Sometimes dreams do come true ““ or at least they turn into
gender-bending hair stylists in avant-garde theater pieces.
Aroused from the mind of Canadian theater auteur Marie Brassard
is Jimmy, a character who exists as an imaginary figment in her
solo performance piece “Jimmy ““ Créature de
Rêve (Jimmy in the Dream),” which opens tonight at Freud
Playhouse.
In “Jimmy,” Brassard takes the audience into a world
ruled by dreams and forbidden romances. The play recounts the story
of homosexual dream character Jimmy, who was born in 1950 at the
age of 33 out of the dreams of an American general.
Jimmy, a hair stylist, falls in love with Mitchell, a fictitious
soldier. When Jimmy is about to kiss his lover, however, the
general dies, and thus time is stopped for Jimmy. The story resumes
50 years later as Jimmy has now become the dream of a Montreal
actor obsessed with Baroque styling.
“The play is very surreal,” said Brassard, who
directed, wrote and stars in the production. “It’s not
about one thing, but rather it’s more about raising questions
““ it’s about dreams, love and the creative
process.”
In the piece, Brassard delves into ideas of gender roles as
Jimmy’s body is in constant metamorphosis, fluidly changing
from man to woman every time he is awakened by the Montreal
actor.
Set against a plain stage that is elevated from the audience,
Brassard moves from one character to another in this solo piece
with the help of vocal devices that change the sound of her voice
as well as her acting range.
The production, which has it’s roots in Brassard’s
own dreams, attempts to pose questions about the existence of
characters about which people dream. Documenting her dreams for two
years, Brassard ended up with a book that came to be the foundation
for her production.
“Ever since I was a child, I wondered if the people I
dreamt of really existed,” said Brassard. “I invented
this character as someone I imagined that could have existed and
put what I thought his life would be to a theatrical
setting.”
Moving from character to character throughout the production,
Brassard considers the show stronger as a solo because it allows
the performer to build a more powerful connection with audience
members. By having sole possession of the stage, the performer has
the ability to make an intense bond with the audience to lure them
into the dream world, according to Brassard.
But while luring the audience into her world, Brassard aims to
provoke audience members to think about their own existence as
well, to ponder philosophical issues such as whether people really
do exist or if they are merely a result of a dream.
“Brassard is definitely known for her creative aspect in
theater and film,” said Olivia McManus, a second-year musical
theater student. “Everything about this production seems to
fall in line with her avant-garde ability and attempt to portray
something unique.”
Brassard has compared this performance to an orgasm, saying that
the play is like waking up from a dream on the verge of having an
orgasm and not being able to go back to that dream ““ a
journey into a land people only glimpse at before they wake.
“Jimmy” will be performed at the Freud Playhouse on
Feb. 11, 13-15 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 for UCLA students and $35
for general admission and can be purchased at the Central Ticket
Office. For more info, call (310) 825-2101.