A true seasonal tradition since 2005, Review and correction could not be presented last year, due to confinement. However, the creative team was preparing to deliver a more stripped-back version of the annual retrospective at the Théâtre du Rideau Vert, until the halls closed in September.
But laughing at 2020 would have been really more difficult, says Luc Michaud, who is collaborating on the team of authors for the tenth edition, but who is acting as script-editor for the first time this year. “If we had done it, it would have been more a way of saying: “We hold on, the theater is still there and we will get through this together”. This year, we had this desire, but 2021 is more positive. At least we can have a more varied show in terms of subjects. »
Indeed, in addition to the difficulty of making humor out of a tragedy, a year when an event dominates the news so much that it eclipses everything else complicates the task of writers.
The current year has been fertile in elections and has seen the return of cultural activities. "It's the best of both worlds, so to speak, to write a review: it's an extremely significant year and there are still [issues] to deal with that are not related to the pandemic. 2021, I think is like the perfect recipe. »
This reunion edition will certainly address the virus, but by trying to dose: people are tired of hearing about it. “We have to make sure that we don’t feel like we are watching a show just about the pandemic. It was really our challenge. »
The fact remains that with this persistent coronavirus which clings, we have the feeling that 2020 and 2021 are linked in a “pack of two”, quips Luc Michaud. “They are like twin brothers, years that look alike. But you have to feel the continuity between the two, and not a sense of déjà vu. There are a lot of elements that were in 2020 that we packed away over time. Because that's what smelled the most warm. »
In short, forget the jokes of Zoom, PCU, already heard to satiety. 2021 Reviewed and Corrected is more interested in the consequences of the pandemic, the ways of living with it. “We discuss subjects that speak to people too, such as the increase in prices in grocery stores. We see more characters from “Mr. and Mrs. All-the-World” in the show. There always have been. But it seems that this year, we had an easy way to go there. Because we wanted to talk about what people have experienced as situations with the pandemic. »
The show also has a strong political content. Luc Michaud is also delighted with the change of guard among politicians: “There are new ministers who have taken the forefront, and it has been good. It was always the same at one time. And for authors, the status quo is more complicated over time. »
Difficult topics
The context will have changed a lot in 2021, from the winter curfew to the current situation which is getting closer to a return to normal. What period do we cover? "It's a phenomenon that comes up quite a bit every year: of everything that happens until July-August, not much remains in the show. Pandemic or not. But it was even worse. More than ever, the show is more focused on what's been going on since September. “Just to not look out of step. “We still want to deal with the year [in full]. Sometimes our thing is to add elements from the first six months into more recent stories. »
Generally, about one out of three sketches is kept in the end, a choice decided together with the director Natalie Lecompte. And some topical issues are unavoidable.
While the authors did not have to deal directly with an event not conducive to laughter, such as the tragedy in the CHSLDs ("last year, we would have had no choice"), there remains subjects to be approached with “delicacy”. The 2021 edition thus presents an issue on the situation of Indigenous peoples, told by Fred Pellerin (imitated by Benoit Paquette “who is extraordinary”). “It is important for us to talk about it. But you can't do a hilarious act with that. It's more of a performance, well written, thought-provoking, but fit into the show. »
“Sometimes we say things without naming them, because it hurts to hear certain words,” continues the script-editor. But we talk about it anyway. If the term “feminicide” is never pronounced there, the retrospective alludes to this phenomenon through a painting on toxic masculinity. "I'm not sure we would have done this number 10 years ago. I think we have evolved as a society. Luc Michaud cites as an example the “fat” or LGBT jokes that were current in the past. “I believe that the new generation of authors is really no longer there. And for me, it's not that we no longer have the right to say anything. We are saying something else. And much more relevant cases. “While having the concern to be funny.
Polarizers
Among other obligatory subjects, there is the phenomenon of anti-vaccines and misinformation. “But you still have to take some and leave some on both sides. And we respect people. “The review scratches” a little bit everyone “, like the recoil of Minister Christian Dubé in front of health personnel, while Éric Duhaime or Maxime Bernier take it for their cold.
To address these polarizing themes, the team is careful not to be “too frontal. I think the key to writing is not to hate your subject. I always made sure that the author of a text would have a reflection on the phenomenon, not just type to type on someone. And we play in front of doubly vaccinated spectators. We can afford to make jokes about it. Anyway, it's the extremes, on both sides, that are interesting for the authors, because "in two or three minutes, you try to create a universe".
The script-editor, on the other hand, removed gags about actress Anne Casabonne. “It was too much on one person. We want to elicit reactions, but not make people obsess. We don't want to shock just to shock. We make sure that what is on stage, we assume it 100%. Even if the victim of the prank was in the room.
After the forced cancellation of the previous edition, the 2021 Review and Correction team is pumped up, according to Luc Michaud. The unifying function of the show is intended to be even stronger. “Even internally, we had a great pleasure to see each other again and we absolutely wanted it to be felt. That we also feel our pleasure in finding the spectators. And we had the desire this year not just to be “tanning”, to be more tender. We allowed ourselves things that perhaps we would not have allowed ourselves before. Regulars should still recognize their comic review, with its parodies and imitations of artistic figures.
After these trying months, making people laugh is not trivial. “I feel like this is a show that will really do people good. They will be able to let off steam. And it will also be good to turn the page on this year – this is the case with each edition, I believe. But there, it looks like it's a two-year chapter that we're closing. »
Texts: Caroline Allard, Nicolas Forget, Simon Laroche, Luc Michaud, Dominic Quarré, Annie-ClaudeSt-Pierre. Script-editor: Luc Michaud. Directed by: Natalie Lecompte. With Véronique Claveau, Tommy Joubert, Joëlle Lanctôt, Benoit Paquette and Marc St-Martin. At the Théâtre du Rideau vert, from November 23 to December 23.
