Maria, Monk and the Inuits

“We’re very interested in the phenomenon of the voice.” Robert Lepage said in one of his many interviews. And in another, he said, "People always talk about our visual vocabulary and how we're obsessed with the image...but we're also very interested in the word and oral expression, music, lyrics and sound." So this time, they decided to focus on themes of voice, language and speech.

After a summer performance at the Chekhov International Theatre Festival, Lipsynch will move to BAM's Next Wave Festival at Brooklyn in October. Interestingly, the Festival has also programmed "Songs of Ascension" by the noted vocalist Meredith Monk. I have always admired Monks' ability to make groundbreaking exploration of the voice, and this new work's visual elements were developed in collaboration with Ann Hamilton, another artist I am very fond of.

I can't help connecting the scene in Lipsynch where Maria, still recovering from her brain surgery and with bandage on her head, sat in front of a computer and started practicing her voice. Behind her was a big computer screen. Every time she sang a line a new sound channel was created. In a way, the voice, or voices resemble Monk's singing, or even, in the back of my head - very much the Inuit throat singing.

Photo credit: ÉRICK LABBÉ

Lipsynch

I went to see Lipsynch on the last day of Luminato at St. Lawrence Market. I have never seen a play by Lepage before except hearing rave reviews from friends. On the same day was Woofstock, which claims to be the largest outdoor festival for dogs in North America. I struggled my way to the theatre as hundreds of dog lovers strolling through the open market with their four-footed friends.

The theatre was packed. Obviously many took up the challenge and made the effort to attend this marathon performance. Next to me sat a couple from the States here for the weekend to see Lipsynch. Sometimes I feel kind of lucky to live in Toronto. For me, I really enjoyed and marveled at the many levels of ideas and creativity Robert Lepage and Ex Machina have achieved in this play. The opening scene was especially memorable. It unfolded itself in a clever, gorgeously designed and lit passenger-plane interior. At one end a woman sang an opera aria of sorrowful songs (Henryk Górecki, Katowice) while at the other, a baby cried. After all, it's about communication and the human voice.