Review: (Montreal) Pique

A Beautiful Empty Box
 by Chad Dembski

Robert Lepage is probably one of the best known theatre artists from Quebec both in Montreal, Canada and the world for his gigantic productions for Cirque du Soleil, Metropolitan Opera and, of course, his own company Ex Machina.  I have been watching his productions since the early 1990’s (the first being Seven Streams of the River Ota) and he used to be a hero of mine. I have been able to see less and less of his shows over the years as he has become one of the top in-demand directors in the world. 

News: Lepage, Cirque, Totem get second critical hiding in London

The run of Robert Lepage's Totem, produced for the Cirque du Soleil, is not receiving pleasant reviews for it's second run at the Royal Albert Hall in two years. 


The Telegraph said of the piece, "even Lepage hasn’t been able to rouse the company from its complacency. The clowns are still there, as fey and irritating as ever, while the big theme of creation and evolution doesn’t amount to much more than having humans dressed as monkeys and a bearded fellow who might be Charles Darwin pottering around the stage."

A Visit to Ex Machina/Robert Lepage's La Caserne