The Concordian

Issue date: 10/21/08 Section: Arts

Media Credit: Ricardo Cellere A deal turns sour when this modern-day rapunzel doesn't pony up the money

An empty pool isn't the first setting to come to mind when one thinks of going to the theatre, but that's where Carole Fréchette's play John and Béatrice takes place. The odd set is divided between multi-level seating for the audience and a heavily slanted stage, lit by Christmas lights and decorated with apples, water bottles and white string.
Unfortunately, the staging is more interesting than the show itself.
John and Béatrice is the story of a modern day Rapunzel. An heiress waits in her 33rd floor apartment for a man to answer her "Help Wanted" ad. Béatrice, the "well-to-do young heiress who has never loved anyone," is looking for a "man who will interest, move and seduce her," all in exchange for a "substantial reward."
The show's first half is the most attention-worthy; John accepts Béatrice's challenge, seeking the promised reward. To collect the $20 bills he so desperately needs, he must tell Béatrice an interesting story, make her cry, and seduce her, each within a 15-minute time frame.
The show's second half takes a dramatic turn when John completes the given tasks and Béatrice refuses to reward him. At this point the tale turns into an unpleasant bicker fest. Through a series of events, John and Béatrice are trapped together on the 33rd floor, and end up fighting, until John decides to end it all with a knife.
But the show isn't entirely serious; there are a couple of scenes that alleviate the dark mood. When Béatrice asks John his age, he quips, "young enough to climb 33 floors, old enough to be winded." Alas, these humorous moments are too few and far between. Early on in the show, Béatrice exclaims, "I hate being bored!" as the play drags on, it's a feeling the audience comes to understand all too well.
The performances are what salvage this pace-challenged play. Actress Tania Kontoyanni excels as Béatrice, commanding the small stage, but projecting a character both real and vulnerable. Frank Schorpion, her onstage counterpart and former drama school classmate, does a fair job but isn't completely comfortable in his role as John, at times forcing dialogue that doesn't flow naturally.
The two actors do have an undeniable chemistry, for which Kontoyanni deserves much of the credit. After she secured the part of Béatrice, director Guy Sprung asked her if she had anyone in mind to play John.
"I immediately thought of Frank," she said at the opening night's post-show reception. "Frank and I have the same ideological approach," a fact she discovered through the many workshops they did together.
Although this show isn't the finest piece of theatre to hit the Montreal circuit, it still beats any of the brain dead action-thriller playing at the local cinema. Skip the movie and popcorn this weekend and indulge in some local theatre instead.

John and Béatrice plays at Bain St-Michel (5300 St-Dominique) until Nov. 9. Student tickets are $15.

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