RENATE USMIANI
In 1975, the Bibliothèque Nationale du Québec officially changed its theatre entry title from 'French-Canadian' to 'Québécois', thus giving formal and institutional acknowledgment to the existence of Quebec theatre as an independent, national, cultural phenomenon. Gratien Gélinas and his 'Fridolinons' revues played an essential part in the development of such an indigenous drama. The topology as well as the dramatic idiom of the 'mature' Quebec theatre which has since evolved descend in a direct line from Gélinas' revues (the work of Jean- Claude Germain and Michel Tremblay is a case in point). For a nascent dramaturgy groping towards self-definition, 'Fridolin' provided the all-important connection to a native, popular tradition. Other important influences, of course, have helped to shape the contemporary drama of Quebec: an awareness of the classical and modern tradition of Western, and particularly French, theatre ('les fils' du Père Legault), and a close affinity to the dramatic modes developed in the United States. There is a considerable controversy regarding the relative importance of each of the three factors. Current trends tend to emphasize the importance of the native, oral popular tradition (J.-C. Germain is probably the most vociferous champion of this view), so that an increasing number of critical studies are devoted to such pre- or para-literary forms as the tale, the ballad or the monologue. The publication of Gélinas' Fridolinades' must be seen as part of this trend to restore critical 'respectability' to the popular art forms on which a subsequent culture must be built.
The 'Fridolinades' are based on the Quebec tradition of monologue art, a tradition Gélinas first discovered at the age of four, when his cousin Charles Duval presented before assembled members of the family a sample of his art of 'déclamation'. Gratien was instantly seduced. From that moment on, through school theatricals, amateur performances, and eventually a radio show, he developed his skill in the genre. 'Fridolinons' itself began on 23 September 1937 under the auspices of a weekly radio program broadcast by CKAC Montreal under the title 'Le Carrousel de la gaîté'; from 1939 to 1941, the show was entitled 'Le Train de plaisir'. Its success was instantaneous; in fact, by 1938, CKAC was forced to warn its listeners about the proliferation of 'false Fridolins' over the air, as other stations tried to cash in on the character's popular appeal.
Encouraged by the success of his venture, Gélinas enlarged the format of the radio show to that of a live revue. For two and a half years (1938-41), the stage and radio shows ran parallel - no mean feat for the 'one-man entertainment machine' who functioned as author, director and main actor throughout. From 1941 on, Gélinas abandoned the radio show in order to direct all his energies towards the live revue, which ran annually at the large Monument National theatre in Montreal until 1946, with a nostalgic revival in 1956.
During these years the 'Fridolinades' became an institution in Montreal. Gélinas was known simply as 'our Fridolin', and the character himself became the first genuine archetype of Quebec dramaturgy. 'Fridolinons' fully achieved Gélinas' goals (formulated much later) of a 'popular' and 'national' theatre: his audiences covered the social spectrum from working class to intellectuals, all equally delighted to see, for the first time on stage, contemporary characters in a contemporary setting (even in the novel, urban settings do not appear until several years later!) and expressing themselves in their own language, rather than an artificial stage idiom modelled after the French theatre. It is interesting to note here that Gélinas' realistic rendering of the language spoken by the working class in East Montreal predates by some thirty years Michel Tremblay's revolutionary use of joual in 1968. Fridolin, then, provided a focal point around which the growing sense of national identity of Quebec society could crystallize; and it was all done with considerable charm, wit, panache and a magnificent sense of the theatre.
The shows consisted of monologues, dramatic sketches, song and dance numbers, which became increasingly more lavish and complex as time went on; the character of Fridolin, however, always remained at the centre of the show. Played by Gélinas himself, Fridolin appeared as the typical French-Canadian teen-ager, in short pants and hockey sweater, leader of a devoted gang in his territory of courtyards and back alleys. Fridolin functioned as M.C. connecting the various parts of the show; as the central character in many of the sketches; and as himself in the long monologues in which he addressed the audience directly, with humour and popular wisdom discoursing on issues small and large. The sketches were partly political, with some surprisingly bold satire; partly historical (Fridolin's reconstructions of Canadian history prefigure the demythification plays of the 60s and 70s); and partly domestic. Here again, the revue format allowed the author considerable freedom in exposing many of the traditional myths about the French-Canadian family, thus setting the stage for the explosion of monstrous family dramas which occurred in the 60s.
Fridolinades 1945 et 1946 tries to recapture, as much as is possible on the printed page, the spirit of the show, with its verve, exuberance, joyful tone. The publisher must be congratulated for an unusually successful volume, which conveys a sense of 'theatre' rather than 'script': the book includes a large number of production photos, as well as many other illustrations, such as reproductions of posters and newspaper advertisements for the show; cartoons about the show; rehearsal photos. A delightful touch is added with the small Fridolin face in the top corner of each page, forcing a smile from even the most scholarly of readers. A cast list is provided for each show. Other useful material includes footnotes by the author, a brief introduction by Laurent Mailhot, and a cross-section of critical reviews.
The book represents the first volume in a planned series of four, which will eventually cover the full period of the Fridolin shows, 1941-46. The decision to publish the two final years first appears reasonable: 1945 represents a peak year in the history of the show; 1946 gives a sense of the transition from the revue genre to that of the formal play with the inclusion of 'Le Retour du conscrit', the sketch upon which Tit-Coq was later based.
Fridolinades 1945 provides a representative sample of the general tone and themes of the show. It begins with the customary Prologue, in this case, a sketch entitled 'Le Flop Populaire' (a satirical take-off on the Bloc Populaire party), in which Fridolin decides to enter the political arena. This is followed by the traditional welcoming monologue, with Fridolin passing in review for his audience the events of the year. The next dramatic sketch, 'Le Départ du conscrit', features Fridolin as the slightly tipsy World War II conscript about to embark for Halifax and thence Europe, cockily hiding his fear in the manner that was to become Tit-Coq's. The somewhat serious tone of this sketch is balanced by the number which follows, 'Emoi chez les couventines', a charming ballet scene. Two further dramatic sketches complete the first act. The second act contains two particularly important and interesting numbers: 'Histoire de faire l'histoire', and 'La Vie édifiante de Jean-Baptiste Laframboise'. The first satirizes the violently partisan teaching of history in Canadian schools, and suggests a rewritten version in the interests of national unity. In Fridolin's conciliatory version of historical events, what brought Wolfe and Montcalm to the Plains of Abraham was nothing more aggressive than a civilized tea party, while the battle itself is presented choreographically by two 'armies' of attractive young ballerinas. 'La Vie édifiante de Jean-Baptiste Laframboise' represents the most serious indictment of Quebec society to be found anywhere in the 'Fridolinades.' Laframboise is a highly talented poet who is deflected from his proper course through the ignorance and narrow-mindedness of his parents and educators. His earthly days over, he presents himself before the Almighty, where he must explain the waste of his talents. His speech of self-defence is eloquent and disturbing, as he points out the impossibility for anyone born in a Quebec village to be recognized as anything out of the ordinary by his compatriots.
Fridolinons 1946, a 'revue des revues', featured a selection of the most successful numbers from past shows (not included in this volume). It also contains a major new number, 'Le Retour du Conscrit', the dramatic sketch in seven tableaux which served as a model for Tit-Coq two years later. The publication of this sketch makes a comparison with the play possible for the first time; it also illustrates very well the transition process from monologue to dramatic sketch to full-fledged play. The volume as a whole, therefore, represents an exciting and welcome new publication, from the point of view of theatre history as well as that of literary criticism and genre study.