A variety show inspired by the work of Yvon Deschamps will go on tour in Quebec starting in September 2024. At 88 years old, the founding father of Quebec humor brings his character of the “guy from the shop » who wonders “unions, what does ossa give? “. This ambitious production will mix theater, storytelling, humor, music, dance, circus and giant puppets.
A true national monument, Yvon Deschamps accepted without hesitation the proposal of director and director Jean-François Blais and producer Nicolas Lemieux, who are thus launching a series of shows entitled Tell.
Each of these events will pay tribute to the world of a notable artist from Quebec. It stood to reason that the first show in the series would revolve around Yvon Deschamps, the project’s creators explained on Wednesday.
The comedian and monologist said that for half a century he has remained inhabited by his character of the “guy from the shop », which he directed between the years 1969 and 1974. “It’s in my soul, it’s in my heart. Always,” said Yvon Deschamps before emitting his own laugh, filled with the tremendous energy that has carved out a special place for him in the hearts of Quebecers.
“For me, it’s fantastic to see that my business is still of interest to people,” he added.
A humanist voice
The artist will be the narrator of this story of exploited workers who swoon in front of their bosses – hence the famous question: “What are unions?” » Yvon Deschamps will not go on stage, but he will be the star of the show via a giant screen. The scenes were filmed over the past few days.
“They told me I would be paid to stay with us. I couldn’t say no to that! » he said, laughing.
Yvon Deschamps fully embarked on the project. Jean-François Blais and his accomplice Isabelle Viviers wrote the texts, which were edited by the monologue to make them as faithful as possible to his deeply humanist — and incisive — voice.
“These are moments that I will have in my head and in my heart forever,” said Jean-François Blais. A fervent admirer of Yvon Deschamps since the age of seven — he listened to his monologues and songs on the family record player in Louiseville — he had tears in his eyes several times during the creative process.
The show is inspired by the world of Charlie Chaplin, one of Deschamps’ idols, who still owns a 1964 Bentley S63 collector’s car designed for the creator of Charlot. Spectators will be brought back to a shop from 1942 which will also be projected 100 years later, in 2042, in a “retrofuturist” style.
Big ambitions
Around twenty artists will take the stage. Four actor-singers, ten dancers, four musicians and two circus artists will bring this unique universe to life. They will bring to life “a story where drama, love, friendship and death coexist [dans] an era where industrialization and the replacement of humans involve the arrival of the machine and access to artificial intelligence, and where the love of an exploitative boss is almost infinite,” indicates the production.
Around twenty key songs from the Quebec repertoire will be on the evening’s menu, including some by Robert Charlebois, Vincent Vallières, Octobre and Claude Léveillée. The show will evoke the time when Deschamps was the drummer for Léveillée.
Nicolas Lemieux, of GSI Musique, and Jean-François Blais are brimming with ambition for this series of shows on the theme “Reconte”. In addition toYvon Deschamps tells The Shopthe ideation of the shows for the following three years is well advanced, confides Jean-François Blais, who is considered one of the most dynamic directors in Quebec — he was behind the national holiday on the Plains of Abraham and at Maisonneuve Park , galas (ADISQ, Gémeaux, Artis, Olivier), shows like Live from the universe, Beautiful and bum and many other favorites of the general public.