After orchestrating a concise, dynamic, and embodied version of “King Lear” last fall from an adaptation by Jean-Marc Dalpé, Quebecois artist Jon Lachlan Stewart now presents a comical and ambitious spectacle translated and directed by Olivier Morin. The play features three former child stars – now far from the limelight – who appeared in a series of fantasy films based on books by an author known for her retrograde and acrimonious comments. Yes, the reference to “Harry Potter” is fully acknowledged here.
Initially invited for an interview about their youth, the three protagonists are tasked with creating the final installment of the series after a bomb targeting the controversial writer and screenwriter explodes at the Oscars, decimating almost the entire Hollywood scene. This is followed by a critique of the mass cinema industry, which often reduces art to producing easy and insincere entertainment.
Drug, alcohol, unbridled sex, and an insatiable thirst for power possess these wretched souls who will do anything to feel alive within a system that kills them more surely than slowly. An unrelentingly mercantile industry, where artificial intelligence contributes to exponentially dehumanizing it.
The insights in “The Testament of Celebrities” are sharp but unsurprising; while the humor deployed is more vaguely amusing than truly cutting. The narrative thread, which unravels to thinness, tends to fray into more or less plausible developments that support the interest to varying degrees. However, the manifold nuances of Rebecca Vachon’s performance – embodying the interpreter of the central figure in the films – expressing not only distress and hope but also fervor and conventionality, fragility and magnificence, captivate.
Additionally, the rich lighting by Joëlle LeBlanc, breathing life and imparting various meanings to the simple yet effective stage design (consisting of a luminous platform and a few chairs) by Cédric Lord, contribute, along with the sound design by the playwright, to the engaging and meticulous direction of Olivier Morin. A bit of smoke and wind are all the special effects needed to evoke a cinematic world where actors often find themselves with only a blank green screen as their creation context.
From a formal standpoint, “The Testament of Celebrities” leaves little to be desired. However, the play seems to be searching for a tone. Its satirical aspirations dwindle due to lack of bite. Nevertheless, the Surreal SoReal company, led by Jon Lachlan Stewart, has shown with works like “Beautiful Guys” by Erin Shields a sharp piece illustrating gender differences in the entertainment world, and with “Madame Catherine prepares her third-grade class for the devil” by Elene Belyea, that it can leave a profound and indelible mark on the psyche of its audience.
