Live from the universe | A machine on a human scale

We expected to encounter acute stress situations during our behind-the-scenes tour ofLive from the universe, last weekend. Spoiler alert: nothing like this was observed… despite two incidents that would certainly have destabilized a less experienced team.

We expected to plunge into the heart of a frantic race, because after all, every week, France Beaudoin’s popular television show is broadcast – as its title indicates – live, after two days of intensive rehearsals at the Studios Grandé, in the Sud-Ouest borough, in Montreal. Around fifteen hours of rehearsals to produce a 60-minute show, which includes a host of ambitious musical numbers, bringing together professionals, but also amateurs, relatives of the guest artist, who have never sung in concert. audience. All without a net.

And to exacerbate this potential tension, the slightest error is made in front of, on average, 1,208,000 viewers, according to confirmed data from Numéris.

In short, we would get angry unless we did so. Much less.

And yet, relaxed smiles largely supplanted worried foreheads among the team of 125 people who prepared the show on Saturday. No semblance of altercation, rather numerous high fivea few hugs, jokes and lots and lots (watch out for the trendy term of the 2020s) of kindness.

In an interview during a lunch break, after having apologized profusely for the lack of juicy details that she could give us, France Beaudoin speaks of a “zero wasted energy” policy, which is based around a reduction in unnecessary agitation. . In other words, no one “burns gas over any conflict and/or stupidity,” says the host.

“There are people who might think they’re important, people who might be tempted to shout because we’re going live on Saturday night. But no one here needs to raise their voice to show they’re alive. Everyone can be effective while having fun. Everyone does their best, max, max, but no one yells at anyone,” emphasizes the host, associate producer and collector of Gémeaux trophies.

Content producer with Josée Beaudoin (France’s sister), Marie-Claude Lévesque describes the atmosphere as “family”. Supporting evidence: the new mother is often accompanied by Alexis, her 18-month-old son, when she attends rehearsals. Equipped with noise-canceling headphones to attenuate particularly loud sounds, such as those emanating from drummer Paul Brochu, the little man seems happy as a fish in water.

“Work-family balance is one of France’s values [Beaudoin] as leader, says Marie-Claude Lévesque, who lives in Baie-Comeau, an eight-hour drive from Montreal. When I come, I often bring my child, my boyfriend, my parents… It’s very open. »

Tightly woven

It’s eye-popping, the teamLive from the universe is tightly woven. Several have been working on it since its launch on ICI Télé in September 2009.

Over the seasons, the team has established various rituals. We sing the same song just before going on the air, while France Beaudoin hands out fist-to-fist (fist bumps). After the show, we decant over a beer, a glass of wine or a non-alcoholic cocktail on the second floor of the studio. And when we finish rehearsing a number a few minutes earlier than expected (which rarely happens, given the tight schedule and enormous workload), a mini musical quiz is organized. (Anecdote which grossly lacks humility: the journalist who signed this article won the flash edition held in the middle of the afternoon, after having recognized A View to a Kill of Duran Duran in 0.5 seconds.)

“We have been working together for so many years,” comments the musical director, Jean-Benoit Lasanté. It’s an extraordinary atmosphere. All we do is trip. »

The joys of live

Despite an adrenaline rush at exactly 7 p.m., when recording began, this friendly, even relaxed atmosphere continued last Saturday… even when the team learned, by consulting the comments on Facebook, that a An increasing number of viewers were complaining about intermittent sound loss. The existence of the technical glitch (resulting from a defective piece of equipment, Radio-Canada will later explain to us) spread like wildfire in the studio, hence this frantic race of a manager, observed behind the scenes at the start of the show.

But as soon as the team realized that it was a broadcasting problem affecting the Montreal region, and that they had nothing to do with it, the state of zenitude returned at a gallop.

Same phenomenon when Mariana Mazza accidentally revealed her chest, while she was jumping frantically while singing Get Down of the Backstreet Boys. The main person concerned seemed taken aback after the incident, but no one panicked, especially since after checking the images, the worst had been avoided. Barely.

Continue to surprise

For how many more years will the show Live from the universe will she succeed in brightening up our Saturday evenings? Hard to say. One thing is certain, France Beaudoin will strive to find ways to surprise the public – and especially her team – until the very last episode.

“As soon as we sit down, it’s over,” believes the host. That’s why at the start of the season, it was important for me to arrive with Zaz, Paul Piché who is kidnapped, a special Little life, new ideas… To stimulate the troops. Our team is made up of people who thrive on challenges. People for whom it is a driving force. People who question everything all the time, for whom it’s never over until the show is made. When you bring these types of people together on the same team, it creates an extraordinary television machine. »

Live from the universe is broadcast on ICI Télé on Saturdays at 7 p.m.