For one evening only | Amazon relies on Quebec humor

Amazon relies on humor to break into the Quebec market. After LOL: Who will have the last laugh?the American giant joins forces with Just for Laughs to offer four evenings of stand up uncensored which will land on Prime Video in February.

Title For one night onlythis series of white cards produced by Christian Lalumière (Martina at the beach, ballroom fever) was shot in four completely different locations last summer. Each episode brings together a cast of comedians around a host and, above all, a particular theme.

Recorded at the Morrin Cultural Center, in the heart of Old Quebec, the PA Méthot episode brings together Billy Tellier, Silvi Tourigny, Pascal Cameron, Yannick De Martino, Mathieu Cyr and Cathy Gauthier in a secret society atmosphere, capes and masks included. For his part, Dominic Paquet immerses us, with the help of Mélanie Ghamino, Réal Béland, Maxim Martin, Mélanie Couture and Alexandre Barrette, in the tropical Hawaiian environment of the Coconut Bar in Trois-Rivières, while Rachid Badouri highlights his 11^e wedding anniversary at the Montreal Science Center, surrounded by comical friends like Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques, Emile Khoury and Eddy King, who interrupt the reception to deliver their toasts. Finally, Mariana Mazza, all dressed in lycra, offers a gala of wrestling and humor at Foufounes Electriques, with Korine Côté, Katherine Levac and Simon Delisle.

Amazon’s foray into humor is not accidental, explains Patrick Rozon, vice-president of French-language content for the Just for Laughs Group. “They understood, by studying the market, that humor is very, very strong in Quebec. People love to watch it. They believe that it is with humor that they will convince the greatest number of Quebecers to subscribe”, indicates the executive producer of the new appointment.

Prime Video is not the only foreign platform to bet on humor to seduce Quebecers. Failing to offer original fiction series designed here, Netflix relays the capture of a few one-man-shows premises, including that of Matthieu Dufour at the Bell Centre.

A “slap on the shoulder”

Amazon’s investments in fleurdelized humor delight the animators of For one night only. For Rachid Badouri, who also participates in the great comic game LOL: Who will have the last laugh?which has been a hit on Prime Video since its release earlier this year, it’s a “nice pat on the shoulder.”

“Amazon quickly saw that there was a gold mine of comedians in Quebec. They saw that there were great consumers of humor. They immediately bet on it. It’s cool. I like this. »

Dominic Paquet recently realized the exceptional influence of the streaming video service, receiving favorable feedback from teenagers, a section of the public who are abandoning traditional television.

“When my ex’s kid found out I was going to be on Prime [Video], for him, it was the big deal. His generation is used to platforms. His friends knew I was in humor, but they had never seen me. That I sold 200,000 tickets? Meh. But that I have a show on Prime Video? Fuck right! »

Without censorship

For one night only offers monologues in full, without censorship. PA Méthot and Mariana Mazza, who like to sprinkle their coronation numbers, greatly appreciated this freedom.

“Often, when you write stuff for mainstream media, or when you do galas, there are 22 lawyers who check everything you say, explains PA Méthot. Afterwards, you go on TV, and you get beeps all the time as soon as you say something that goes a little out of the box. With this project, we had none of that. We had the freedom to do what we wanted, to deal with the subjects we wanted. »

“Before we started shooting, I said to the guests: ‘Let go. Have fun. You can do whatever you want. Go wild if necessary!” Because with Prime [Video], people choose to watch or not. It’s not like going to TVA on a Sunday evening at 8 p.m., ”adds the storyteller.

Same story with Mariana Mazza, who speaks without restraint on the show. “I took a rather vulgar number, she points out, with a smirk. It was wanted. I wanted to take advantage of it. »

“Sometimes it’s very boring to be paged,” she continues. We are told, “Be yourself.” But then we are cut off. Amazon never told us anything. Just for Laughs never questioned our concepts. We’ve never had calls like: ‘That sentence, you should remove it.’ We could say whatever we wanted. »

“What is infuriating about beeps is that it only applies to humor,” observes Dominic Paquet. When you listen to a drama series, it’s absolutely amazing. You watch a scene, and it’s like, ‟Tabarnak, why didn’t you put the handcuffs on him, câlice d’esti?” That’s correct. But in humor, a well-placed “tabarnak” that adds to the gag is no. We find it vulgar. »

Respectful partner

100% Quebec format, For one night only comes from the offices of Just for Laughs. “We asked ourselves: how can we present numbers of stand up differently? How can we consume humor in a different way? “Summarizes producer Françoise Poirier-Charrette.

Amazon proved to be an ideal partner to bring the project to fruition. “They were brilliant and really respectful,” says Émilie Corriveau, co-designer of the show and director of development at Juste pour rire francophone. They told us: ‘You know what you are doing. You know humor in Quebec. You know your artists better than us. Go for it !” They were very humble. »

For one night only lands on Prime Video on Friday, February 10.