Retired from the scene for more than ten years, Yvon Deschamps will return to the boards for a very rare occasion, Thursday evening. The comedian, who will be 88 on July 31, will do a monologue and meet up with his friends from laughing saturday in what will be the last gala, in its traditional formula, in the history of Just for Laughs.
In 2007, during the 25th anniversary of Just for Laughs, Yvon Deschamps had marked the imagination by participating in all the galas – eleven – of this edition. By this feat, the comic wanted to say goodbye to this festival which had given him so much in the past.
Yvon Deschamps at the Just for Laughs Festival in 2007.
Photo Hugo-Sebastien Aubert
Sixteen years later, Yvon Deschamps will make a brief return to Just for Laughs, for one last gala, the proceeds of which will go to his foundation. “When Yvon knew it would be the last gala [Juste pour rire], it was he himself who told me that he would do a monologue. My legs have gone limp! » says the director of the Ultimate GalaMarie-Chantal Renaud.
Because he considers writing entirely new material to be too much of a chore, Yvon Deschamps decided to dip into his repertoire from the past and present something suitable for today, says the director. What will this monologue be about?
“He keeps us absolute mystery for that! answers Marie-Chantal Renaud. I have an idea of the themes, which I won’t reveal, but he didn’t show us any text. He hasn’t done it in front of me yet. Even at rehearsal tomorrow [jeudi], he told us that he will just do the beginning and the end of the monologue. »
magical encounter
Elsewhere in the show, Yvon Deschamps will find his friends from laughing saturdaythe cult show of the 1980s. Everyone will be there: Normand Brathwaite, Normand Chouinard, Pauline Martin and Michèle Deslauriers.
Pauline Martin, Norman Brathwaite, Yvon Deschamps, Michèle Deslauriers and Normand Chouinard at the time of the show “Samedi de rire”.
Photo archives, Journal de Montreal
A meeting with all the actors took place two weeks ago. “It was extremely magical,” says Marie-Chantal. It was as if they had seen each other the day before. They had so much fun together. It will be an important number for them, but also for the public.
Even if she wants to keep as many surprises as possible for the gala, Marie-Chantal Renaud mentions that the show will contain its share of nostalgia. “We are redoing some classic numbers of Just for Laughs. There will also be four group numbers.
The gala will not have a host, “because we didn’t want to choose one person over another, explains the director. It is often said that Yvon is “the father of humor” and that all comedians are a bit like his children. He couldn’t choose just one.”
Mix of generations
For the choice of guests, there will be nearly 30, the gala team has opted for a mix of all generations. “There are people who have done galas since almost the beginning and younger people, who are in their twenties or thirties, says Marie-Chantal Renaud. There will be no discoveries and no jugglers! We really go there with humorous numbers.
“The backstage of this show, we will not find that anywhere, mentions the chief creative officer of Groupe Juste pour rire, Patrick Rozon, about the quantity of stars who will participate. Even the Les Olivier gala doesn’t have that. »
Contrary to what some people think, this gala will not be a tribute to Yvon Deschamps – Just for Laughs has already honored him in the past. Rather, it will be a tribute to the first 40 years that the festival has known with the classic galas.
“It’s a bit like a Bye Bye, says Patrick Rozon. The way we thought about this show, is it how we do to please everyone?
The great honcho of the Just for Laughs Group specifies that this show will mark the end of the galas as we have always known them. But the festival is already considering ideas for unique event shows for the next few years. “You have to shake things up and find different ways of doing things,” he says.
The ultimate Gala, of Just for Laughs, will take place Thursday, at 7:30 p.m., at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier.