Comedian Mehdi Bousaidan is back on stage with his second one man show, Sheep. And while his career begins to take off in France, he is betting on bringing his humor to life on both sides of the Atlantic.
Mehdi had dreamed of France for a long time. The post-pandemic heaviness encouraged him to get started two years ago, for a change of scenery.
“It feels good to have a change of environment. It develops the muscle of creativity. The more you move, the more experiences you have, the more you can tell them, the more jokes you have. »
Rather than arriving through the front door banking on his status as a well-known comedian in Quebec, he chose the beginner’s path. He thus began to play in comedy clubswhich abound in Paris, to develop new acts, but also to observe where French humor has reached.
“They have really developed a way of making people laugh quickly. Before, French humor was long, there was a joke every 30 seconds… But now in five minutes, they demolish you! It’s punch punch punch. When I arrived, I was on my ass. »
The school of comedy clubs allowed him to create and rehearse numerous acts, and he quickly found himself opening for star comedians Fary and Roman Frayssinet. At the same time, he began writing a show for France, which he rehearsed all fall, and one for Quebec, Sheep, which begins this winter. The French experience, he says, greatly influenced his work.
Sheep is more stand-up than my first. In Tomorrow, I put energy into the staging, the interactive screen, the music: I wanted to show everything I knew how to do. This is more classic stand-up, very simple, with a stool and a microphone. Well, there is some nice lighting work all the same…
Mehdi Bousaidan
Mehdi set himself the challenge of “making people laugh even more”, but using fewer means. And he will continue to cast his amused and critical gaze on today’s world, going from the lightest to the most engaged. “But always subtle, never too bold. »
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Mehdi Bousaidan in 2019 during a performance of his previous show, Tomorrow
In Sheepthe ecological crisis, freedom of expression under attack, disinformation are among the subjects addressed, while the guiding principle of the show is certainly the omnipresence of digital technology – one could say in fact our dependence.
“We often don’t even realize it,” says Mehdi, who is aware that, like everyone else, technology takes up too much space in his life. “I see it’s a real drug. We are at the beginning of an era, the internet hasn’t been around for long. We jump headlong into it without realizing the dangers. »
Challenge
Mehdi Bousaidan has done a lot of TV since his debut – the series Medon Vrak, sort of launched it, but it was as much a part of the narration of The island of love that in the distribution of Bye in 2020 and 2021.
But the filming ended up eating up a lot of his writing time, and he says that this is one of the reasons for his departure for Paris.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Mehdi Bousaidan
I wanted to burn some bridges. You get a lot of projects, you can’t say no. If you’re outside, it’s easier to focus on one thing.
Mehdi Bousaidan
However, he does not rule out TV and cinema, and for example has a “great project” for a series with Rachid Badouri. “It’s progressing, but there’s too much information missing to talk about it. »
The running-in of Sheep is over, the tour has begun – the media premiere will take place at the Olympia on February 8 –, and the comedian is very happy to reconnect with the Quebec public. The performances will be concentrated in the first half of the year, around 40 by July. Mehdi will then return to France in September to present the show created exclusively for European audiences.
“The residency worked well, there was a great response. Maybe I’ll come back to bigger venues. There is also demand almost everywhere in France, it will be a good tour. »
His goal: to continue in this way, changing continents every six months. He also sees himself returning here in 2025… with another new show. And so on. “It’s hard, but doable. This is the challenge I give myself. We will try. »
Apnea as a working tool
It’s clear, the 32-year-old comedian likes to take risks. He also started freediving, another way to test his limits. “I discovered this in 2022, in Thailand. Since then, I have returned there whenever possible. »
It can stay underwater for 5 minutes without moving, and 3 minutes 30 moving. His record: a descent to a depth of 37 meters. He is convinced that this activity makes him a better artist, helps him to be more concentrated, more aware of his breathing and his body.
“When you’re underwater, you don’t have the choice to be focused, otherwise you die. I wish I had caught this sooner: the more you control your body, the more you control your mind. »
Comfort, he believes, is the artist’s worst enemy. “I love putting myself in danger. Not all the time, I don’t cross the street with my eyes closed! But that’s where your survival instinct kicks in. And you start to create. »
At the Cinquième Salle at Place des Arts on January 26 and 27 and at the Olympia in Montreal on February 8 as part of his Quebec tour