BY BARBARA LAVOIE

With spring in the air, it’s perfect timing for Hudson Village Theatre’s upcoming theatrical adventure, The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine, by Robert Morgan, Martha Ross and Leah Cherniak featuring Danielle Desormeaux and Marcel Jeannin.

As unique as its take is on the universal theme of romance, courtship and marriage, is the play’s bilingual version written by seasoned Montreal actor Danielle Desormeaux and its premier production by veteran actor/director Alain Goulem of CBC’s television series The Tournament fame.

Originally launched in 1986, the dramatic comedy has been “hugely successful among English audiences,” gaining Fringe Festival popularity across Canada and has also been translated into Spanish.

This version evolved out of a series of drama sessions, readings and improvisations in collaboration with the Playwrights’ Workshop Montréal in 2003 and 2004.

“When I decided to write the bilingual script I certainly didn’t want that political monster (French-English relations) rearing its ugly head,” Desormeaux said.

With Ernest tending towards English and Ernestine toward French, could it be the language equivalent to ‘Frenglish.’ Probably the best-known bicultural comedy scenarios were those created in the television series I Love Lucy with English-speaking Lucille Ball and her Cuban-born husband Desi Arnaz.

“You don’t have to be bilingual to understand it. Really, it’s about the relationship between two people who begin running through fields of daisies to wanting to kill one another. It’s dialogue sparse, more physical. And it’s all delivered with clown humour,” Desormeaux said.

The Anger in Ernest and Ernestine opens April 5 for a two-week run. Tickets are $25 (matinees) and $28 (evening performances) and can be purchased by telephone at 450-458-5361 or online at www.villagetheatre.ca.￿">www.villagetheatre.ca.￿">www.villagetheatre.ca.￿