He was called the blond demon, because he dumbfounded his opponents and captivated the spectators with his formidable talent. The almost mythical hockey player that was Guy Lafleur is now at the heart of a tribute show signed by Cirque du Soleil.
Entitled Guy! Guy! Guy! – a veritable rallying cry chanted by the public when Lafleur jumped on the ice at the Montreal Forum – this show will bring together 30 artists on the stage of the Cogeco amphitheater in Trois-Rivières starting July 19.
Fernand Rainville, who has worked on several Cirque du Soleil shows, including Wintuk, Amaluna And Axel, signs the staging. Here, numbers of inline skates, wire or Russian frame will follow one another in a highly acrobatic suite.
Poetry and humor
He explains: “The emotion that lifts us when a goal is scored in hockey is the same one feels when watching acrobatic tricks. Time seems to stand still. It feels like we are witnessing a unique moment. It is this emotion, a mixture of euphoria and admiration, that the director and his team wish to revive in the spectator.
To achieve this, it is not a question of creating a purely autobiographical show on Guy Lafleur, but rather of proposing a story imbued with a good dose of poetry and humor.
PHOTO OLIVIER CROTEAU, THE NEWSLETTER
Fernand Rainville is responsible for the staging of the new Cirque du Soleil tribute show, dedicated to Guy Lafleur.
I didn’t want to offer a series of anecdotes about Lafleur or fall into nostalgia. I wanted to update the passion that this player aroused in the public.
Fernand Rainville, director
Thus, the public will be able to follow the story of a young hockey enthusiast who will discover who was the famous number 10 of the Montreal Canadiens.
Fernand Rainville knows that in tackling this show, he is handling an extremely delicate matter. “With Guy Lafleur, we touch on the sacred. He is one of those who, in the 1970s, gave Quebecers confidence. In this decade of great deployments, his team replaced religion! Thanks to Lafleur and his teammates, we were the best. I have no room for error! »
To prepare, he went through all the biographies, looked at tons of archives, listened to famous games, including the seventh game of the semi-final against the Boston Bruins in 1979. He also spoke at length with Martin Lafleur, son of the hockey player. Fernand Rainville thus rediscovered an exceptional athlete, but also a man of great generosity.
People of all categories and from all walks of life loved Guy Lafleur, and not just for his physical exploits, but for his humanity. He was an incredible listener with fans. There was a great complicity between the public and him.
Fernand Rainville, director
“It was not for nothing that when he returned to the Forum in the uniform of the New York Rangers [le 4 février 1989]the spectators gave him a long ovation of nine minutes”, he adds.
22 years of life in three periods
Like hockey games, the spectacle Guy! Guy! Guy! is divided into three periods, each corresponding to a period of the active life of the man who was also nicknamed Flower. This will be an opportunity to slip in some little-known facts, including the fact that the five-time Stanley Cup winner has already written poetry and that he had kept the habit of writing by candlelight.
Can we expect Lafleur to come and haunt this show? “We will hear his voice, yes, and also see him through archival documents. Several quotes from Lafleur, but also from those who knew him, will also punctuate the show.
PHOTO OLIVIER CROTEAU, THE NEWSLETTER
Acrobats Alicia Beaudoin, Awan Schall and Emilie Silliau are part of the cast of Guy! Guy! Guy!.
On the musical level, we can hear several pieces from the 1970s and 1980s. André Gagnon, Robert Charlebois and Boule Noire are among the artists invited here. “Unlike previous shows presented in Trois-Rivières, which focused on singers like Beau Dommage or Les Colocs, we can go beyond the framework of covers and offer original material,” says Fernand Rainville. The prolific Philippe Brault works on composition and musical arrangements.
A multi-instrumentalist musician was also integrated into the show, in particular to offer some excerpts on the organ recalling the good days of the Forum.
Visually, the arena where the Canadian signed all his exploits will be evoked by the bleachers, the bands, the scoreboard… Yves Aucoin, who worked in particular on certain pre-game celebrations for the Habs , signs the scenography and lighting design. Félix Fradet-Faguy, who worked with Robert Lepage, notably on 887, worked on the many video projections that will serve as a covering for the whole. “We really wanted to keep the spirit of hockey in the visual signature of the show,” says Fernand Rainville. Even the famous Stanley Cup could join the festivities!
Guy! Guy! Guy! is presented from July 19 to August 19 at the Cogeco amphitheater in Trois-Rivières.