In its tribute to Guy Lafleur, Cirque du Soleil wanted to recreate the world of stage hockey. The production of the show Guy! Guy! Guy! required thorough research into the life of the Blonde Demon. It also required finding solutions to adequately reflect the speed of the sport and adapt it to the form of a show.
• Also read: Cirque du Soleil celebrates the legend of Guy Lafleur in its new show
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Here are twelve amazing and hilarious facts we collected from the behind-the-scenes designers at the show.
1. A show divided into three sections
Fernand Rainville and Vincent Côté Photo courtesy of Andréanne Lemire
Director Fernand Rainville and his assistant Vincent Côté were inspired by a hockey game to set up the show. “We structured the show into three sections,” says Fernand Rainville. The first period is his childhood until he signed with the Canadiens. The second period covers his years with the Canadian until his first retirement. And the third period is his return to the game, his final year and the epilogue. […] We also have characters like the coach, the usher, the rabid Boston fan and the umpire.
2. Guy liked to write poetry
Archive photo
In delving into the life of Guy Lafleur, the show’s director Fernand Rainville uncovered some lesser-known aspects of his life. An example “He wrote poetry! Guy was a very disciplined person. In the early years with the Canadian, he would light candles in the evenings and write to better understand his feelings. As a director, I was touched to see that there were moments of reflection.
3. Participation of the Lafleur family
When the Cirque came up with the idea of hosting its new tribute to Guy Lafleur, the first step before starting the process was to get the approval of the hockey player’s family. “We couldn’t do the show if the family wasn’t involved,” says director Fernand Rainville. There is an agreement with the estate. We met Martin [le fils de Guy]. I validated things with him. I wanted to make sure everyone is happy. The idea was to make a party out of it. Martin was often involved and asked if it was okay to do this or that. It went really well. I hope we honor the man who was Guy Lafleur.”
4. Organ on stage
Philippe Brault Photo provided by Andréanne Lemire
When it comes to music and hockey, one instrument in particular stands out: the organ. Just think of the importance of organist Diane Bibeau during Canadiens games at the Bell Centre. The Guy Show! Guy! Guy! will be no exception and will bring this instrument to the fore. “We have a musician on stage who will be our official organist,” mentions the show’s composer, Philippe Brault. There’s a lot of organ in the show.”
5. Represent the speed of hockey
Émilie Therrien Photo courtesy of Andréanne Lemire
While working on the show, director Fernand Rainville and acrobatics designer Émilie Therrien faced an important challenge: how could they depict the speed of hockey on the Cogeco Amphitheater stage? “We brought the skating element to the show,” says Émilie Therrien. We find it several times. […] The easiest for us was to bring the roller skates. Otherwise, having a fake ice cream made the rest of the show very complex.” “We’re going to have ramps on the stage,” notes Fernand Rainville. I can’t wait to see it. This will be the first time we present such a number in Trois-Rivières.”
6. The cooperation of the NHL and the CH
Marie-Josée Adam Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
Pretty early in the creative process, guy! guy, guy! contacted the National Hockey League and the Montreal Canadiens for help in obtaining rights to use certain archives. “It was an exceptional collaboration,” remarks the Vice President. Cirque Events and Experiences, Marie-Josée Adam. “It was a pretty crazy game trying to figure out who had the rights to certain things,” says director Fernand Rainville. A lot of work really went into getting the images we wanted.
7. A nod to his legendary disco album
The cover of Guy Lafleur’s Disco album stock photo
In 1979, when he was already a big star of the Habs, Guy Lafleur released the disco album Lafleur! Lively music could be heard giving advice on hockey. Today, vinyl copies of this psychotronic album are prized by collectors. When he got the call from director Fernand Rainville to work on the music for the show, composer Philippe Brault immediately thought of Lafleur! “That’s the first thing I thought of! he said laughing. There’s a reference to it in the show. We can’t pretend it doesn’t exist!”
8. The Sinatra Exception
Frank Sinatra descends from a plane in Paris in 1968. Archive photo, AFP
Unlike other Tribute Series shows, which used the work of famous artists directly to compose the soundtrack, Guy! Guy! Guy! had more freedom for the musical aspect of the show. “The music really drives the show,” says creative director Daniel Ross. We have 50% covers and 50% original compositions. With the covers, we made choices that served our purpose. We looked for lyrics that evoke Guy Lafleur’s personality but also the era itself. [les années 1970, 1980 et 1990]. There’s rock, song, funk, disco. All this is very skilfully implemented by [le compositeur] Philip Brault. While the selection of the pieces comes almost exclusively from French-speaking Quebecers, the composer made a small exception by inserting the title of a famous crooner. “For Guy, the most important music was Frank Sinatra,” says Philippe Brault. We allowed ourselves to part ways for just one piece. Everything else will be Quebec. Ginette Reno, who was particularly fond of Lafleur, will not be on the show. “It didn’t work in the context,” says the composer.
9. A first podcast for the circus
Footage from the podcast Lafleur, Eternel. Photo courtesy of Cirque du Soleil
Launched a few days ago, the podcast Lafleur, Eternel features four 10-minute episodes that take listeners back to key moments in the life of the legendary ice hockey player. Régis Labeaume, the former mayor of Quebec, and Martin Lafleur, son of Guy Lafleur, were particularly involved in the recording. “This is the first-ever podcast for Cirque du Soleil,” confirms Marie-Josée Adam, vice president and general manager of Cirque Events and Experiences. “During the making of the show, we received so many valuable testimonies and touching stories that we decided we couldn’t just keep them to ourselves,” she explains. We wanted to offer the public content that went beyond the show.
10. Artists from all over the world
As usual, Cirque du Soleil traveled to all corners of the world to assemble the cast of Guy’s 30 artists! Guy! Guy! “We have a lot of people who come from Latin America, Argentina and Brazil,” says acrobatic designer Émilie Therrien. We also have people from Ukraine, France and Australia. And of course there are many Quebecers. “I have artists who have never played hockey in their lives! said Fernand Rainville. But we don’t do a hockey show. We’re doing a circus show that pays tribute to Guy Lafleur.”
11. Follow in Messi’s footsteps
Messi10 file photo, AFP
Since the beginning of its partnership with the Cogeco Amphitheater in Trois-Rivières, Cirque du Soleil has offered shows exclusively to honor artists from the music world: Beau Dommage, Robert Charlebois, Luc Plamondon, Les Colocs, Les Dashing Cowboys and The Divas. With guy! Guy! Guy!, the Cirque therefore turns to the sport. This isn’t a first for the company, however, as it has already celebrated an athlete with the Messi10 show, which kicked off in Barcelona in October 2019. The creation dedicated to soccer star Lionel Messi is currently presented in Argentina. As for ice hockey, this isn’t the first time Cirque has approached the sport either. In its first-ever ice show, Crystal, which launched in 2017, the company featured a series of figure skaters jumping off ramps with hockey sticks. A goalkeeper was also positioned in front of a net.
12. A show for Quebecers
The collaboration with the Cogeco Amphitheater, begun in 2015, “is extremely important for the Cirque”, mentions the V.-P. Events and Experiences, Marie-Josée Adam. “This is our opportunity at Cirque du Soleil to celebrate the people here, raise their voices and create a show just for Quebecers. We have no other way to do it. Of course, we always open our marquee shows in Montreal. We are in the heart of Quebec with Cirque du Soleil. But the Tribute Series is really our opportunity to show all our love for Quebec. It’s pure luck for our teams.” At the time, the cirque and the amphitheater had signed a ten-year contract, which was extended due to the pandemic. It must end in 2026. “We’re going to start delivering the Guy Show! Guy! Guy! “We are already thinking about the next few years,” says Ms. Adam. The exchanges with Trois-Rivières Events Corporation are extremely fluid and daily. We will see what will happen after 2026 for the future.