“Brilliant”: on the ruins of the world

Bringing together eight young actors on stage, the play Brillanteby Clara Prévost, presented at the Théâtre Denise-Pelletier until February, leaves no one indifferent, among other things because it tragically echoes current events. One thinks of course of the war in Ukraine, although, it should be remembered, it is far from being the only armed conflict which currently ignites the planet. 

On the playing field of n a school in ruins, young people try to give meaning to their lives and forget the war that is raging in their region. The arrival of an orphan with a doll turns their microcosm upside down. Brilliant, is the doll magical and is she the queen of the world, as she claims? 

The piece offers an effective metaphor for the political struggles that drive the adult world. Should the other be accepted unconditionally, even if he is part of the enemy camp responsible for the death of our loved ones? Should we wish for a world without borders or should we maintain these in order to protect ourselves from external threats? 

Despite a unique place, the piece transports us to this war zone through the image, sound and even smell, since we can smell the dust resulting from the bombardments of this schoolyard in ruins as soon as we arrive in the room. 

If the proposal is sometimes cacophonous – which is not surprising since we are facing a group made up of children and teenagers –, Brillante is a work that is both funny, touching and visceral.  

The performers Thomas Derasp-Verge (Léopold) and Marine Johnson (Adèle) stand out from the crowd, although the performance of the rest of the young cast (composed of Laurence Barrette, Alice Moreault, Emmanuel Prud'homme, Marie-Madeleine Sarr, Madani Tall as well that, alternately, Oscar Vaillancourt and Aksel Leblanc) also has something to seduce.  

Brillante is presented at Salle Fred-Barry of Théâtre Denise-Pelletier until ;to February 4.&nbs p;