Sequins are in the spotlight at the Wilfrid-Pelletier room these days, in 7 – From Broadway to Hollywood, new interactive production by Gregory Charles. With 6 singers, 10 musicians, 4 dancers and around a hundred backing singers, this one spares no expense in celebrating the cream of musical comedy soundtracks. And he offered a vibrant tribute to Karl Tremblay on Thursday evening.
Gregory Charles fully embraces his taste for excess in this immense, generous, ambitious medley, enhanced with a touch of kitsch that fans of sung frescoes generally do not disdain. “It’s like the Oscars,” says the host, welcoming his people dressed in their Sunday best for the cause, at the opening.
Sparkling gala outfits, orchestra spread across the width of the stage behind lecterns marked with luminous white “7s”, well-heated and wild choreographies by DM Nation, coordinated lighting, choir revealed halfway draped in white: Gregory effectively breathes life into its creation a (small) resemblance with Broadway.
Raw talent
Before sitting down, spectators fill out a form regarding their preferences in musical cinema, including biographical films. Gregory Charles and his troops are prepared for any eventuality; a pool of some 600 pieces has been prepared to satisfy as many people as possible and cover all periods and genres. The content will therefore vary from one performance to another, like what the instigator offered more than 20 years ago with his show-event Black and white (2002).
In light of what we have seen, however, we must admit that the public remains rather conservative in its choices. In the first part, titles of the Moulin Rouge, Chicago, Cats, The Phantom of the Opera, Cabaret, Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music and others Miserable of circumstance. It was refined in the second portion, while we focus on biographical films. We then move from Tina Turner to Amadeus through Elton John, Edith Piaf and the eternal Bohemian Rhapsody, in a symphonic format that rarely serves the songs. The erudite Gregory intersperses the paintings with historical references or personal anecdotes about him and his parents.
PHOTO PAUL MENZIES, PROVIDED BY PRODUCTION
Gregory Charles on piano
A sign of the economically shaky period, the most prestigious enclosure of Place des Arts was absolutely not filled for 7, Thursday, media premiere evening. A half-full floor, many empty baskets: it was a shame to admire Gregory Charles and his beautiful gang shouting in front of such a hungry audience.
Because there is a huge amount of raw talent among his young colleagues. Among them, mezzo-soprano Klara Martel-Laroche stands out. Performing with Gregory on The Phantom of the Operathen as sovereign over the queen of the night of The Magic Flute (that “less than 1% of 1% of people can sing,” said the master of ceremonies), the young woman sparkled and did not steal her standing ovation.
PHOTO PAUL MENZIES, PROVIDED BY PRODUCTION
The dancers of 7 – From Broadway to Hollywood
The power of Audrey-Louise Beauséjour also amazed the spectators. After his pastiche of Misery Barbra Streisand Catsand that of the Whitney Houston of Bodyguard on – obviously – I Will Always Love You, her receptions were also noisy. We still do not understand why the young woman did not win during her participation in Star Academyin 2022.
Even little Julia, 11-year-old daughter of Gregory Charles, is part of the adventure, pushing the note, rather rightly, on the universe ofOliver Twist Or on La vie en rose.
Tribute to Karl
It was inevitable: Gregory Charles agreed, on Thursday, to deviate from his (more or less) established program to pay tribute to Karl Tremblay, of the Cowboys Fringants, who had passed away the day before. To somewhat soften our collective sorrow, he melted, with his Julia, some verses from On my shoulder has Can You Feel The Love Tonight, by Elton John, My God by Edith Piaf and A musician among many, from Harmonium. Approval of emotion was spontaneous at his feet. Gregory Charles even predicted that the Cowboys’ repertoire will soon become the subject of a musical with “dramatic resonance.” (Remember that the musical Royal Pub begins in Quebec next Wednesday evening.)
The final, festive vignette interweaves Mamma Mia!, Fame, Saturday Night Fever, Kinky Boots and other franchises, the movements unleashed on Dancing Queen And I Will Survive, with a nod to drag queens by the two men of the group, Marc-Antoine Gauthier and Mathieu-Philippe Perras. Sure values, again. But we come out with a smile!
Gregory Charles and his troupe present 7 – From Broadway to Hollywood this Saturday and Sunday, November 18 and 19, at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, then at Salle Albert-Rousseau, in Quebec, from June 20 to 23.