For Matthew LeBlanc, the actor playing Pierre Elliott Trudeau in the upcoming production of Trudeau and the FLQ, examining the infamous October Crisis and the man in the centre of it all might tell us something about our new prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
And it’s not just Justin and Pierre holding the same job and having badass three-worded catchphrases – “just watch me” and “because it’s 2015.” LeBlanc sees the new prime minister trying to emulate his father.
“A big theme in this play is how Pierre can tweak and play with the media and how he always has the upper hand and how he can throw out little comments and (the press) will all swoon at him,” LeBlanc said. “I think you can really see Justin is at least trying to get that same persona off.”
But do the lessons of the late ‘60s really apply today?
While both men had a certain mania surrounding them, outside the public personas, what should we expect from Justin? How will he be different and what can we hope he’s picked up from his dad?
Pierre has always been seen as the rigid, intellectual prime minister with Justin perhaps less so, but LeBlanc says the play deals with a common dilemma for both father and son: how to unify people under a common banner.
LeBlanc said in the play federalism comes in conflict with the individualism some people or cultures hold dear.
“This play is beautiful because it gives an argument of why if we all live under the same state, how we all need to embrace our qualities as individuals,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we all have to be the same to live together. I think Justin, whether he’s meaning to or not, is replicating that idea.”
He points to Justin’s new cabinet, which has a Sikh, a paraplegic and gender equality as proof.
“He’s trying to create an identity that’s based on upholding the interests of the individual and the identity of the individual but making sure that doesn’t exclude anyone in our country from adopting their own identity,” LeBlanc said.
The Theatre St. Thomas production opens Wednesday. For director and artistic producer Robin Whittaker, the play is both historical and relevant to students today.
“It’s important for me that the shows that we produce in Theatre St. Thomas can be linked to course work,” Whittaker said. “It’s important students taking political science, history, English, sociology, journalism, whatever it might be, that something they’re studying is brought to life.”
Whittaker couldn’t bank on election results but he knew that Trudeau the Younger would be on people’s minds.
He says the play depicts the October Crisis and Pierre himself – remarkable moments in Canada’s history – but that the rise of the FLQ is also applicable to issues today.
Whittaker says the FLQ’s brand of terrorism disappeared from Canada, but this play can act as a reminder about global terrorism and what it would be like if it happened here.
“We want to transport you back, but through a historical comic book,” Whitaker said.
Still, the director says the play tries not to paint a black and white image of its characters, with the FLQ getting their due. In watching the play, Whittaker wants you to ask yourself a very modern question: “What do you believe in and how far would you go politically to achieve it?”
LeBlanc said playing Pierre is a challenge because, although his portrayal of the former prime minister is in part a caricature, everyone knows the mannerism of Pierre. He said parts of the play will have old videos of the October Crisis playing in the background with him acting in front of it, increasing the pressure to nail the part.
Tickets for the play are $5 for students and seniors, $10 for everyone else and can be bought at the door. The show runs from Wednesday until Saturday, with an extra Saturday afternoon matinee. Starring beside LeBlanc is Ian Goff as the leader of the FLQ and Lucas Gutiérrez-Robert as French President Charles De Gaulle.
Because it really is 2015, LeBlanc said it will be interesting to see if Justin adopts another core theme in the play – something his father struggled with – balancing politics and principles
“‘Freedom and liberty can neither be gained nor retained without cost,” LeBlanc said, quoting the play. “You can have all these ideals of acceptance, of diversity of what have you, but as long as you’re willing and prepared to enforce those ideals when needed – that is the test of a leader.”
