Siblings and Space Race Make ‘Moon’ Shine

Robert Lepage’s “the far side of the moon” is part of UCLA Live’s Solo Festival, and it’s true that only one actor is on the stage. Yet Lepage’s creative use of the stage is so ingenious that most other solo theater pieces--including many in this festival--appear predictable and earthbound.

Lepage’s concerns literally leave the Earth, as he incorporates memories of the U.S.-Soviet space race into his text. But this subject is framed within a very human story, set in the late ‘90s, about two Canadian brothers, Philippe and Andre. They correspond metaphorically to the Russian cosmonauts and the U.S. astronauts, respectively.

Neither brother is an actual space traveler. Philippe is a middle-age academic who has never boarded an airplane. He makes ends meet as a weekend telemarketer for a newspaper--and in one chance telephone encounter with a former girlfriend, we learn all we need to know about his currently nonexistent love life.

Fascinated by the space race, Philippe has written a dissertation, which he is defending as the play begins, arguing that the space competition was all about narcissism.

During the course of the play, Philippe unwittingly illustrates his own thesis by meticulously recording a wry autobiographical video that he plans to send to a group that will launch 10 such videos into outer space for the benefit of any extraterrestrial beings who may find them.

Philippe sympathizes with the Russian cosmonauts. Even though they blazed the path in space, they lost the race and must feel like “losers,” he believes. That’s how he feels around his younger brother, Andre.

Andre is a successful, down-to-earth TV weather forecaster, who works in front of a large image of the planet that he marks up with information about the next day’s temperatures and storms. He shares his home with a gay lover.

Andre has little patience with Philippe’s philosophical meanderings. The men are also at odds over what to do with their just-deceased mother’s belongings. Philippe is intent on preserving her memory; Andre is more willing to let go.

This story of sibling rivalry, which may sound conventional, is often told in startlingly unconventional fashion. The stage becomes a visual and aural wonderland. With the help of video and lighting effects, large set pieces and simple household items transform into completely different objects. Small puppets portray space travelers. Laurie Anderson’s recorded score emphasizes the sense of mystery and magic.

The more conventional parts of the script, such as several telephone monologues, are replete with droll humor and often with understated poignancy.

Although the outline of puppeteer Pierre Bernier can sometimes be spotted, only one actor portrays both brothers as well as their mother and Philippe’s doctor. In late 2000, Lepage was that actor in performances at Irvine Barclay Theatre. At UCLA, Yves Jacques has taken over the roles.

The casting makes little difference. Jacques has obviously learned well from the master and is just as compelling throughout this long (nearly 150 minutes with no intermission) but mesmerizing production.

It was a thrill to see the wizard behind “the far side of the moon” in Irvine. But anyone who enjoys visionary theater should see this production regardless of whether Lepage himself is in it.

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“The far side of the moon,” UCLA Freud Playhouse, northeast corner of the campus, near Hilgard Avenue and Sunset Boulevard. Today and Sunday, 8 p.m. $35. (310) 825-2101. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.