It's not what they say, it's how they say it.

We saw our third play of 2012 last night, a UNB production of Michel Tremblay's "Bonjour, la, Bonjour."  I've seen three of Tremblay's plays now and I really like them.  He writes primarily about working-class francophones, which aren't too far from the working-class anglophones that constitutes 95% of my extended family.  What could contain more 'drama' than family, youth, identity, and intimacy?


A few years back at Mount A., I saw "Messe solennelle pour une pleine lune d'ete," (Solemn Mass for a Full  Moon Summer) and now that I look back on it, the characters perched on Montreal balconies in the heat of summer probably inspired my fascination with that city.


The Mount A. production was in French, and after seeing two subsequent Tremblay plays in English (the other was a TNB Production "For the Pleasure of Seeing Her Again"), I will try to see more Tremblay productions in the language they were composed in. Although my French is far from perfect, you can surmise a lot from watching good actors even if you don't get every word. 


And words are important in these plays - Tremblay is known for introducing vernacular Quebecois French joual to the stage - it's analogous to the outback type of "Dooryard" words and phrases we have here in Western NB.  And the characters are defined as much by the way the speak and not just what they say.  As someone who has taken her 'county' slang to wine and cheese receptions and scholarship interviews, I can tell you that how you say 'er really does have some import (wink, wink).


I guess it just goes to show that "English" or "French" are very nebulous ideas in some ways - whose English (London, Caribbean, Carleton County, Mumbai) do we really speak?  I will never forget the story my Acadienne friend told me about her trip to France.  She showed up speaking French, mais oui, only to have French noses turn up at her unrefined accent.  I think she was back on the plane to 'the New World" within days, but I digress.


So, speaking of English and French, next week we're off to - where else? - Mount A! to see Alex Fancy's Tintamarre team present "Camp."  Students help Fancy write these bilingual productions, so it will be interesting to see what they've come up with.  We're also going to see a wonderful friend present a vocal recital in the hall where we studied (and enjoyed) so many excellent performers during our wonderful student days.  Felicitations, bravo and congratulations Jessica!