Margaret Trudeau says one of the goals of her one-woman show is to kill the conventional wisdom around what is, and isnsa国际传媒檛, a play.

Trudeau says she may even bring her script on stage to read off of, when she takes sa国际传媒淐ertain Woman of an Agesa国际传媒� to Montrealsa国际传媒檚 Just For Laughs comedy festival for its three-night run at the end of the month.

sa国际传媒淥ne of the things our team wanted to do with this show was, kind of, murder the pretence of sa国际传媒榯he play,sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒� Trudeau explained during a recent interview in Montreal. sa国际传媒淏ecause Isa国际传媒檓 not here to fool you. Isa国际传媒檓 not acting. This is the truth Isa国际传媒檓 talking.sa国际传媒�

Her truth has been fascinating people for decades, from the time she secretly married then-prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1971 at age 22, to her unabashed tales of partying with famous people while living with untreated bipolar disorder.

Trudeausa国际传媒檚 show is funny, tragic, and interactive, she said. sa国际传媒淧eople cry. People laugh sa国际传媒� a lot,sa国际传媒� added Trudeau, referring to the audience who attended the first series of performances last May at Chicagosa国际传媒檚 Second City club. Her son, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, came to one of the shows.

sa国际传媒淐ertain Woman of an Agesa国际传媒� is partly in the mould of a 2017 documentary featuring American comedian, Chris Gethard. Trudeau said she was impressed with the entertainer, sa国际传媒渨ho stood on the stage for an hour-and-a-half and talked very funnily about his attempted suicide and his attempts to get better.sa国际传媒�

Trudeausa国际传媒檚 play and that film, sa国际传媒淐hris Gethard: Career Suicide,sa国际传媒� share a director: Kimberly Senior. sa国际传媒�(That show) was so poignant,sa国际传媒� Trudeau said, sa国际传媒渢hat when I was offered this, and Kimberly Senior to be my director and follow that path, I said: sa国际传媒榊es, of course.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�

Trudeau says over the decades she has been suicidal, manic, depressed, and at times, absent from the people she loved. sa国际传媒淐ertain Woman of an Agesa国际传媒� discusses all of those difficult moments.

Her mental illness sa国际传媒渞eally came on when I was deep in my marriage with Pierre,sa国际传媒� she said, when the unfamiliar, lonely and isolating life of a young prime ministersa国际传媒檚 wife began to take its toll.

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When her marriage began falling apart in the second half of the 1970s, Trudeau took off to travel the world sa国际传媒� sa国际传媒渉obnobbingsa国际传媒� as she describes it sa国际传媒� with the rich and famous. The manic highs offered by her illness were wonderfully exciting, she said, followed by deep lows that sa国际传媒渟teal away your life.sa国际传媒�

But sa国际传媒淐ertain Woman of an Agesa国际传媒� isnsa国际传媒檛 all about bipolar disorder, she said. sa国际传媒淣o, no. Itsa国际传媒檚 just my reality. Isa国际传媒檓 talking about my life. My experiences. Itsa国际传媒檚 fun. Itsa国际传媒檚 different.sa国际传媒�

The audience is treated to stories about her encounters, including how Trudeau felt insulted and patronized by Pope John Paul II. The pontiff reportedly spoke in detail to Pierre Trudeau about politics and then turned to pat her on the head, congratulating her for having children.

The show also mentions her partying with rebel rocker Mick Jagger, with whom she posed with in a photo when the Rolling Stones came to Toronto in 1977, which became news at the time.

sa国际传媒淏ad choices make good stories,sa国际传媒� Trudeau said with a smile.

And if she regrets any of her decisions she doesnsa国际传媒檛 seem to spend time ruminating over them. sa国际传媒淚 love the life Isa国际传媒檝e had,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚 have five of the most beautiful children. I have nine grandchildren.sa国际传媒�

Her pride in the traditional female role of mother is juxtaposed with a drive to be free of the conventions others have attempted to impose on her. She is a feminist, and credits her mother with instilling in her a desire to be independent.

sa国际传媒淲e were the first generation of women who looked at our mothers, and our mothers looked at us and said: sa国际传媒楾his isnsa国际传媒檛 the way yousa国际传媒檙e going to live. Yousa国际传媒檙e going to have a life.sa国际传媒檚a国际传媒�

Her mother told her to get a job and to be independent before choosing a partner. sa国际传媒淏ecause we couldnsa国际传媒檛 just serve a man for the rest of our lives like our mothers always did sa国际传媒� unflinchingly, unfailingly, and well sa国际传媒� but there is another role for women that had been denied to us.sa国际传媒�

Her force of character ran up against tradition, and it conflicted with the way the former prime minister saw her role as his wife, she said.

sa国际传媒淚 donsa国际传媒檛 think Pierre Trudeau knew how to be a husband,sa国际传媒� she said. sa国际传媒淚 couldnsa国际传媒檛 stay in that marriage. What woman can sa国际传媒� when yousa国际传媒檙e so young sa国际传媒� to be told you have to change into something yousa国际传媒檝e fought all your life not to be.sa国际传媒� After years of being estranged from one another they officially divorced in 1984.

Sitting on a balcony overlooking Montrealsa国际传媒檚 cultural and arts district, Trudeausa国际传媒檚 eyes grew wide she began talking about the positive reviews of her show from Conservative-leaning publications in Canada that havensa国际传媒檛 historically been kind to her sa国际传媒� or to some of the men in her famous family.

sa国际传媒淭here is kindness,sa国际传媒� Trudeau said. sa国际传媒淲hat Isa国际传媒檓 talking about is beyond politics and beyond division and beyond judgement. What Isa国际传媒檓 talking about is the pain that one lives in with mental illness if one doesnsa国际传媒檛 seek treatment.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淐ertain Woman of an Agesa国际传媒� runs July 25-27 at Montrealsa国际传媒檚 Gesu theatre.

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Giuseppe Valiante, The Canadian Press