Review of My Feelings | Virginie Fortin: existentialism as a laughing matter

We love Virginie Fortin’s ability to find jokes where there are none, which she does brilliantly in her new solo show, My feelings. Like when she exposes her reflections on space-time and manages to trigger peals of laughter.

Marissa Groguhe
The Press

There’s nothing technically funny about space-time. But a monologue from the comedian makes the concept hilarious. From the outset, Fortin sets the tone of her show: she wants to talk to us about her existential thoughts, her intimate questions about our presence on Earth. It’s her own kind of humor and, with her second show in her career, she surprises us again with her way of making funny these ideas that we all have and which can be distressing.

After a few minutes on this opening night, last Wednesday, at the National, the comedian found his rhythm and presented a show while crescendo.

We laughed from the start, we laughed towards the end. His jokes are well put together and it is necessary when one does not have recourse to the “easier” process of a punch every two sentences. Virginie Fortin skilfully sets up the moments of laughter she wants to provoke. She does not let dead time pass, but maintains the interest of the public even when she does not “punch”. Her talent as a storyteller and her good nature captivate.

When she talks about nostalgia and childhood – when we “played at working” – we recognize ourselves in her almost philosophical observations. The exploitation of the character of Marguerite, which the comedian describes to us, is a sacred stroke of genius (we will not say more about it).

As with every theme she tackles, she hits the same nail for a good while to get all the comic benefit out of it, never overdoing it before moving on.

After childhood, it is existence itself that becomes subject to gags. Who has not already wondered the reason for our existence? This questioning is central to the show. Each of his jokes, which take us between deep thought and laughter, hits the nail on the head.

Parenthood, anxiety and stress, studies, privileges, success… Whatever the subject, Fortin cleverly articulates his thoughts and makes us laugh almost every time. One of the highlights comes when she reflects on the fact that we communicate with each other through our language, in codes and sounds. The number on his Portuguese lessons is simply brilliant.

Here and there during the evening social, feminist and anti-capitalist comments slip in. But Virginie Fortin, although aware of the fact that she offers intelligent humor, does not want the label of committed comedian. Her “observational humour”, as she calls it, is not deliberately militant. Everything is unpretentious. This is what makes us love to hear him describe the tenor of his reflections. Above all, in addition to making us laugh, it gives us the feeling that we are all in the same boat when it comes to our existential reflections.

The show My feelings is presented in the province now and will be in addition to Montreal, at the Lion D’or, from October 13 to 21, 2022.