Heat Wave

by Michel Marc Bouchard, Bill Glassco (Translator)

Michel Marc Bouchard's Heat Wave tells the story of a family learning how to live again after a three-year vigil at the bedside of controlling patriarch Fred Cloutier. Cloutier is still controlling his wife and children from beyond the grave, as the characters deal with guilt complexes created by years of manipulation. But this situation comedy is mainly about love, about May/September relationships, and about appearances and not-so-little white lies that people tell in order to disguise their true selves and deny their true emotions.

Genres: Theatre

88 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

Michel Marc Bouchard (Quebec, Canadá, 1958) é bacharel em Teatro pela Universidade de Ottawa. Teve sua primeira peça de teatro produzida profissionalmente em 1983, La Contre-nature de Chrysippe Tanguay, écologist. Desde então, escreveu mais de 25 peças, traduzidas para diversos idiomas e apresentadas em diferentes países. Sua obra mais conhecida é Les Feluettes, foi roteirizada e dirigida por John Greyson em filme homônimo. Sucesso no teatro, Les Muses Orphelines e Tom à la ferme também foram adaptadas para o cinema pelos diretores Robert Favreau e Xavier Dolan, respectivamente. Ao longo de sua carreira, Bouchard recebeu importantes prêmios de artes cênicas no Canadá: Prix Journal de Montreal, Prix du Cercle des Critiques de L’outaouais, Moore Award Dora Mavor for Outstanding New Play, Floyd S. Chalmers Award Canadian Play. Recebeu nove prêmios Jessie Richardson Theatre Awards para as peças Lillies e Les Muses Orphelines. Atualmente é membro da Academia de Letras de Quebec.

Reviews

[MAPS - Booktube · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah mon dieu ça c’est le genre d’ouvrage qui me fait rire!
La repartie de Gisèle, les conversations à sens unique, les petits mensonges qui prennent des proportions pas possible. Chaque personnage est franchement imparfaitement attachant. On arrive à comprendre rapidement les motivations de chaque personnage et l’on se laisse porter par l’histoire toute simple mais fascinante.

[Les lectures de Grumpy Cath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow ok je ne m’attendais pas à ça! C’était vraiment comique! J’ai adoré Gisèle, Louis et Louisette.

[Louis-Serge]

« GISÈLE J’ai pas envie que ma famille, que mes relations, que mes voisins se mêlent de mes amours, c’est-y clair ? Le plus beau secret que j’ai eu dans ma vie, c’est toi pis je tiens à le garder ! » (p. 48)

[Jean D · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusant !

[Meg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I should have read the original French, a few things seem to have been translated a bit strangely. I prefer the movie, since it added more context, but if I ever had a chance to see the play, I would!