It is significant, and perhaps surprising, that Robert Lepage expressed
unreserved admiration for Quebec’s mistress of song and sentiment, Céline
Dion. He stated, “My idol is Céline Dion. No really. It’s true”
(Globe and Mail, November 12, 1999). Lepage suggests, however, that he
idolizes not so much her music as her ability to retain her national identity
while winning, and moving, audiences all over the world. This paper will
endeavour to illustrate that Lepage, “a Renaissance man, author, director,
designer, media-mixing artist and actor (…) one of the major creative forces
in the world” (Harbourfront programme), wins world-wide recognition not
by diluting his own and other cultures in an effort to appeal to all, as
arguably is the case for Dion: the international appeal of his theatre
results from his exploration of border crossings, transnational identities,
and spaces beyond and between language, geographical limits and cultural
identity. This paper will argue that he takes the audience to that mythical,
mystical third space, the between zone, the space of the arcade identified
by Walter Benjamin with respect to translation or to that of the hour glass
described by Pavis in his discussion of multicultural theatre.
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