Mario Jean is a happy man. As he enters his sixties – he celebrated his 59th birthday on February 10th – the comedian is launching his seventh solo exhibition this winter. Imperfect happiness… and other tutti quanti of life!. But not long ago, this father, who had been in a relationship for 38 years, was experiencing serious professional and personal questions accompanied by panic attacks. “I got outside help and leaned on what was close to my heart,” he says.
While preparing for the fifth one-man show of his career, Me, Mario, in 2014, Mario Jean experienced his first major panic attack. His producer and manager told him at the time that “the reviews must be really good.” Great stress had taken hold of him.
“Before that, there was a kind of innocence in life,” he says. Everything was good. But at some point your career reaches a plateau. Things were always going up for me. That doesn't mean things are going down again, but the plateau is there. You have to accept it and it's difficult at first. The gang I worked with weren't necessarily aware of it and pushed it. But I couldn't offer anything more! And then it was a bit of a bust. It's insidious. It came in quietly. Panic attack here, panic attack there. It takes a long time to put the puzzle pieces together [ensemble]. What happens? What is wrong? There were also personal questions. Thirty years of marriage, kids, this, that. Am I in the right place in life? Before everything is put back in order, the brain spins like a tabarouette.”
When Mario asked Jean for help, someone made him feel better by telling him it was okay to get down on one knee. “I used to have a vision of saying to myself: Let's see, I'm happy, everything is fine, I'm going on stage to make people laugh, I can't be unhappy. I compared myself to others who are unhappy in life and aren't as spoiled as I am and I didn't think I would complain. But it wasn’t about complaining, it was just about saying: It’s not okay.”
Do not be ashamed
Mario Jean agreed to speak publicly about this vulnerability for the first time in a recent documentary. Like other comedians, he deals with mental health issues in his profession.
“With what we do, a clown can’t be sad,” says Mario. People don't understand it. They tell themselves that they are standing in front of me, that they are laughing and that they love me. It’s impossible for me to be unhappy.”
“When I was offered [de participer au documentaire]“I felt compelled to say it,” he continues. And since it aired, a lot of people have told me that they're going through this or that affair and that they're glad they're not alone. They will get help. We shouldn’t be ashamed of that.”
The stress of the first
By the way, how did Mario Jean deal with the panic issue on his fifth tour ten years ago? “I canceled the first one [médiatique]. I was afraid of you [dit-il en pointant le journaliste]! It's a very stressful evening being criticized on this or that matter. I wasn't able to cope with what I was going through mentally at the time. If I had read in the newspaper the next day that it wasn't great, I certainly wouldn't have made it.
A decade later, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge. So much so that Mario Jean agreed to a media premiere of his new exhibition at Place des Arts. How does he imagine this evening on March 5th? “For me it is a big celebration. Come what may!”
In this show, Mario Jean talks about the search for happiness. Can we say today that he is happy? “Yes, absolutely. I'm fine, I'm sleeping well. Above all, I'm having a lot of fun. I have a show tonight. The room will be full. I can't ask for anything more. I'll come there, there'll be coffee and snacks Snacking. First, I can take a little nap in the locker room. It's pure joy.”
Mario Jean will present his show Imperfect happiness… and other tutti quanti of life! on March 5th at the Théâtre Maisonneuve (Montreal) and on March 19th and 1stum May, in the Salle Albert-Rousseau (Quebec). mariojean.com.
A show for your audience
For his seventh solo exhibition in just over 30 years of career, “The imperfect happiness… and other tutti quanti de la vie!”, Mario Jean asked himself what his audience's concerns were. “I always start at the same point, i.e. with those who are in front of me,” he says. What does my audience experience? People identify with me, I personalize things.”
Among the topics covered, he talks about menopause and andropause. “This is what my girlfriend and I are experiencing right now. But that's also what my audience experiences. As soon as I come across this topic, we feel vibrations in the room because it sparks interest. It’s the world in front of me that gives me the drive to write.”
In this new show, the comedian will discuss a trip to the emergency room after a home improvement accident. “It made me realize that we are well taken care of and that we have a health system that holds up, even if it is far from perfect.”
“We built our happiness”
Mario Jean also talks about his life as a couple, which he has shared with his partner for 38 years. “When I talk about it, it shocks me. I have 12 years left and we've been together for 50 years! It was my uncles, my aunts, my parents who celebrated. I go there. It's messed up. When you put it in perspective, life is special.”
“We met at CEGEP and went to university together,” he admits. We stayed together in Quebec for a while. She supported me when I attended the School of Humor. In fact, she was the one who encouraged me to go there to find out what was going on inside me. She has been with me ever since. Author Jean-Pierre Plante said: Isn't this a bit lazy? Yes, perhaps. But it holds up, we’re happy.”
“I say on my show that happiness is imperfect. It depends on the work you put into it. […] My wife and I have built our happiness. There is nothing for free. It won’t fall from the sky.”