Inspired so much by South Park as Mononc’ Serge and the Chick’n Swell, Maxime Gervais arrives this winter with a first solo comedy show, Big Max. The former member of Pic-Bois takes pride in presenting uncompromising stuff “outside the box”.
For around fifteen years, Maxime Gervais made rain and shine within Pic-Bois, the sassy group he formed with Dom Massi and Julien Bernatchez. Anyone who has already seen the trio at Zoofest has noticed to what extent the oddballs were kings on stage and that they did not hesitate to push their gags very far.
Then, in October 2022, the group announced that they were splitting up. “We were each in a different place,” says Maxime. A group can be a creative lever when things are going well. But the moment things go less well, it’s a bit stifling.”
Courtesy Étienne Barry
Quite quickly, Maxime Gervais decided to continue in solo comedy. After months of playing everywhere, he arrived with a first full show. Why the title Big Max? “It comes from my days as a figurative artist,” he says. I appeared in almost every series that was made at that time. [entre 2016 et 2020]. When the episode was coming out, I was filming my screen and zooming in on myself and shouting ‘Big Max!’
While looking for a title for his one-man show, he thought of this catchy phrase. “It allowed me to have a title that was more about affirmation and looking forward. I liked that better than Now on my way, For example. I wasn’t tempted to have a title that explained that I’m now alone.”
Claude Crest
In Big Max, Maxime Gervais does a portion of stand-up. “I’m talking about me getting older. I’m approaching forty. I went from young adult to gentleman. I’m pretty good at self-deprecation.”
He will also perform four characters on stage: his now legendary Claude Crest, the urban trapper and two other surprise characters. “People don’t know these two. And honestly, that’s what people talk to me about the most after the shows.”
Courtesy Étienne Barry
His character of Claude Crest, an old comedian from the 1950s, Maxime Gervais imagined him during the pandemic, at the beginning of 2021, when he had to do a live on social networks with his friends from Pic-Bois.
“I didn’t know what character to do and I saw this jacket, which belonged to my father, in my costume designer. I wore a wig backwards. I would tell you that Claude appeared immediately. From the first evening, I felt that it had had an effect. After that, I started making capsules of my own. It caught fire, it surprised me.”
- Maxime Gervais will present Big Max Friday evening at Club Soda. The show is sold out. He will also be at the Impérial de Québec on March 8. For all dates: maximegervais.com.