“The 20 minutes of the People”: successful bet for François Pérusse and Guillaume Lambert

There was a crowd at the first performance of 20 minutes from the Peoplegiven as part of the Just for Laughs festival, Thursday evening, at suppertime.

The greatest admirers of François Pérusse gathered on the roofs of the Place des Arts, completely crowded, to see, for the very first time, the texts of the comedian played on stage.

Presented three times a day throughout the festival, the play begins when the famous Bob Hartley and his actors try to put on a street show on the Place des Festivals. The band of happy fellows, made up of Sarah Anne Parent, Marie Eve Morency, Joseph Martin, Audrey Guériguian, André-Luc Tessier and Nicolas Michon, is very determined and full of energy.

The performers only benefit from a few props – most of the time it’s a slightly crooked wig – they play big and exaggerate everything, but it works, it even works very well. From the first moments, the public is quickly parachuted into the eclectic universe of François Pérusse, even asking themselves again – with great pleasure – “if a skidoo can be left in the yard”.

For the needs of the piece, which lasts about twenty minutes, François Pérusse re-recorded the tracks of his best pieces on which the six actors lip-sync and at the same time give life for the first time to the recipes of Pierrette and the famous Jean-Charles.

You can also hear some of the great musical classics from his repertoire, such as My little dog And Happy holiday grumpy clowns.

By adapting the audio capsules to the stage, the director Guillaume Lambert was able to capture the essence of François Pérusse’s work.

The actors’ play area is colorful, cubic, narrow, but it is organized on several levels, which adds even more dynamism and movement to the show. The upper floors also allow the little ones, dispersed in the density of the crowd, to better see the action.

The atypical installation is located in the heart of the Carrefour du peuple, this small ephemeral village located on the roofs of Place des Arts. You can therefore walk in a questionnaire course, take a picture with the skidoo, do karaoke, listen to the messages left by François Pérusse on a giant telephone and eat at the chic Snack-bar Chez Raymond, between two performances.

This free show will certainly appeal to all those who grew up with Pérusse’s universe.

The 20 minutes of the People is presented at Place Loto-Québec three times a day, at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., every day, until July 29.