The Problem with Pink – Gordon Aikman Theatre

Dominic Corr

Jun 2

Written and Directed by Erika Tremblay-Roy

Directed and Choreographed by Christophe Garcia

Rating: 5 out of 5.

In possibly one of this year's Imaginate Festivals' more crucial and well-executed performances, the standing of identity is given a bright coating of pink thanks to Le petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke, who remind audiences that you're never too young (or old) to begin to question who you are, and how the world around you is tampering with this process.

A group of kids happily play amongst the pink flowers and soft, gentile pink flooring of Julia Morlot's scene design. Alix (Samuel Décary), Noa (Amélie Olivier), Lou (Olivier Rousseau) and Sasha (Idir Chata) perform physical feats of synchronised perfection, catapulting with unbound energy that the audience rile themselves up around the precise choreography and gymnastic feats. There's individuality to each performer; Sasha is a touch shyer than the others, while Lou has a sharp sense of humour to combat Alix's more brazen attitudes. And Noa seems at odds with themselves - something explored rather touchingly later).

Their play is spirited, honest and unperverted in this realm of imagination. But the opinions of those we cannot see, these faceless remarks as to why four boys would want to play with a 'girl's colour' begin to manifest an all too familiar issue. One comment is enough for Alix to turn on pink, and to become aggressive to those 'weaker' and more feminine than he to preserve his masculinity, diving the group, and pushing them down into new depths of discovery, and sadly, pain.

Erika Tremblay-Roy's writing is remarkably tight, as the production communicates in multiple genres, particularly dance, to evoke the pleasures and despairs of discovering oneself. It allows The Problem with Pink to zero in on persistent issues with the continued acceptance, even promotion, of virile masculinity and encouragement of domineering boys, and dominated girls. The Problem with Pink takes a much more intelligent, darker turn as the four performers make their way into the underground, a world beneath the pink landscape above. As Andréanne Deschênes lighting takes a macabre turn, the insidious underbelly makes its presence known.

The controlling methodology of misogyny and bigotry emerge, and a necessary and frankly vital demonstration of mob mentality is presented to younger audiences as the four turn on one another, all sparked by Alix's severe insecurity while wearing pink socks. Snarling, chest-pounding, scurrying on all fours, the shifting dynamic of the physicality of the performers is always impressive under Christophe Garcia's choreography, becoming more startling in its storytelling – the devolving nature of toxic masculinity as Alix becomes so concerned about being associated with anything feminine, that he regresses into a more animalistic (in his mind, masculine) form.

Introducing concepts of identity, friendships, and the binaries of gender - audiences can find elements of very nuanced junctures of queer identity, and it's all done in an unobtrusive form for young audiences, and perhaps for the older generations who still view these discussions as 'woke'. In this wonderfully shocking-pink-hued world crafted by Le Petit Théâtre de Sherbrooke, elements of life, which even the oldest of viewers sometimes struggle with, are presented in a respectful, playful, and open form. It challenges the imposed gender norms, offering tools and thoughts to dismantle these for a more inclusive world – a champion piece for Imaginate, and a vital one at that too.

A Champion Piece

The Problem with Pink runs at the Gordon Aikman Lecture Theatre until June 2nd.
Running time - fifty minutes without interval. Suitable for ages 6+
Tickets for which may be obtained here.