“As deft as Jun’s direction is, the success of this production largely hinges on the performances of its 15 actors – and they are uniformly marvellous. Led by Lucy Peacock as Germaine and Seana McKenna as Rose Ouimet, Germain’s acerbic sister, the entire cast is simply top notch. It almost feels as if you’re eavesdropping on a particularly fractious kitchen party…

Joella Crichton earns some of the play’s biggest laughs as the oblivious Yvette Longpré, dazzling the audience with a soliloquy where she lists the names of every guest at her daughter’s wedding. As the snooty Lisette De Courval, Jennifer Villaverde is wonderfully irritating as she annoys her neighbours with boasts about her European vacations and fur coats.

…Deliberately, the most moral character of the play is also the most reviled. The fourth sister, Pierrette Guérin, has been ostracized by her family and neighbourhood because she works in a nightclub.”

“Some elements of the play haven’t aged well. There’s Thérese Dubuc’s (Irene Poole) rough treatment of her immobile mother-in-law Olivine Dubuc (Diana Leblanc), for instance…

Other aspects are timeless. A discussion about abortion among a group of young women seems depressingly relevant. And from the vantage point of half a century, it’s easy to see the entire work as a critique of capitalism and the patriarchy. Rather than band together and fight the oppressive institutions keeping them down, these women bicker amongst themselves.”

“Les Belles-Soeurs (1968) by Michel Tremblay is one of the undisputed masterpieces of Canadian drama. To have it and anther undisputed masterpiece James Reaney’s The Donnellys: A Trilogy (1973-75) playing at the Blyth Festival, just 45 minutes from Stratford, means that a trip to the Stratford area right now is an absolute must for any student or teacher of Canadian drama as well as any theatre-goer who enjoys fine drama no matter what its country of origin.

Tremblay’s play and Reaney’s trilogy, though each reflects the history of its own province, namely Quebec and Ontario, both strangely reflect the same theme of punishment for non-conformity…”

“Les Belles-Soeurs is a searchingly satirical and surprisingly loving portrait of a milieu on the brink of transformation…

…seeing Les Belles-Soeurs would be worth it if only to see old pros Peacock and McKenna give pitch perfect performances. Trembley has created a very nice mother daughter dynamic between Germaine and Linda and Peacock and Emesowum pull it off beautifully. Irene Poole is appropriately frazzled as the caretaker for Diana Leblanc who is a perfect trouper as the demented Olivine Dubuc.

Shannon Taylor manages to look worn, drawn, and frumpy as Marie-Ange, something I would have thought impossible. She is fierce as she leads the ensemble in an extended bitching session about the humdrum lives they lead as virtual slaves to their husbands and kids. Among the younger set, Marissa Orjalo is touching as the knocked-up Lise, who is opting to terminate her pregnancy.”