From 5 p.m., spectators were able to go to the Salle Jean-Jacqui Boutet located on the 3rd floor of the La Bordée theater. Small round tables covered with a tablecloth and surrounded by four chairs each awaited the guests.
Each ticket holder – offered at the regular price of $23 – was entitled to a drink, alcoholic or not, in addition to a small snack. Tuesday evening, they served chips topped with Küto.
Around 5:30 p.m., the lights went down and spectators chatting at the tables turned their attention to the diamond-shaped stage. Red velvet security cords demarcated a small square at the end of the stage. Opposite, at the back of the stage, hung a curtain the width of a door.
We thus represent the room in which Dave, a security guard, monitors the controversial work Nipple_Jesus.
Dave is an ex-military man who recently left his job as a bouncer at the Le Dagobert bar. This is his first contract as a security guard in a contemporary art museum.
This big guy explains that, despite appearances, he doesn’t like to fight. He prefers quiet evenings and, for him, his mission is to protect people who come to have fun from “fucked” or “too powdered” people who threaten their safety.
He also talks about his family and his relationship. The audience quickly realizes that beneath his tough guy exterior lies a big teddy bear who takes pleasure in his role as a father.
It was also to ensure that he was more present – and alive – for his daughters and his partner that he decided to resign from the nightclub where he worked.
Part of the scene represents the museum employees’ room where Dave (Charles-Étienne Beaulne) works. (Nicola Frank Vachon)
Charles-Étienne Beaulne is very convincing in the role of this endearing and comical thirty-something who develops an unexpected relationship with the controversial work he must monitor.
Nipple_Jesus is a portrait of the dying Christ made from thousands of “toton” images. From a distance, nothing appears there. You have to get closer to see it.
Quickly, this mosaic of nipples became the topic of the hour and demonstrations were organized.
Dave’s relationship with the work – which he has probably stared at longer than its own creator, he thinks – will have astonishing impacts on his interpersonal relationships, on his perception of people, of his society and of the art. Until the end, this reflection evolves and never ceases to surprise us.
Full of subtleties, Nick Hornby’s text is skilfully translated by Samuel Corbeil. The artistic co-coordinator of Périscope had fun introducing some familiar places and characters from Quebec.
Directed by Nathalie Séguin, this intelligent and accessible story lasts barely an hour. The audience leaves the theater before 7 p.m. He avoided the traffic congestion on the way home and attended a quality show, just light enough to follow a day of work.
The 5 à 7 formula will also appeal to early diapers or those who, once they get home, never want to leave or return to the city center. Frankly, this theatrical aperitif has several advantages!
Nipple_Jesus is presented in a 5 to 7 format at La Bordée until May 17.
