Canadian tour of Notre-Dame de Paris | The work seen by four veterans

They all had a fine career when they were offered, almost 25 years ago, to dive into the adventure of Notre Dame of Paris. On the sidelines of the new tour of the musical show, Daniel Lavoie, Bruno Pelletier, Gilles Maheu and Robert Marien tell us what Our Lady changed in their life.

Luc Boulanger
The Press

Bruno Pelletier

Bruno Pelletier created the role of Gringoire on September 16, 1998, in France. The singer is back in service these days after a long break for the new Canadian tour.

“This show changed everything. I was 35 when I got the role. My career was already well underway, with three albums, including Miserere [1997] that went very well, thank you. But the explosion Notre Dame of Paris had an impact both on the career of the interpreter of Gringoire and on that of the solo singer. A quarter of a century later, what is most difficult is the cardio, because… I find my character 20 years later. Gringoire ran a lot on the stage in the past; I will run a little less and breathe more often this summer. It will be an older Gringoire, with white hair, that the public will see. Moreover, I am giving myself a nice birthday present by taking over Gringoire. ‘Cause I’m gonna be 60 on the tour [le 7 août]. »

Daniel Lavoie

Daniel Lavoie created the role of Frollo at the Palais des Congrès in Paris in 1998. The performer was in the big New York premiere on July 14.

” That Notre Dame of Paris changed in my career? I will answer like Bruno: Everything! You can’t get through the madness of a show like NDP without being transformed. The show gave me admirers all over the planet. What I never had. In 1998, I had reached a period in my life where I didn’t really know where I was going. I needed to get out of my comfort zone, and not just live to release a record every two or three years. Today, at 73, I am in great shape to take over this role; I still climb a wall! And I’m reaching an age where you have to start praying a little, ”jokes the interpreter of the priest in love with Esmeralda.

Gilles Maheu

After having created flagship shows with his company Carbone 14 (The rail, The dormitory), the director Gilles Maheu signed the creation of NDP in September 1998. It has since followed production around the world.

“Contrary to what gossips think, it was not for the money that I said yes to Luc [Plamondon] to do Our Lady. At the end of the 1990s, I had more and more difficulty creating my pieces, which were very intimate and personal, with Carbone 14. I had the impression of having walked around my garden. I felt the need to discover another world. And these are two very different worlds, that of the theatrical avant-garde and of the singing stars. But deep down, I also have a popular side and I come from a very popular background. Of course, I also embarked for the power of Richard’s harmonies [Cocciante] and because I trusted Luc, his general knowledge, not just musical, which is enormous! Then it became a huge success! However, even if the show had been a flop, I am not sure that I would have stayed with Carbone 14…”

Robert Marien

Robert Marien joined the cast of NDP shortly after its creation in 1999. He has performed Frollo alternately, in English and French, more than 750 times worldwide. Since 2016, the actor has also been the artistic supervisor of the show on tour.

” Whether Wretched allowed me to break into the world of musical theatre, in London and New York, Notre Dame of Paris opened the doors of Asia to me. And there is a huge market for musicals in Asia; Seoul is the Asian Broadway. I put on the show in Korean with two different troupes with an interpreter. When you make adaptations in a foreign language (I even staged it in Kazakh), the show is the same, but each troupe brings a bit of its cultural soul. The characters of Victor Hugo are of course universal. I always come back to Our Lady because I love musical theatre. My dream is to see a permanent theater in Montreal with a full season of musicals. Because there is talent and the next generation in Quebec. But we are in a “crack”, between the theater and the varieties. To get subsidies, we fall between the two. »

The Canadian tour of NDP

Notre Dame of Paris is currently on tour in Canada. The show will be presented at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier at Place des Arts, among others, from August 10 to 20.