Angelique

by Lorena Gale

Gale has fashioned a spare but powerful tale that thrusts the indignities of slavery and the stupidity of racism out of the murky 18th century and into the here and now.—Martin Morrow, Calgary Herald

Genres: Plays, Canada, Theatre, Read For School, Canadian Literature, Historical Fiction, Fiction

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2000

About the author

Lorena Gale was a Canadian actress, director, and writer. She was active onstage and in films and television since the 1980s. She also authored two award-winning plays, Angélique and Je me souviens.

She appeared in such movies as Fantastic Four, The Chronicles of Riddick, and The Exorcism of Emily Rose. She has guest starred on programs such as The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, Smallville and Kingdom Hospital. Until August 2005, she starred as Priestess Elosha on the SciFi Channel television program Battlestar Galactica.

Her play, Angélique, the story of executed slave Marie-Joseph Angelique, was the winner of the 1995 duMaurier National Playwriting Competition in Canada.

Gale died following a battle with cancer on June 21, 2009, aged 51.

Reviews

[Emma Griffioen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would love to see this on stage one day!

[Emma Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and important exploration of not only the racial-sexual oppression faced by Marie Joseph Angelique, but the overall struggles of women within this period. A super short but engaging read.

[Rebecca ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

rtc!

[Véro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Powerful. Oh how I wish I could have seen this play when it first came out.

[Angélique (Angel) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 Stars. Like Wedekind's Spring's Awakening, this is a play that loses notable coherence when read rather than seen. The disconnected techniques linking the past and present make it more difficult to process; nevertheless, the heart of the play remains strong. Each character contains a certain depth, a certain mystique that draws the reader in, and the portrayal of the differing relationships as a source of despair or a source of hope, especially Claude and Angélique's really catapulted the play forward. The use of music and African drums throughout the text also brought spice to the play even without actually experiencing these techniques. I only wish the playwright had written in more emotional exploration in place of the rigid bits of historical dialogue.

[Eden]

Would love to see a performance. Though the playing with temporality seems a little kitchy at times (especially the random OJ reference), I think in the 90's that was seen as moving the needle. I thought the link to Beloved was clever since it is in that moment that the US becomes more important to the plot. Its worth reading just to get your brain used to the fact that yes, slavery also happened in Montreal.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mix of period and modern dress and purposeful anachronisms (one character referencing his Mercedes, another using a computer) didn’t feel like it served the story. There was also a line where a reporter says “In dramatic new developments in the O. J.-mean M. J. Angélique-case.” This dates the piece but also is distracting because then I’m just thinking about what comparison she’s trying to draw between the two and whether those comparisons make sense.

[williammorrisfruitpattern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. The writing, and the comparison of modern and past tickled my brain.

The writing seems so effortlessly smart, and the combination of multiple styles allows the characters to flourish.

Normally, not a major fan of big stage directions, but this one felt so woven in that it never took away.

Read in Laurel’s room, Act One out loud, Act Two to myself.

[Bella Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

ooh this one is beautifully written but a hard read - a very hard read tackling the history of slavery in Montreal, the dehumanization of black and indigenous bodies, sexual assault and abuse, misogyny and so much more. Like any play it is meant to be seen not read though.

[Carolane Vallée · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a great play. It portrayed slavery in Canada which is often forgotten.

[Alie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It would have been a powerful live play. Unfortunately, I simply read the book and it did not deliver that much. I would have prefered seeing the play live OR reading a book instead of a play.

[Pamela Beugnot · Rating 4 out of 5]

The ending is not as I had hoped

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

GREAT

[Isaac · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10

Very powerful messages but as a book I didn’t love it, I imagine it’s much better seen as a theatre production as intended.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would love to see the play. The dialogue is so poetic and the staging seems striking. A short read (about 1/2 an hour) that I would recommend to anyone.

[Leslie Wexler · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a drama.