Phil Roy’s second solo show is a direct extension of the one that preceded it. We find in Philou the subject, but also the tone and the delivery, the energy and the manner which made the success of Sir.
At the Olympia, in front of an archifull audience, the comedian, who has been running in since last fall, proceeded on Wednesday evening to his return to Montreal.
As soon as he enters, Phil Roy launches a few points concerning the performing arts in times of a pandemic, jokes which get great frank laughs, probably because they act as valves for the frustrations and anxieties of many. The ice is broken, for the next 90 minutes. Despite a few brief passages less roundly conducted, the comedian will hold his audience in the palm of his hand.
Tackling sensitive topics
The red thread of the evening, if one had to be identified, would concern the way in which our view of our loved ones changes as we age. It’s because, since the Montreal premiere of Sirin 2017, a show in which he largely revisited his childhood and adolescence, our hero, who does not hesitate to call himself ordinary, now 33 years old, who became a father last December, has gained in maturity.
It is therefore from this point of view that he approaches his relationship with his father – by telling the story of a hilarious road trip in which a Detroit police officer plays a crucial role – and with his girlfriend – who does not suspect what that she will trigger by asking innocently, during a trip to Italy: “Do you want children? »
The comedian then plunges into abundant introspection, learning a few lessons from the road traveled, probing his desires for the future and even providing, like a wise old man, some advice to young spectators.
The texts are funny and the outtakes are often astonishing, but the interpretation has a lot to do with the effectiveness of the whole.
We happily find the unbridled energy of Phil Roy, his postures, his phrasing, his intonations and his very particular use of the microphone when it comes time to shout, to create unusual noises and multiple voices.
What is truly unprecedented, and which demonstrates audacity, is the treatment of serious subjects. There were a few lines on bullying and grossophobia in the first show, but this time Phil Roy tackles his anxiety attacks and his experience of perinatal mourning head-on, daring to slow down the pace, favor emotion, even if it means momentarily interrupting the laughter, of course to better relaunch it. To this courage, we tip our hat.