Past and present swirls through ‘Les Ephemeres’

NEW YORK — Imagine rooting through a shoe box of faded photographs of folks you know or thought you knew. Memories tumble out in an almost dreamlike haze — sad, funny and more than a little wistful.

Similar sensations abound while watching “Les Ephemeres,” Ariane Mnouchkine’s haunting — and lengthy — parade of vignettes that conjure up the past, particularly as it affects the present. This dazzling cavalcade of events is the opening attraction of Lincoln Center Festival 09, an arts celebration on view at various city venues through July 26.

“Les Ephemeres,” a collaborative effort between Mnouchkine and her more than three dozen actors, certainly is ambitious. Running nearly seven hours, the show is in French with English supertitles. It can be seen over two evenings or in one all-day marathon at the ornate Park Avenue Armory where Mnouchkine, a leading figure in the French avant-garde, has set up her Theatre du Soleil. Her makeshift performance space exudes a festive, circuslike atmosphere.

At Tuesday’s opening of Part 1, the audience sat on wooden benches in tiered rows that face each other. The playing area is long and narrow with curtained entrances at each end. From out of these openings swirl large pale discs, circular playing areas, pushed by the actors, on which life’s little — and big — moments are acted out.

The show is mostly about family, conventional and some not so conventional, and over several generations. We are present at birth: a man joyfully announces the arrival of his daughter. At death: another fellow suddenly keels over during a meal with his taciturn wife, who calmly continues eating. And at seemingly consequential moments in life: the agitated mother of a bride-to-be getting a manicure, a delusional elderly woman resisting an ominous physical exam, a drugged-out young man banging on his grandparents’ door for money.

The vignettes are fleeting, and it takes time to build rapport with some of the characters. But a few shine through. One of the most appealing is an American transsexual (Jeremy James) who has found a safe haven in Paris. It’s a more hospitable environment than Oklahoma, he tells his mother in a phone call. And the expatriate, now known as Sandra, builds a touching relationship with a solemn little girl.

Two of the troupe’s most extraordinary actresses — Juliana Carneiro da Cunha and Shaghayegh Beheshti — are paired in two heartfelt sequences involving a doctor and that combative, cranky elderly woman. Their relationship builds slowly and unsentimentally, changing from professional to personal with a naturalness that is astonishing.

Music plays an important part in “Les Ephemeres.” There is an almost continuous soundtrack, provided by Jean-Jacques Lemetre, a veteran Mnouchkine collaborator. Playing a variety of instruments as well as supervising some prerecorded music, he sits perched above the proceedings, an avuncular-looking man with an impressive white beard.

Yes, “Les Ephemeres” requires a large commitment of time, but the final effect is exhilarating if a little exhausting. But at what other theater event does the cast offer cookies — along with pitchers of water — to the audience at intermission?

Plus there’s one bonus for theatergoers who attend after opening night. For Part 2 on Wednesday, cushions were provided for those hard wooden benches.