Les Filles de Caleb - (Montréal: Day 2, part 2

It seems that everywhere you go these days that traffic cones play havoc, and Montréal is having its cone-induced share of havoc at the moment. The main I40 highway which heads northwards out of the city is suffering from cone disease, as are most of the alternative routes, whilst both our destination in Repentigny and that in L'Assomption are also victims. The ride in Sylvain's Dodge Charger was very comfortable, for me if not for him, since it was Sylvain who had to negotiate his way through the cone maze.

When we reached 'home' I was greeted by Louise and Kenzi, the family dog, who was very attentive and welcomed me into his home enthusiastically. Félix, the younger of two sons joined us for a meal prepared by Louise, and which was the subject of much jollification prior to my arrival. Louise claims not to be a master chef, and was worried that I might not survive long enough after the meal to actually visit the Theatre Hector-Charland in L'Assomption later that evening. There were to be no worries on that score, and the carrot soup, followed by home made lasagne (accompanied by a glass of chilled beer) and pudding chomeur were delicious, and did not prove in any way to be fatal!

(Yet!....)

Don't be like that! It really was a good meal. Afterwards Sylvain showed me the results of his latest handiwork – a magnificent garden room, with all mod.cons and a new and a yet unfinished home for the snow-blower, which he had only started a few days before. All I can say is that such feats of construction are way beyond my capability, and I was filled with admiration. We watched a few videos of a recent trip to a NASCAR racing track, and some of Alexandre jamming on his Fender guitar with a blues band. Excellent stuff. Alex had left me a gift – an album of 'dirty blues' by Bernard Adamus. I look forward to playing that when get back home. It was then time to drive the relatively short, but cone-infested road to L'Assomption, for the performance of the folk-opera “Les Filles de Caleb”. The three of us in the car knew that we were carrying two other passengers with us to the show, in heart and spirit: our two young Russian friends, Daria and Iraida, whose love of Québec and its culture is epitomised by their love of two of its foremost artistes – Bruno Pelletier and Luce Dufault. It is through a shared love of Luce's voice and songs that we have come to know each other and become the best of friends – Les Lucequetaires. So this evening was very special to me, because I knew the responsibility I was taking on. Daria and Iraida would want to know everything about the performance, the performers and the music. I can tell you that I have just spent two and a half hours in an audio-conference with them and another young lady for whom it was to be a special night – what a wonderful two and a half hours!

On reaching the Theatre, we parked and found our way to the ticket-office, where I was to collect the three tickets so generously provided for us by Luce. Tickets collected, I stopped off to buy some souvenir programmes before we made our way to our seats in the parterre section of the theatre, the side where all the seats are numbered only in even numbers. So we were in Row Q, seats 6,8 and 10, with an excellent view of the large stage. The auditorium filled up rapidly, so that very few seats remained unfilled when the performance began.

Isn't this the bit where you say that you found it a little strange to realise that the only seats remaining in the theatre were right beside you?

I have to say that this did strike me as rather strange, seeming to re-emphasise the fact that we were sharing this experience with 'les deux filles russes'. It would have been wonderful to have had them there with us, and it is a mutual planned expenditure if those lottery numbers come up!

Les Filles de Caleb is a folk-opera based on the trilogy of the same name by Arlette Cousture. The three volumes which trace the story of Emilie Bordeleau, the daughter of Caleb – her youth, her life as a class teacher in a small country school in Saint-Tite, her tempestuous marriage to Ovila Pronovost and of the lives of her own daughter Blanche, and grand-daughters Elise and Micheline.

The trilogy was made into a television drama series which was set, like the books in the years between the 1890s and the 1960s, and which proved to be hugely popular here in Québec. It has taken several years for the idea of a folk-opera based upon the saga to come to fruition, with the premiere of the show having taken place in Montréal in April of this year. The casting of actors to play the roles of the characters so well known through the books and the TV series caused great excitement in South Shields, Volgograd and Krasnoyarsk, as well as here in Quebec of course. For us it was because Luce Dufault and Bruno Pelletier were cast in the roles of Emilie and Napoleon respectively.

So, it was time for the show to begin, to see Luce perform in her first role as an actress (and accordion-player), and to become absorbed in the story of Les Filles de Caleb.

If any one needs to take a comfort break, this would be a good time to do it, hint, hint. Actually, it is fast approaching time for me to depart unto a better place – Les 3 Brasseurs on St.Denis for a meal before heading across the road to the blues institution of Montréal, Bistro à Jojo, in the company of my friend Johanne, who so kindly gave me a lift to the Steve Hill concert in Lavaltrie last year. We are going to see Jim Zeller and his band. As a matter of interest, Luce confided in me last night that she had on occasion sung with Jim and his band in her own blues club days.

Did you say “confided” in you? Doesn't that mean that you should have respected her confidence in you?

Well, when I said confided, I really meant that she, said it quite quietly.

So...?

Sorry Luce, but I'm sure you don't mind really?

There will now be a short intermission, which could last several hours........