by Deborah Rankin
The Stratford Festival Production of
Paradise Lost
by Erin Shields
A theatrical adaptation of John Milton's Paradise Lost
Directed by Jackie Maxwell
Starring Lucy Peacock as Satan
Montreal - Paradise Lost at the Centaur Theatre - Swordfights & nudity. Angels & Demons. Snakes & apples. Adam & Eve. Rebellion & revenge. The battle between heaven and hell, as told by Satan, wickedly witty, & thoroughly entertaining
This thought-provoking reimagining of Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost presents the Western creation story of Adam and Eve, the temptation by the serpent, and expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Adam (Quasim Khan) and Eve (Amelia Sargisson) are adorable in their roles as the first enchantingly naive humans while Paradise is beautifully evoked by the Centaur's light, sound, and stage creative team.
The war in heaven between Satan (Lucy Peacock) and the fallen angels who rebelled against God (Marcel Jeannin) is brought to life in choreographed sequences by Fight Director John Stead as Michael the Archangel (Patrick Emmanuel Abellard) and his celestial forces duke it out on stage, ultimately triumphing over the forces of darkness.
While there is no doubt that the Devil in this piece is a real bitch Peacock makes her relatable while Jeannin does a flawless job as stand-up guy God the Father. As in the Biblical Narrative, this is a redemptive story in which the Son of God (Gabriel Lemire) comes down to Earth to save humanity from The Fall. Lemire is so relaxed in this role that he positively radiates calm and really does seem heaven-sent. Montreal film and theatre actor Alain Goulem plays the Angel Raphael to comic effect.
This contemporary adaptation originally commissioned by the Stratford Festival asks us to imagine what it would be like to lose all that we value as good, and pure, and true - to be hived off from our own version/s of paradise and cast out by deception and mal intentions. Shields' version of Paradise Lost doesn't merely project evil outwards as so many flawed critiques do but draws us a little bit closer to our own inner demons and the battles that rage within.
Paradise Lost
Centaur Theatre
53 St Francois Xavier St. (Old Montreal)
(514) 288-1229
Jan. 14 - Feb. 2, 2020