsons (Thom, a Brit, married Alice, a sister to the LeBlanc family), exist side-by-side on the stage, but their children Cecile and Allain have fallen in love in a most Romeo-and-Juliet fashion. Their playful courtship and their interactions with nine-year old Isabelle LeBlanc, provide a welcome respite from the overwhelming sadness of the entire play. No sooner have bridal topics arisen then British Major Charles Lawrence has ordered the deportation of the Acadians who chose neutrality in the latest war between the British and the French. The entire second act bears out the fruits of that fateful decision, which would have such a tremendous impact on the Acadiana area here in southern Louisiana.

Nostalgia also played a part in my watching this production because two seasoned UL performers are preparing to graduate. I had the privilege of teaching Jenee Luquette in her senior year in high school, and I have seen her in previous UL productions. She played Cecile LeBlanc with a genuine innocence and a heartfelt pain on losing both her home and her potential beau. Though I did not teach her, Alexandra Hollerman also attended Lafayette High where I saw her in a stunning production of Guys and Dolls. With her simple cap and lack of makeup, I hardly recognized the girl who once played the glamorous Miss Adelaide. She convincingly disappeared into the forlorn mother Helene, who protects her two daughters while simultaneously disapproving of her sister Alice’s marriage to a British soldier. I will be sad to watch them leave.

The cast on the whole performed their parts with sincerity and without affectation. Both Jonah Slason as Louis LeBlanc and Garret Guidry as Thom Johnson provided the necessary empathy to make the families believable and accessible to the audience. Slason and Hollerman particularly had good chemistry in their opening scenes where they watched their children play through a window, all the while fearing that tragedy was closing in on them. Jay Broussard has an earnestness about him that made us understand why Cecile would simultaneously love him and be exasperated with him for his obliviousness to the dangers around them. His duets with Ms. Luquette were touching and nicely directed by Shawn Roy for maximum effect. Sadie Bekurs, the youngest LeBlanc child, thankfully plays the pre-teen perfectly, making no attempt to steal scenes. And Aren Chaisson as John Winslow, the only non-singing role in the play, does well with this new character that provides a better flow for the information that follows.

Oddly enough two characters always stay in my mind with this play, Marie Barillot and Charles Lawrence. Both in 2005 and now seven years later, my first impression of this deluded woman was that she did not fit well into the production. As I listened more carefully to her words this second time, I saw a parallel between the abject loneliness she feels at the loss of her husband, and the agony that will soon befall Grand Pré and its citizens. It was the perfect counterpart made even better by the sympathetic performance by Shelby Runyan, though I would have liked to see more bitterness in her when she sees the young lovers and she utters, “You think love will save you.” When she sings of “searching for something lost,” she speaks for the whole Acadian people as their lives were viciously uprooted all in the cause of loyalty. Charles Lawrence, the Lieutenant Governor who approved the deportation orders, is a tricky character, both pompous and yet not unfeeling. Holden Greene has a gorgeous tenor voice that probably needs no microphone, but he needs to develop his acting skills more sufficiently. When Lawrence laments briefly whether people will revile his name centuries hence, Greene had a moment to remind us of the character’s humanity, and he did not fully grasp it. At times, it was also difficult to understand some of the characters, who need to enunciate more clearly for the audience to better appreciate Cody Daigle’s thoughtful book.

The scene that still reverberates for me and for all my friends who sat near me was in the second act. Garrett Guidry, as a British soldier, has been able to arrange for an escape for his wife Alice and his son Allain, but only if they leave immediately. Until then, both Guidry and Tessa Espinosa as Alice had been playing serviceable if not particularly memorable characters, but that all changed with the song “Stay.” As they stood in their home, he begging her to leave, she begging him to stay, the gut-wrenching truth of the entire play was writ large across their faces. The tragic uprooting of an entire people was captured in that one moment, that perfect harmony of musical magic, gifted acting, and the perfect words. I heard my friend behind me say, “That was lovely.” I wholeheartedly agree.
---Vincent P. Barras


As noted, Grand Pre opens at 7:30 Thursday, March 8th at Angelle Hall and will run through March 11th.  Friday and saturday performances will be at 7:30 and the Sunday matinee will begin at 3:00.  For more information, call 482-6012.