Du 31 janvier au 26 février 2006

Hellfire Pass

By Vittorio Rossi
Directed by Gordon McCall

Hellfire Pass is the long-anticipated first chapter of a new trilogy of plays by one of Montreal’s most popular playwrights. Inspired by true events, Hellfire Pass is one family’s journey through a hell of their own making. ‘Ancient grudge breaks to new mutiny’ in this explosive new drama by master storyteller, Vittorio Rossi. The time, Autumn, 1956. The city, Chicago. Silvio, a decorated World War II veteran has journeyed from his native Italy to Chicago via Montreal in order to meet the family he never knew. He brings with him a simple request. What he gets in return is much more than he bargained for.

Silvio: … Live or die? You seeing a light now, Bobby? A light inside my eyes? That’s the light that goes out depending on how you answer the question. You want to live, just blink your eyes.

Hellfire Pass est le premier chapitre tant attendu d’une nouvelle trilogie de pièces de l’un des auteurs dramatiques les plus populaires de Montréal. Inspirée de faits vécus, Hellfire Pass relate le voyage aux enfers qu’une famille s’est elle-même imposé. Une vieille rancune qui tourne en mutinerie, voilà le thème de cette nouvelle pièce explosive du grand dramaturge Vittorio Rossi. Nous sommes à l’automne 1956. Silvio, un vétéran décoré de la deuxième guerre mondiale, quitte son Italie natale pour se rendre à Chicago via Montréal afin de rencontrer la famille qu’il n’a jamais connue. Il n’a qu’une simple demande en échange mais il recevra beaucoup plus qu’il ne l’escomptait.

English Language World Premiere

Productions Centaur

Théâtre Centaur
453, St-François-Xavier
Box office : 514-288-3161

 

 

review by Geneviève Germain

Inspired by his own family history, playwright Vittorio Rossi is undertaking a serie of three plays named A Carpenter’s trilogy. Hellfire Pass, part one of this trilogy, takes place in Chicago in 1956. The parts to follow will take place in Montreal in 1957, then again in Montreal in 2004. Montrealer Vittorio Rossi, who was once Playwright-in-Residence at Centaur Theatre in 1987, has won two consecutive Best New Play awards at the Quebec Drama Festival in 1986 and 1987 for his plays Little Blood Brother and Backstreets. He accumulates since then a great number of works, not only in the playwriting field, but also in screenwriting. This year, he will be directing his first feature length film.

Rossi’s latest play, Hellfire Pass, takes us back to Italian immigration in America in the fifties. Sylvio is planning to move to Montreal, but decides to pay a visit to his father in Chicago, who has immigrated there some thirty years ago to build a new life, leaving his first family behind in Italy. Sylvio has growned up along with his mother and sister, without any contact with his father. His visit to his father and new family, one half-brother and one-half sister, raises questions about their intricate family history and uncovers many secrets that are not really welcomed, resulting in a very complicated family reunion.

Although the reunion is at first heartfelt between him and his brother Eddie and his sister Ida, it remains quite awkward with his father. Harry Standjofski, as the father, delivers a great performance in his interactions with his son Sylvio, impeccably played by Richard Zeppierri. Julian Tassielli as Eddie and Tara Nicodemo as Ida are both energetic and bring a lot of laughter in this play, as their characters are mostly responsible for the humoristic moments. Mark Camacho is also very entertaining as Bobby, Ida’s macho husband. This lightens up the already very dramatic plot of the play.

Under Gordon McCall’s direction, the play starts off quietly to reach its high point near the end of the play, the actors beautifully managing to build the intensity as the story unfolds. The whole setting does remain quite traditional, as the set design depicts a normal home and backyard, with a white picket fence, and the costumes relate to the fifties style. There are no big surprises in the presentation, but it all goes with the flow of this family history inspired play.

Leaving the audience to witness the somewhat dramatic outcomes of this uncalled for family reunion, Hellfire Pass seems to mainly set the plot for a story yet to be discovered. Although it isn’t quite as touching as I would have imagined, it does, nevertheless, leave the promise of a very interesting part two of this trilogy. To be followed.

05-02-2006

See also
Carmela's Table
The Carpenter