Montreal Review: "Alice and the World We Live In" at the Centaur Theatre
Joe Szekeres, Chief Toronto Critic
From personal experience, to stare grief directly in its eye after a death will never be easy. As a man of faith, I have tried never to lose sight of what we are told at the Catholic funeral mass that, for God’s people, life has changed but not ended. True, some may have difficulty adapting to the change in life and I certainly have; however, for me, there is comfort in knowing that the loved one who is gone wants us to keep moving forward no matter what.
Montrealer Alexandria Haber has written an extremely complex two-hander play about the process of grief and death, and how we are able to move forward. Originally ‘Alice and the World We Live In’ examined the aftermath of a terrorist attack through two parallel stories. A woman tries to take a trip to Italy she and her husband were planning before he was killed. As the woman stands at the side of the mountain she and her husband were to have climbed in Italy, her life with her husband flashes before her and he suddenly appears to her.
This first draft was well-received in public readings. Director of this current production, Eda Holmes, approached Ms. Haber about reworking the play with a single-story line back in October 2017 when the real work began for Ms. Haber. Tonight’s 51st season opener at Montreal’s Centaur Theatre was the birth of that conception.
Heavy stuff that could be a downer.
Not with this cast.
I bought completely Amy Keith’s set design and construction of the mountainside. There were levels that both actors can maneuver for various exits and entrances. At one point, the side of the mountain opens and there is another special effect used at this moment when Alice goes back in time to relive a moment with her husband, Ever.
Ms. Holmes’ sensitive direction combined with the terrifically authentic performances of Jane Wheeler as Alice and Daniel Brochu as Ever left me feeling hopeful, inspired and comforted that life must go on; however, we will never forget those memories we have made with our loved ones who have passed away.
According to the Centaur’s website, this Alice is a reminder of the conversation the other Alice in Wonderland had with the White Rabbit after she fell through the rabbit hole. When she asks, “How long is forever?” The White Rabbit responds with “Sometimes, just one second.” And it is true that even a second of grief can feel like forever.
In the Centaur’s production, Ms. Wheeler’s Alice stands frozen on a mountainside alone paralyzed with fear. Ms Wheeler thankfully never ventures over the top into melodramatic histrionics as she comes to terms with her stages of grief after losing her husband. At one point, Ms. Wheeler falls to her knees logically as she is consumed and tired with grief. She has tried to alter those moments from the past where she met her husband, Ever, during a 20th century undergraduate English class. I was on Ms. Wheeler’s every word at that point because I saw a performer who was always in complete control of her emotions.
Daniel Brochu’s performance as Ever is just as believably sound as that of Ms. Wheeler’s. Mr. Brochu never becomes sappy or emotional, rather he becomes a touchstone of hope for Alice to carry on and move forward. I can’t help but think of the cemetery scene from Thornton Wilder’s ‘Our Town’ where the narrator leads central character Emily, who has just died, to the conclusion that human beings really don’t understand how precious and valuable life really is and every moment that is lived.
Ever reminds me of this connection to ‘Our Town’. He too will play along with Alice’s game in trying to change the memories of that time when they first met during their undergraduate years. But like ‘Our Town’ Ever leads Alice to understand that the ending and beginning of our lives are connected and that there is a reason and timing for when we meet other people. But we human beings are adaptable, for Ever tells Alice, “Nothing ever seems what it is except the present.”
I always thought the name Ever was an odd choice, but in this topsy turvy allegorical connection to ‘Alice and Wonderland’ it makes perfect sense. Nothing is for EVER. Let’s not waste time or save time. We don’t have to plan time in our connection with others. Instead, let’s just pay attention to each other and be in those moments with loved ones when we can. If we do this, then we can “Be prepared. Be aware. Be ready and Go” as Haber’s Alice recites before she continues off the mountain.
Final Comments: It’s a challenge to love in this world that can change quickly where loved ones can be taken away from us in a snap. It’s a price that we pay, but as Eda Holmes says in her Director’s Note, “the love itself becomes a transformational force and gives us the power to continue.” Through love and humour (which also appears in this production), the world can become a spectacular view in the distance as we continue to move forward.
‘Alice and the World We Live In’ continues to November 3, 2019 at the Centaur Theatre, 453 St. Francois-Xavier, Montreal. For further information, please visit www.centaurtheatre.com or call Reservations (514) 288-3161.
The performance runs 75 minutes without an intermission.
Playwright: Alexandria Haber; Director: Eda Holmes; Dramaturg: Micheline Chevrier; Set & Costume Designer: Amy Keith; Lighting Designer: Julie Basse; Composers: Anna Atkinson and Alexander MacSween.
Photo of Jane Wheeler and Daniel Brochu by Andree Lanthier