Jim Healy to portray Louis Jolliet in 1-man play at Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet

Hear the words “Louis Joliet” and many people might think of the city of Joliet or even Louis Joliet Mall.

Casual listeners of the words might not know that Louis Jolliet, a French-Canadian explorer and Joliet’s namesake, wanted to be a priest, played music extraordinarily well and was the father of four sons and two daughters, Healy said.

Lifelong Joliet resident Jim Healy will explore Jolliet’s multifaceted life in shows April 15 and 16 at the Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park Theatre in Joliet. His one-man, one-act, one-hour play is titled “Louis Jolliet: A Solid Path Through Water,” which Healy wrote to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette’s expedition and voyage down the Mississippi River in 1673.

Healy debuted his play March 11 at The Kankakee Public Library and attendees were “entranced,” said Vicki Forquer, assistant director at the Kankakee Public Library. They were really into it. He did such a wonderful portrayal and stayed in character the whole time as Louis Jolliet. Everyone was just captivated.”

Forquer said Healy initially approached her about the performance, and she readily agreed.

“I thought out patrons would be interested,” Forquer said. “We hadn’t done anything like this before and, being so close to Joliet, I thought people would be interested in learning about our local community.”

Afterward, Healy asked for feedback from the audience, which responded thoughtfully and generously, she said.

“They were so sweet and kind to him,” Forquer said. “They gave him interesting ideas on how to shape his program and how to take it to the next level.”

Bringing Louis Jolliet to life

Louis Jolliet’s actual connection with Joliet was in 1673, when he and Marquette camped on a huge mound several miles south of Joliet when they paddled up the Des Plaines River, according to the Encyclopedia of Chicago.

Healy himself knew little about Jolliet, despite living 30 years in Joliet’s Marquette Gardens subdivision, volunteering with a minor league football team in junior high (whose mascot was a French fur trader named “Louie”) and passing Jolliet’s statue in front of the Joliet Public Library’s Ottawa Street branch.

As an adult, Healy said he fell in love with French-Canadian history, took trips to Canada and even followed Jolliet’s route from Quebec to the Mississippi, partly by canoe and mostly by driving alongside it.

The hobby led Healy to wonder about Jolliet the man and start his research.

“There are a number of biographies, some in French and some in English,” Healy said. “Louis Jolliet is loved in Quebec because he was the first native-born French-Canadian explorer. And so he’s appreciated for that.”

Healy said he found information about Jolliet through the Will County Historical Society in Lockport and the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society.

“There are a lot of people who study the French colonial history in America,” Healy said. “But you have to kind of tease them out.”

James Paul, president of the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society, was happy to help Healy. Paul attended the March 11 performance and said Healy “engaged the audience with little stories, not just a straight narrative.

“He was, of course, dressed in costume,” Paul said. “Even though there wasn’t much of a setting, you could visualize where he was.”

Healy said he talked to reenactors who were “amazingly well-versed” in the clothing, weaponry and language of the time period.

“I should probably say that this [play] is about Louis at the end of his life; he was 55,” Healy said, “not the 27-year-old that came down the Mississippi. It’s about a man reflecting on his entire life, with a main focus on the trip. … Louis Jolliet has been such a forgotten figure that I wanted the focus to be on him, what he went through and what he discovered about himself.”

“Louis Jolliet has been such a forgotten figure that I wanted the focus to be on him, what he went through and what he discovered about himself.”

—  Jim Healy of Joliet

Healy said Jolliet was both sensible and daring, the reason why he was chosen to lead the expedition. He said Jolliet was described as a man “who dreaded nothing in a world where everything was to be feared.”

For there were “so many ways to die on the frontier,” Healy said. “And so, one had to be careful. But he didn’t want this ... to paralyze him. He was somebody who was aware of the dangers but also wanted to plan carefully for them.”

Healy said his previous experiences before audiences were mostly through giving talks about family relations in his role as a psychologist (Healy retired as the director of the Office of Family Ministry of the Catholic Diocese of Joliet in September 2019, a position he held for more than 30 years).

[ Diocese of Joliet retiree receives honorary doctorate degree ]

Healy also portrayed Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” at Bicentennial Park nearly 20 years ago, followed by a role in “Guys and Dolls.” “In terms of theater, this is my comeback,” he said with a smile.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: “Louis Jolliet: A Solid Path Through Water.”

WHEN: 7 p.m. April 15 and 2 p.m. April 16.

WHERE: Billie Limacher Bicentennial Park, 201 W. Jefferson St. Joliet.

TICKETS: $20 for April 15 performance. Ticket price includes two complimentary drinks and cash bar, light refreshments, live music, met and greet. All ticket sales benefit Bicentennial Park’s cultural arts programs. Purchase at bicentennialpark.org/or call 815-724-3761. April 16 performance is free. Concessions available for purchase.

INFO: Visit louisjollietplay.com.