Italian villas and chaotic family dynamics arrived on stage on Wednesday, November 11, when the premiere of Voyage opened at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier, atuvu.ca reported.
Written by Gabrielle Chapdelaine and directed by Louis-Karl Tremblay, the comedy transports audiences to Rimini through an elaborate set featuring orange buildings, café terraces, and a central fountain. The production draws inspiration from Carlo Goldoni’s 1761 satire of bourgeois pretension, La Trilogie de la villégiature, updating its themes for the age of social media and curated alter egos.
The story follows Philippe, a real estate broker who falls deeper into debt to fund a villa stay in Italy for a group of eccentric characters. His daughter Jacinthe joins them, landing in a tangled triangle with a café client named Léo who follows her abroad, and a local Québécois named Guillaume.
“Le rideau laisse place à un magnifique décor qui simule le coeur d’une petite ville italienne,” an attendee noted of the opening curtain, describing how the audience briefly lost its breath as Italian music swelled.
Chapdelaine weaves contemporary references into her 18th-century adaptation, incorporating nods to the performative male, TikTok dances, and subtle modern clothing details that mirror current social feeds. The production leans heavily into rapid-fire humor, driven by a cast portraying various facets of modern behavior.
Zoé Boudou stars as Victoria, a gothic character who undergoes a dramatic personality shift in Italy, trading her black clothes and quiet demeanor for blonde hair and an obsession with pleasing men. Bruno Marcil opens the production with a PowerPoint-backed monologue as Philippe’s exasperated accountant, while Didier Lucien plays the struggling father trying to draw a smile from his daughter.
“Boudou navigue parfaitement entre les deux côtés de son personnage et alterne entre les deux de façon franchement impressionnante,” reviewers noted of the performance.
Lula Brouillette-Lucien balances comedic and emotional beats as Jacinthe, alongside Thomas Desrasp-Verge and Frédéric Charbonneau as Léo and Guillaume. Élodie Bégin plays Gigi with sharp comic timing, while Marie-Hélène Thibault and Jean-Christophe Leblanc round out the ensemble as a background duo.
Performances of Voyage run at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier through Friday, December 5, 2026. Tickets and schedule details are available directly on the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier website.
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