four years later noise in the cosmosVirginie Fortin is back with a second solo show: My feelings. Steeped in irresistible existential questions, the new opus is a direct extension of the previous one, and this is excellent news since it allows us to reconnect with what is commonly called a beautiful spirit: a critical, always free, sometimes twisted and also a bit rebellious.
Virginie Fortin’s tone is philosophical, but it is also political and sociological, resolutely feminist. While admitting on stage that she does not compose well with the label of committed comedian, she does not hesitate to take a stand on angry subjects. With confidence, but by revealing hilarious paradoxes, starting with her own, she rejects the diktats imposed on women, such as the injunction to have children, in addition to questioning without giving lessons our involvement in the excesses of capitalism. and growing climate emergencies.
It should be noted that the delivery impresses just as much as the content. From the first seconds of her Montreal media premiere, which began almost half an hour late, Virginie Fortin showed admirable ease, relaxation and coolness. When it comes to composing with what is happening in the room, to introduce some tasty parentheses, we can count on her talents as an improviser. When it comes to expressing emotions in the body as distinctly as in the voice, we can bet on her undeniable abilities as an actress.
To tell the truth, we have the impression of listening to a friend, a particularly intelligent woman (and a bit anxious) whose sense of observation would be as rich as her vocabulary. If she is the daughter of Bernard Fortin, a subject she tackles head-on and with great humor, she is also the spiritual daughter of Clémence DesRochers, André Sauvé and Pierre Légaré. With a disarming naturalness and in a distinctive phrasing, she connects the most diverse reflections, juxtaposing without any pity for our zygomatics, the depth and the absurd, the comical and the enlightening. We never tire of listening to him talk to us about time and space, the real and the virtual, his efforts to disembourg, his fear of loneliness or his strong passion for languages.
Virginie Fortin is a bit pessimistic, by her own admission “resigned”, but at the same time she finds happiness easy and never gives in to cynicism. Simply, she casts a lucid gaze on everything around her. Whether she talks about her environment, her profession, her neighborhood or her planet, whether she questions a concept as fundamental as success, she always makes sure to show the problem from all angles, observe it from every angle. A comedian who believes the laughter is in the details and nuances, what more could you ask for?