For his return to stand-up, after an absence of 25 years, we will not blame the talented actor and star host Christian Bégin for not having taken any risks. But his one-man-show, The 8 deadly sinspremiering in Montreal on Wednesday, is uneven and a bit disjointed.
Posted at 11:47 a.m.
There is a theme – the 7 deadly sins – which is the red thread of the show directed by Chantal Lamarre, and around which Christian Bégin tells us all sorts of disparate stories and anecdotes about him. It is about pride, laziness, anger, envy, gluttony, avarice and lust. The eighth sin is the punch of the show, so we won’t divulge anything here.
But the choice of his stories is sometimes so strange; above all, they are delivered out of order in opposing tones and colors. It must be said that the comedian did not perfectly master his text on Wednesday – he is at the start of the tour, it is true. A teleprompter was in the middle of the stage to help him find himself. Towards the end, he had to ask a technician (supposed to follow), to find the passage he was delivering…
Sometimes we recognize “our” Christian Bégin, sometimes not, we wonder who this gentleman is who plays a recording of his snoring (not necessary), who tells us that he shaves his scrotum and penis ( we don’t want to know) and that he is a formidable eater of nuns (too much information). But maybe we don’t know Christian Bégin at all…
There is also plenty of talk of microaggressions, which Christian Bégin ridicules, but not always in a subtle way. “If you want a safe space, there’s one just at the back, it’s called… a taxi. Unwind! In fact, in the choice of his stories and even in his “delivery”, Christian Bégin reminds us a lot of Mike Ward. And for her shameless and unfiltered side to Mariana Mazza.
But Bégin is neither Ward nor Mazza.
The comedian repeats ad nauseam that he’s a white, cisgender, straight, privileged 50-year-old who has everything to be happy, but he’s not. By pulling on this thread, he pulls out the best of 8 deadly sins. When he says: “It’s tiresome to be me”, because Christian Bégin is very anxious and a overthinking notorious, there, we touch something true and funny. “Even the hamster that spins in my head is burnt out! “.
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, THE PRESS
Actor, host and comedian Christian Bégin
Ditto when he recounts, with a lot of self-mockery, the (laborious) process he has to go through to make a ham sandwich. “I go to Lanaudière to talk to the pork producer, I want to know what kind of life my pig has lived. Was he happy? Did he have any friends? And we haven’t talked about tomatoes yet! I would so love to be like you guys…”
When he recounts his hilarious email exchange with a woman who bought one of his tourtières (from his Curieux Bégin products), there again, Christian Bégin’s wit and repartee serve him wonderfully. And when he denounces the lack of nuance, and our obsession with sharing everything, whether images or opinions (to receive likes of course), we’re not laughing, but we find it really relevant.
But when he broaches topics like non-toxic masculinity, consent, or microaggressions (laughable in some cases of course, there’s plenty to laugh about), he does so awkwardly, with some incomprehension or condescension. In any case, without much originality.
The last segment, on the 8e sin, make up for these blunders a little. We won’t dwell on it since it’s really the highlight of the show, but it’s a number where we find “our” Christian Bégin, who can be abrasive, but who is capable of reflection, of sensitivity , frankness and finesse. It is he who is unfortunately absent from a good part of the show.
The 8 deadly sins
On tour everywhere in Quebec.