“Bernadette, The Musical” at the Athenaeum Center, with Eyma and the cast/Photo courtesy of “Bernadette, The Musical”
RECOMMENDED
You know it’s not a normal opening night when a nun shows you to your seat. An actress from “Late Nite Catechism,” I wondered? “I am a Dominican Sister in Justice, Illinois.”
The somewhat unconventional audience included priests, nuns of various orders, robed monks with hoods, even bishops with pectoral crosses. The Pope’s brother, a retired Catholic high-school principal who still resides in the area, was sitting across the aisle.
But “Bernadette, The Musical,” a traversal of the tale of a nineteenth-century French peasant girl who claimed to have visions of “a beautiful lady” in a grotto, is not your everyday show.
The opening-night performance at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture was being billed as the show’s U.S. premiere after having premiered in Lourdes, France, and having had much success touring Europe over several years and some pre-Chicago American previews.
There were no musicians nor conductor present; the orchestral score was presented, unapologetically, canned from speakers at the sides of the stage. This seemed odd given the large size of the ensemble and how much nuance and careful detail there seemed to be concerning every other aspect of the production.
The often overloud music spotlighted low-frequency droning with repeating ostinato figures as swirling soundscape accompaniment for character-driven arias and choruses à la “Les Misérables.”
“Bernadette, The Musical” at the Athenaeum Center, with Eyma/Photo courtesy of “Bernadette, The Musical”
The singing was quite real, however, and consistently magnificent, even if the artists were somewhat constrained by having to sing to inflexible click tricks.
The songs are meditations from the perspective of authorities, townsfolk, churchmen and even family members who are either questioning and mocking or attempting to grasp what it was that Bernadette actually saw.
Bernadette, played by French singer and actress Eyma, who originated the role, brought remarkable simplicity to her portrayal. It was an astonishing performance—you could really feel Bernadette’s increasing frustration with a world around her, divided between wanting to persecute or revere her. She wanted neither.
Surprisingly and refreshingly, “Bernadette, The Musical” does not preach. In the spirit of the famous quote of Saint Bernadette Soubirous: “My job is to inform, not convince,” there are no conclusions drawn. Only questions left.
I won’t spoil the clever way that the visions in the grotto are staged. Suffice to say that blessedly, there is plenty of room for ambiguity and even doubt, if that is what one brings.
What did the Pope’s brother think? “I enjoyed it. You’re the critic. What did you think?”
“Bernadette, The Musical” is through March 15 at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture, 2936 North Southport. More information and tickets here.
