25th Les Olivier Gala | The coronation of a child of the century

His show is called Child of the centurybut Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques is undoubtedly the man of the 25^e Olivier evening.

Oh, sweet irony: in his show Child of the centuryPhilippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques confesses his inadequacy with his times, unfriendly towards refined (and a little clumsy) young men of his type.

Sunday evening, however, the dandy left the Pierre-Mercure room with, in the pocket of his white jacket, two of the most prestigious Oliviers, those of the show of the year and the author of the year/humor show .

“Mom and Dad, that’s okay with you, and it’s non-negotiable,” he exclaimed when receiving the first, in a moving tribute to his parents who were always there to “consolate” him.

And because a speech from the most princely of podcast hosts Two princes would not be one without a literary reference, the winner then went to draw from the symbolists. “Baudelaire says that laughter is what proves our intellectual abilities,” he said, rejoicing to belong to a people who attach so much importance to humor to the point of having transformed it into an art , by far the most eloquent speech of the gala.

This is, in my memory, the first time that a show with a title borrowed from the work of Alfred de Musset has won an Olivier, and the first time that the author of Artificial paradises is quoted during the comedy ceremony.

Fortunately the comedian had decided to return quickly from Paris, he who on Friday and Saturday evening presented his show at the Grand Point-Virgule, in Montparnasse (he landed in Dorval on Sunday noon). He’ll be back there next Friday and Saturday, if you’re ever in the area.

Thanks to the secret government

Recipient of the Olivier of the year, Mathieu Dufour seemed very surprised to be called on stage to collect the only prize awarded by the public. Made up of a quintet of which only one of the nominees (Christine Morency) launched a show during the last calendar, the most important category on paper clashed with the rest of the awards presented during the evening.

Resplendent in her look somewhere between the toucan of Froot Loops and a member of the B-52’s, Mona De Grenoble picked up her trophy for discovery of the year by confirming to the conspiracy theorists listening that her triumph is indeed the plot of a “secret government” to eradicate the human race, or something like that.

She thus became the first drag queen to place an Olivier on her mantelpiece and swelled the ranks of a host of comedy stars who had all won this same prize at the start of their careers, including Martin Matte, Louis-José Houde and Katherine Levac.

Celebrated in the categories of number of the year and capsule or humorous radio sketch of the year, Billy Tellier probably could not have dreamed of a juicier cherry on the sundae of his ten years spent at the microphone of CKOI , a frequency he left in June 2023.

“This is the first Olivier that I will be able to celebrate this evening without getting up tomorrow morning,” rejoiced the former collaborator at Stand up comics who, as you read these lines, is still sound asleep (unless he still hasn’t gone to bed).

For the fourth consecutive year, the team of Worst moments in history by Charles Beauchesne won the Olivier for humorous podcast with script of the year. The prize for unscripted humorous podcast of the year was awarded to the tasty Characters Podcast by Jay Laliberté who, for more than 50 episodes, has managed to convince comedians and actors to wear an inexpensive costume, the time to improvise crazy things for sometimes up to an hour.

Incongruities

Co-hosted by Ève Côté and Cathy Gauthier, this Les Olivier Gala undoubtedly raised the eyebrows of some viewers, given its choices that are sometimes difficult to explain. Without taking anything away from Billy Tellier, it may seem improbable that the best comedy act of the last 12 months in Quebec was the result of a well-done performance by Guylaine Tremblay at ComediHa! Fest.

Plot of explanations taken from the regulations of the Association of Professionals of the Humor Industry, which organizes this distribution of statuettes: the prize for number of the year is awarded to an “original number presented on stage in full version and for the first time during the eligibility period excluding an extract from a one man/woman show.”

For a party highlighting first and foremost stage artists, the large space devoted at the start of the evening to projects linked to the small screen was also surprising, with series like Soly Club (comedy TV show of the year) and Between two sheets (humorous fiction series of the year) be they.

And even if we understand that handing a microphone to Michel Barrette means running the risk that no one will be able to go home until next week, what’s the point of paying tribute to a legend if it means confining him to his seat?

“Don’t despise anyone’s sensitivity. Everyone’s sensitivity is their genius,” wrote Baudelaire, and we would have liked, on Sunday, to hear that of the creator of Roland Tremblay for at least a few minutes, the time not for a turkey, but for a little word of thanks.