PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
All the comedians we met told us the same thing just before going on stage: it’s a privilege to take part in this last Just for Laughs gala and, above all, to be able to share the stage with Yvon Deschamps. “It was unthinkable not to be there,” said Martin Matte, while preparing coffees for himself and Louis-José Houde. “Martin is my tour barista! “says the latter, smiling.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
For Yvon Deschamps, it was a return to the stage after several years. When he learned that Just for Laughs was drawing a line under the galas as we have always known them, he raised his hand to be part of the adventure. “It’s rare in humor to achieve so much unanimity, both among colleagues and the public, notes Virginie Fortin (on the right in our photo, with Mariana Mazza). He’s an untouchable. But it is super accessible at the same time. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
The Just for Laughs galas have been major milestones in the careers of many comedians of all generations. “That’s what launched my career,” Virginie Fortin told us. I did On the way to my first gala when I began to understand that I wanted to make humor in life. I am happy to have started here and to close this chapter here. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
“It’s like a reunion of friends. There is something touching. And it’s first and foremost for Yvon, whom I’ve always admired. It helps his foundation. Martin Matte presented the opening number of the gala on Thursday with Louis-José Houde and Patrick Huard. Houde also felt the importance of this moment shared “with comedians of all generations”, including Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques (on the left in our photo).
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Guillaume Pineault, who had to write a brand new issue for the event in three days, remembers very well his very first gala, in 2018. “It was the most important thing in my life, at the time. It’s a privilege to be invited to the ultimate gala. I have as much stress, if not more, than for my first. There is an effervescence that does not make sense here, ”he told us before the show, where he was warmly applauded.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
There was also a bittersweet feeling among the comedians on Thursday night, a desire to say goodbye in a big way to this tradition that has taken many of them to new levels. ” At school [nationale de l’humour], that’s what dictated our pace of work and our ambitions,” says Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques about the galas. “I am happy to have taken part in this great story and the ritual that it represents. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
“I graduated from the School in 1995, says Martin Matte. There were five galas, all hosted by Yvon. It had an incredible impact at the start of his career. Louis-José Houde says that his first gala, in 2000, during which he was presented by Normand Brathwaite, had been a goal in his young career. “I had been the revelation of the festival the following year thanks to the acts that I had presented. It had helped me gain access to mass media. And then, it unraveled. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
A little over an hour before the start of the show, there was a lot of excitement and a bit of stage fright in the air. “Very nervous”, Philippe-Audrey Larrue-St-Jacques also considered himself “extremely privileged”. “I look at the people who share the dressing room next to me, and it’s just people who inspired me. It’s funny to say, but I see it as a kind of responsibility. In the sense that you have to live up to all the good these people have done me. In our photo: veterans Normand Brathwaite, Daniel Lemire and Normand Chouinard.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
“This evening in itself is unlike anything we’ve ever known! We’ve never had a line-up like this, it just doesn’t make sense,” comments Laurent Paquin, on a dinner break before the curtain goes up. “Everyone wanted to be there. I do it for the cause, for Yvon, who has always been my idol, and also, selfishly, for me. I feel good to be there, I feel lucky. »
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Pierre-Yves Roy-Desmarais appeared on stage for only a few minutes during the gala during a group number led by Laurent Paquin. The comedian was simply grateful to be present. “I have the feeling that I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” he confides to us. This is where it happens. It’s kind of the culmination of the long history of Just for Laughs galas and it’s really cool to be part of it. »