Starmania finally arrives in Quebec

At 42, French actor and director Thomas Jolly has an impressive track record. Among his great achievements is his adaptation-river ofHenry VI of Shakespeare, where he transformed the audience into “the people of London”.

But in the middle of a pandemic, while the theaters were paralyzed, this gifted person with extraordinary energy played the scene from the balcony of Romeo and Juliet on… his own balcony.

“It was the shortest show of my career, around eight minutes, and with zero budget, but people still talk to me about it,” Thomas Jolly told me in a suite at the Gault hotel while he was visiting Montreal to promote “his” Starmaniaan extraordinary production that I had the pleasure of discovering in November 2022 in Paris and which will finally be offered to the Quebec public next August at Place Bell, in Laval, in front of 5,800 spectators each evening.

The anecdote from the balcony bears tremendous witness to the trajectory that this director has experienced since his beginnings in the theater. “I wanted to play first, but I didn’t have any offers. I told myself that the musician does not wait for the conductor to play his instrument. So I started directing. »

Everything Thomas Jolly touches turns to gold. Of his Thyeste of Seneca presented in the Court of Honor of the Palais des Papes in a spectacular Romeo and Juliet at the Bastille opera (the director of the institution contacted him after the balcony episode), through an foray into the dark and burlesque universe of Evgueni Schwartz, the successes string together like pearls .

No wonder we thought of him to breathe new life into the work of Luc Plamondon and Michel Berger created on stage in 1979, when Thomas Jolly was not yet born. “I think they thought of me because I had the ability to give an operatic dimension to the work. Also, I have always thought that demanding works can be popular, and vice versa. »

There have been several productions of Starmania over time, and each had their own vision. Thomas Jolly quickly realized that we had lost sight of the plot of this Shakespearean story. “I told myself that the songs had taken over so much that they didn’t need a director. My job was to restore the narrative framework to this work. »

Indeed, we had forgotten that at the heart of Starmania There is a competition that provides automatic access to fame. The visionary Plamondon understood 40 years ago that this phenomenon would completely dominate us. To delve back into this fabulous story which also involves terrorism and dictatorship, Thomas Jolly had privileged access to the author’s archives.

“I had in my hands the very first versions typed by Luc with erasures. We spent several days together. I glued some papers together to put together a clear booklet. »

Launched in November 2022 at the Seine musicale, a 3,800-seat theater located in Boulogne-Billancourt, this new production was a huge success. For more than a year, it has been presented to Parisians and on tour throughout France. To date, nearly 280 performances have been offered.

Next summer, we will transport the imposing decorative elements to bring them to Montreal, where the show will be presented at Place Bell. After numerous negotiations, it is finally La Tribu and evenko who carry out this operation for us.

“The Montreal public will see exactly the same show that is offered to the French,” assures Thomas Jolly. What will perhaps change is that Quebec performers will be given greater prominence. »

David Latulippe (Zéro Janvier) and Miriam Baghdassarian (Sadia) already play the main roles in France. But William Cloutier (Johnny Rockfort) and Gabrielle Lapointe (Cristal), who were the understudies, will therefore be more present on the Place Bell stage.

Thomas Jolly continues to support the show team and keep an eye on things. “I find that the show has reached a level of quality and appropriation of the performers who are very comfortable in the songs and the roles. I continue to follow the show, despite my other commitments. »

Project manager of the Paris Olympic ceremonies

When Thomas Jolly talks about other commitments, he refers in particular to the opening and closing ceremonies of the next Olympic Games in Paris, for which he acts as artistic director. For the first time, this event will take place outside of a stadium. The public will be treated to a river parade which will stretch over six kilometers. Boats (around a hundred) will offer artistic paintings or transport delegations of athletes (around 200).

Thomas Jolly has already calculated that a ceremony of this type was normally made up of 45 minutes of artistic performances and two hours of parade of athletes. He decided to revolutionize the genre. Rehearsals will begin next March away from journalists and the public.

I asked what his state of mind was like a few months before this event which will be watched by more than 1 billion people around the world. “What worries me is making food when I have my friends over. I have so much work that I don’t have time to think about the pressure. This event is a moment when humanity looks at each other, where we are together. All is not well in the world, but we can also tell ourselves that everything could be better. It stimulates me more than it distresses me. »

This is what meeting Thomas Jolly is like. It allows us to combine art with the fate of humanity in the same flow of words. Above all, it allows you to meet someone whose passion is contagious. And he manages to do this without bothering.

Check the dates of the show at Place Bell

David Latulippe and Miriam Baghdassarian

In November 2022, I attended the premiere of Starmania at the musical Seine. The day before, I had met two of the Quebec performers, David Latulippe and Miriam Baghdassarian. During this interview, the two artists were tense, but convinced of being part of a show that we already knew was great.

I wanted to see them again, 280 performances later. “In truth, we are still experiencing a form of stress,” says Miriam. The emotions remain the same. There is a responsibility to go on stage. » David shares his comrade’s point of view. “We have great songs to sing every night. Vocally, it’s very hard. It always keeps us on our toes. »

Both artists have understudies. Of course, as the performances progress, you sometimes have to take a break. “I had to stop a few times because I got sick,” says David. Miriam holds the attendance record, she has almost never missed a performance. » The two friends laugh. “Yes, it’s true, my understudy didn’t sing much,” said Miriam. David often said he couldn’t sing because of his throat. He went on stage anyway and got the biggest applause of the show. »

Next August, David and Miriam will sing in front of the Quebec public. They recognize that the experience will take on a special character. “When I started doing the show in Europe, it was the big deal. But then, coming to Montreal, it became just as big. » Miriam fears only one thing. “We might get a lot of requests for tickets from our friends and relatives,” she says with a laugh.

Read the interview with our columnist conducted in 2022