THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON – REVIEW OF 2025 ROBERT LEPAGE PLAY AT BLUMA APPEL THEATRE

Reviewed by James Karas 

When you hear about a play written and directed by Robert Lepage, you tighten your belt, snap at attention and prepare for some inventive, original and perhaps out of the world theatrical experience. Like me, you may not get everything but you may get a great deal of the art of a genius at work. The Far Side of the Moon has all these factors in its production by Lepage’s company Ex Machina at the Bluma Appel Theatre, Toronto.

The Far Side works on several levels, with generous use of projections, slides and stage effects that dazzle. On one level it is the story of the space race between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R. during the heady days after World War II. The communist Russians and the capitalist Americans were racing to outdo each other with rockets and the competition to explore space and land a man on the moon.

The other story is about two Quebecois brothers who do no get along. Phillippe and Andre are both played by Olivier Normand as are all the other characters in the play.

The following program note is worth quoting as a guide to the play: “Set against the Cold War's fierce U.S.-Soviet rivalry, this gripping story explores the personal and political turmoil of an era defined by global tension with a uniquely Canadian perspective. Through the tale of two Quebec City brothers, Lepage's stunning use of multimedia and visual storytelling draws the audience into a world on the brink of change and portrays the impact of global conflict on the individual.”

First task is to give recognition, kudos and admiration to Olivier Normand for his bravura acting. He plays Philippe and Andre, the two brothers, who are very different and do not get along. Philippe seems to be getting nowhere with his life. He is hesitant, uncertain of himself and slow of speech. He is interested in extra-terrestrial life but has also tried teaching and telemarketing. He is working on a doctorate and trying to make a video of life on our planet to be sent in orbit in the hopes of beings of another part of the universe  may be able to see life on earth. Andre is a brash, self-assured TV personality.    

Scene from The Far Side of the Moon. Photo: Li Wang,

courtesy of Shanghai Jing_an Theatre Festival

The only other player on stage is a puppet handled by Eric LeBlanc and we hear Normand Bissonette and Martine Rochon as the voices of the Host. There are more than half a dozen people behind the scenes assisting with the performance. We see them taking a bow at the end of the play. You will see the tiny cosmonaut puppy several time including a scene where it is led by the mother of our two protagonists.

The far side of the moon is of particular interest because the Russians explore it first and it now carries the names of Russian cosmonauts along with those of other historical figures. It is not American.

The opening scene features the inside of a washer and dryer. In the imagination of Lepage, they are metamorphosed into numerous machines such as a space capsule, the inside of an airplane and other mind-bending objects. A simple ironing board is transformed into a bicycle, a motorcycle, and various exercise machines in a sheer display of Lepage’s brilliant imagination. And The Far Side of the Moon never fails to display that.

The play does move towards reconciliation of the brothers and cooperation between the Americans and the Russians in saving a problematic space mission. But that tells you almost nothing about  the complex, poetic, multi-disciplinary theatre that Lepage creates. I admit to being confused at times and I am probably not doing justice to the production. The only solution is to see it yourself.   
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THE FAR SIDE OF THE MOON, written and directed by Robert Lepage, produced by Ex Machina, and presented by Canadian Stage, continues until November 16, 2925, at the Bluma Appel Theatre. St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto, Ontario. www.canadianstage.com