Robert Lepage’s Needles and Opium is not merely a play but a visual feast. His use of stagecraft is awe-inspiring. Two of Lepage’s shows are on my top ten list: The Far Side of the Moon, his electrifying one-man show and Lipsynch, a nine-hour show that was worth every hour. Needles and Opium put Lepage on the theatrical map twenty years ago and it was mesmerizing to watch but somehow didn’t give me the same jolt as the other two shows.
Needles and Opium is not linear in its telling. It is fragmented and the audience catches glimpses of life, of character, of story and then must weave it together to make sense of it all. Lepage takes his time in his works, he expects the audience to be patient, to savor the small details, the mundane.
Lepage’s play focuses on three men, Jean Cocteau, Miles Davis and a man named Robert. Each character struggles with his art and addictions while searching for their place in the world. Lepage weaves in passages of Cocteau’s Lettre aux Americains and Miles Davis’ jazz and the pace is meditative and slow.
Almost all the action in Needles and Opium happens at an angle; perhaps symbolizing the precarious position the men find themselves in.
The staging of Needles and Opium is incredible, simply magnificent. Most of the action takes place in a moveable box, the size of a small room and almost all the action happens at an angle; perhaps symbolizing the precarious position the men find themselves in. They are not on solid ground. The room moves around in a baffling number of configurations including upside down as actors hold on to set pieces or slowly slide down the wall or floor that has suddenly tilted. Props and actors seamlessly disappear into holes while in the next moment they fly gracefully up to complete the next scene. The mastery that is required to pull that off well is certainly nothing to scoff at.
Marc Labreche took over for Lepage after three years when the show was originally produced and they are very similar performance wise. He reminded me very much of Lepage in The Far Side of the Moon. He performs well and it must be a feat physically to do the show. Wellesley Robertson III plays a non-speaking role and fills the space with his graceful and powerful movement. Originally, the show was a one-man show but it was adapted for the remount to include Robertson III as Miles Davis.
I am not sure how engaged I would have been in this show had I just been listening to the dialogue. The effects were what made this production. Technically it is fabulous. Carl Fillion’s ingenious set, Claudia Gendreau’s props, Jean-Sebastien Cote’s seductive sound design, Bruno Matte’s incredible lighting, Lionel Arnould’s fantastic projected images. The technical aspects are breath taking and that alone is worth the price of admission.
Needles and Opium plays at Canadian Stage now through December 1.
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