Chris Hanna

La Cantatrice Chauve The Bald Soprano

First impressions are so important.

It’s true in job interviews, meeting your in-laws or first dates, and it’s true in theatre, too. I was instantly pulled into Raise the Stakes’ bilingual production of Eugene Ionesco’s odd The Bald Soprano thanks to Paul Naiman and Michelle Langlois-Fequet, playing Mr. and Mrs. Smith, opening the play with the sort of zest and fervor that are impossible to ignore. Mrs. Smith is telling her visibly annoyed and inattentive husband about her day as he continues to read a comically large newspaper. This would be the first of many (to my surprise) physical and visual gags in this production of The Bald Soprano.

The Smiths hosts the Martins for dinner (a meal that never actually happens during the play’s 80-minute runtime) and the double-date quickly turns into an opportunity for the four characters to one-up each other, telling ridiculous stories and anecdotes. It’s no-holds barred…

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Posted by on February 20, 2014 in Uncategorized.

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