For the pleasure of seeing her again by Michel Tremblay, translated by Linda Gaboriau, Peacock Theatre

Abstract

As Michel Tremblay’s play begins, we are told that we are not about to see a Three Sisters or a Hamlet. Instead, we are asked to witness the writer’s remembrance of Nana, his mother, whom he is summoning to the stage "for the pleasure of seeing her again." "You will laugh," he promises us, "and you’ll cry too" – and when the play concludes ninety minutes later, these words have been proven largely accurate: most of the audience leaves the Peacock smiling, although some remain seated, still in tears after the play’s inspiring conclusion.