Looking for the wow effect!

It all started with a simple observation: it seemed to me that a strong trend towards large-scale shows had taken hold on our stages. Six or seven interviews later, this was confirmed to me. The public is looking for a “wow effect”, they want more than ever to live a real experience.

Over the next few months, we will be treated to an avalanche of musicals: Waitress, Tootsie, The Producers, The Cat And Starmania. To this are added Pretty Woman and the returns of Miserable and of Don Juan.

And then, there are these shows based on a concept where we mix music, circus, dance and other disciplines: The Shop (musical-humorous tale based on the work of Yvon Deschamps), Royal Pub (tribute to the Cowboys Fringants), Beautiful Symphonic Damage, Tribute to Rock and beautiful ears with Cirque du Soleil, La Corriveau, Belmont (in homage to Diane Dufresne), The giantess (in homage to Rose Ouellette), My Quebec and its songs (in homage to the giants of our song), From Broadway to Hollywood with Gregory Charles and his troupe, Revolution on tour.

We are far from the time when we were entitled to only one musical per summer under the leadership of Denise Filiatrault. Patrick Rozon, Chief Creative Officer at Just for Laughs and producer of Waitress, is well placed to talk about this development. “People are looking for a unique moment. They have a thirst for exclusivity. »

David Laferrière, chairman of the board of directors of RIDEAU and general and artistic director of Théâtre Outremont, takes an overview of the phenomenon.

Champion in all categories of shows built around a concept (For a one-night stand, The Skid, Broadway in Lights), Martin Leclerc is following things with great interest. “About seven years ago, we were the only ones to present a Christmas show bringing together several singers. This year there were five or six on tour. »

Martin Leclerc, who will produce Beautiful Symphonic Damage, believes that nostalgia is the basis of most of these shows. When we look at the staggering number of “tribute shows”, we can only agree with him. Nicole Martin, Édith Piaf, Sylvain Lelièvre and Eddy Marnay are “tributed” in productions that bring together several artists.

And what about the host of shows paying tribute to rock icons. Fans of Queen, Pink Floyd, Supertramp, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Abba, CCR, Bee Gees, Everly Brothers and Genesis can see replicas of their idols in often grandiose productions. Some groups are even entitled to the “symphonic treatment”, this will be the case with Led Zeppelin and Queen.

Speaking of symphonic, producer Nicolas Lemieux (Symphonic harmonium, Symphonic Riopelle, Symphonic baby) is not surprised to see what is happening right now.

“We experience wow moments everywhere in our lives, it is normal that we also want to experience it in a performance hall,” adds André Courchesne, professor of arts management at HEC Montréal.

Does this frenzy herald a resumption of activities after a particularly difficult autumn for broadcasters? “It is true that we saw a decline last year,” notes Lucie Rozon who, with her sister Luce, founded the production house Les agents doubles. But here, we feel that things are getting off to a solid start again. »

Lucie and Luce Rozon have also taken the route of shows based on catchy concepts, particularly with theater. After Verdict (80 performances on tour), here they are creating To great evils, great speechesin which four actors deliver historic speeches.

While some of these shows travel on tour, others are intended only for large centers like Montreal and Quebec. “This is the response of Montreal and Quebec to the regions,” says Nicolas Lemieux. We set up these shows over the long term to attract visitors. »

In this whirlwind of major musical productions, comedians continue to occupy broadcasters’ calendars. And we should not believe that singers who perform solo are disappearing. An overview of several rooms tells me that around thirty big names will be traveling the roads of Quebec this year. Among them, Dumas, Marie-Denise Pelletier, Pierre Flynn, Paul Piché, Claude Dubois, Bruno Pelletier, Michel Rivard, Daniel Lavoie, Daniel Bélanger, Michel Pagliaro, Isabelle Boulay and Laurence Jalbert.

However, some producers and specialists with whom I spoke are concerned about the fate of emerging artists. Will it be more difficult for them to prevail?

In Montreal, a few rare actors have the backbone strong enough to invest in big productions. Among these, we find Just for Laughs, the Entourage Group and Musicor Spectacles, a branch of Quebecor. Faced with this strong competition, a certain stress, if not prudence coupled with wisdom, accompanies each decision.

“For a musical, you sometimes have to raise up to $1.5 million before you can receive the box office revenue,” explains Eric Young, president of the Entourage Group behind The Addams Family, of Tootsie and Cat.

The coming summer will serve as a barometer, according to several producers. “It will be a real test,” recognizes Eric Young. We are not London, Paris or New York. We will see how the market will react. » Patrick Rozon shares this point of view. “We will monitor this very closely. The good news is that all the producers are talking to each other. »

While waiting to let myself be dazzled by these productions, I am going to see Pierre Flynn. There won’t be 16 dancers around him and he won’t arrive in a glass cage coming down from the ceiling. He will be alone, in front of his piano, with his songs.

The wow effect is often where you least expect it.