ReviewRobert Lepage’s 887 at Hong Kong Arts Festival: compelling solo play of a childhood in 1960s Quebec
- Theatre veteran Robert Lepage is a great storyteller and “887” is an absorbing look at his childhood as well as separatism and tension in 1960s Quebec
- What really helps bring his story to life is the beautiful set and creative use of live video streaming
Theatre veteran Robert Lepage takes a leisurely stroll down memory lane in 887, an autobiographic solo play that recalls his childhood in 1960s Quebec.
The show’s title refers to the street number of his family residence at which the Canadian actor, director and playwright grew up.
The performance opens with Lepage recounting his failure to memorise lines from a famous poem that he was to recite at an important event. This is somewhat ironic, given he clearly has a phenomenal memory and is able to deliver this two-hour show without any prompting.
But the anecdote is just a way to take the audience back in time – in a series of flashbacks – to when he was already an established artist, then all the way back to his childhood in Quebec City.
If his family was ordinary, his neighbours were anything but. Living in the same apartment block were characters that left a big impression on the young Lepage: a man who lost the love of his life on the eve of their wedding, a bored housewife who had liaisons with door-to-door salesmen, and a couple next door who fought so much their children took refuge in his family’s flat.