Francois Chenier | Symphorien: the role of a lifetime

A few years ago, producer Martin Leclerc told François Chénier that he reminded him of Symphorien. Not that he saw any physical resemblance between Chénier and Gilles Latulippe; rather a kinship in their way of playing, their generosity on stage, without forgetting their sense of comedy. So many elements that prompted him to take the leap.

Luc Boulanger
The Press

“Martin [Leclerc] saw me as a good straight man”, says François Chénier, referring to the ability of a comic actor to be aware of his place in a play, and to know how to step back to let the other members of the cast shine on the stage. .

Burlesque isn’t so much an art as it is a mysterious alchemy that can turn a situation comedy into gold… or put it down. This is probably why we will have waited 45 years before seeing on the boards this naive and endearing concierge character, who made the glory days of Télé-Métropole. And that the actor François Chénier accepted the challenge without passing an audition.

Of which act. From June 29, and for several months on tour, François Chénier will step into the shoes of the mythical character, written by Marcel Gamache and created by Gilles Latulippe, first in Created Basilthen in the series that bears his name.

A timeless success

A total of 269 episodes of this burlesque comedy for the whole family were broadcast from 1970 to 1977. It is centered around the friendly concierge and the funny residents of the House of Madame Sylvain (unforgettable Juliette Huot!). “I was too young to watch Symphorian at the time, explains Chénier, who later saw the show in revival. But I remember Mr. Latulippe very well in The demons of noon, which I watched every day. It was acting school for me. »

To embody Symphorien, Chénier has let his mustache grow and will wear a dental prosthesis, with the imprint of the teeth of the late actor, which will change the morphology of his mouth, highlighting it more. Above all, he does not want to imitate Gilles Latulippe, but to offer his interpretation of this legendary character.

question of time

The action takes place in the early 1980s, as if we were leaving with a new episode following the last season. “We cannot update the subject or the story in 2022, otherwise we disguise the text and we shoot ourselves in the foot. The wacky jokes therefore reflect the bonhomie of the genre and the mentality of the time,” says Chénier.

We also find the same main characters. Nathalie Mallette plays Mademoiselle Lespérance, the single man-eater who would so much like to marry the colorful undertaker Oscar Bellemare (Patrice Coquereau). The latter will play a supporting role, that of the mother-in-law. Michelle Labonté plays Madame Sylvain, the authoritarian owner of the boarding house where Symphorien is a concierge. Symphorien’s slow brother, Éphrem, the one who misses all his jokes, will be played by Martin Héroux. Anne-Marie Binette plays Marie-Madeleine, Symphorien’s wife. Finally, Stéphan Côté will play four roles in the play, including that of Donat Labonté, a profiteer of the worst kind, once defended by Denis Drouin on the small screen.

Interviewed four weeks before the premiere, after a rehearsal, Chénier is full of praise for his playing partners: “It’s a very technical show, with a lot of sound, movement and accessories. The rhythm is a rolling fire! There is an organic complicity between us on stage. »

He is also very grateful to the director Louis Saia, the soul of this adaptation project presented by Productions Martin Leclerc and ComediHa!. Louis Saia co-signs the text, with the author Pierre Huet, in addition to ensuring the co-directing, in collaboration with Pierre Séguin. “Since the beginning of Radio Hellin 1995, Louis is a mentor for Michel [Charette] and me,” he concludes.