Very sad times for cultural institutions these days. Indeed, the Superior Court’s ruling this week, which ordered the cabaret La Tulipe to stop all noise perceptible from outside during show nights, is appalling. It has caused the closure of this emblematic Montreal institution, which is also part of Quebec’s popular cultural DNA.
The cabaret La Tulipe, formerly the Théâtre Dominion and the Théâtre des Variétés, has seen the best moments of Quebec popular theatre and vaudeville. The most notable and beloved figures of comedy and music hall revues have graced its boards. The ineffable Gilles Latulippe held the torch for decades. When he left, the venue’s vocation expanded, allowing musical groups to have access to a renowned and accessible venue and also allowing themed dance evenings and all sorts of events to be held.
But above all, La Tulipe is a venue that is deeply rooted in the life of the Plateau-Mont-Royal. You will notice that I refuse to talk about it in the past tense. La Tulipe is an attraction for those who come from outside, but a family home for all culture lovers in the neighbourhood, for whom it is next door; it is a meeting place and a place of pleasure nearby, accessible and friendly, for musicians and artists and for the people who frequent it. I know this, I have spent the last 30 years on Cartier Street, a street east of Papineau, where La Tulipe has taken up residence. My heart bleeds and I am not the only one, I am convinced of it.
All this for the benefit of a single person. A single individual who took advantage of an administrative error to obtain a municipal permit that changed the commercial zoning of the premises he purchased to residential. This man decided to settle the cabaret’s case in court. In the name of the peace and quiet he wants to enjoy, he is imposing a country silence in the heart of one of Montreal’s most populous neighbourhoods. He has filed not one, but two lawsuits against the cabaret. The second because he was dissatisfied with the lack of severity of the first judgment. One nail at a time, to shut the mouth of culture in the neighbourhood.
The performing arts, music and event sectors are still recovering from the dark years of the pandemic. Small and medium-sized venues are barely keeping their heads above water. In the great wisdom of civil justice, the rights of one individual take precedence over those of an entire artistic and neighbourhood community.
La Tulipe, this beloved and essential institution, deserves that the people of the Plateau, of Montreal, of Quebec stand up and make a lot of noise to defend it.