The cultural offerings in 2023 were particularly rich; the various productions made us laugh as well as dance, cry or get excited. After the team spent the last 12 months in the province's event and concert halls Newspaper Today presents its 10 favorites of the year.
• Also read: Cultural review 2023: a year of controversy and great sadness
Lili St-Cyr, musical theater
Marie-Pier Labrecque brings Lili St-Cyr back to life in the musical theater of the same name. Photo courtesy of Hugo B. Lefort
She was the queen of Montreal nights, drawing crowds from the Gayety Theater to the El Morocco cabaret in the 1940s. Thanks to the impressive work of Mélissa Cardona and Kevin Houle, the stripper Lili St-Cyr is reborn on our stages in words and music. The author and composer of this large-scale musical comedy has succeeded in giving the woman behind the glitter, played brilliantly by Marie-Pier Labrecque, a large dose of humanity. And the best news of all this? The show continues its journey in 2024 to explore new regions. (BL)
One night at a time tourMorgan Wallen
Morgan Wallen AFP
Cowboy hats flooded our amphitheaters upon the arrival of this country star, and Morgan Wallen, like his opening acts, was up to the task. Mixing his classics with his latest hits, the singer kept the audience on their toes throughout the show before putting the icing on the sundae by wearing a Remparts jersey in Quebec and another one from the Canadiens in Montreal as a souvenir appeared on the stage. (AC)
In this secondKarkwa
Karkwa Chantal Poirier / JdeM
Only perform Dans laSecond's pieces when they return? No thanks. Luckily, the rock group has no shortage of hits to revisit. If the musicians have already proven themselves, they manage to raise the bar of virtuosity with this show, which is at the same time soaring, explosive and full of humor. A reunion worthy of the name! (PM)
The Foo Fighters in the Verdun Auditorium
Performance of the American hard rock group Foo Fighters at the Auditorium of Verdun on Monday, July 10, 2023. MARTIN CHEVALIER / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
After three performances at Osheaga were canceled due to the pandemic and the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters delighted 3,763 happy music lovers with an intimate concert at the Verdun Auditorium, where they had played 20 years earlier. A classic evening that we won't soon forget. (RGM)
The Smile, Parc de la Francophonie in Quebec and Place Bell in Laval
The Smile in concert at the Parc de la Francophonie, July 14th. Photo Cédric Bélanger
Outside of Radiohead's sandbox, Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have lost none of their creativity or relevance in their new musical project, which brought Quebecers two evenings of exquisite music last summer. (CB)
The Addams Family
The musical comedy “The Addams Family”, directed by René Simard MARIO BEAUREGARD/AGENCE QMI
We thought we knew Morticia, Gomez, Wednesday, Pugsley and Co. But director René Simard lets us discover them in a whole new light with the musical The Addams Family. Both dark and bright, funny and touching, this Quebec version features A-list artists including Rita Tabbakh, Luc Guérin and Tommy Joubert, all of whom are absolutely fun as members of the Addams clan. (BL)
Neo-romanticismAlexandra Streliski
Alexandra Stréliski concert at the Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier in Montreal, Tuesday April 11, 2023. Photo from the archives of Mario Beauregard/QMI Agency
It's not for nothing that the Montreal composer received a golden ticket for the 50,000 tickets sold for her show Néo-Romance. When presented indoors, all of his musical poetry seems to be placed in a perfect setting, and when presented outdoors, the fusion of natural beauty and gentleness of the pieces performed on the piano borders on perfection. (SEN)
Queen of Me Tour, Shania Twain
Shania Twain, “Queen of Me Tour” show, Videotron Center, Quebec, Tuesday, October 24, 2023. Photo agency QMI, PASCAL HUOT
With generosity and the stage energy of a young 25-year-old singer, Shania Twain beautifully maintains the beautiful love story between her and Quebec. During the Queen of Me Tour, the Canadian compatriot lit up Quebec's biggest arenas despite her lesser-known titles before bursting the roofs with an encore of her greatest classics. (AC)
Around the blockMichel Rivard
Accompanied by a group of 12 musicians, the Flybin big band, Michel Rivard presented his “Tour du bloc”, a show event that he has been presenting throughout Quebec since last January. Photo credit: Alexandre Cotton
It is a great journey through “the furrows of time” of his 50-year career that the songwriter offers with “Le tour du bloc”. Surrounded by eight musicians and three backing singers, Rivard wandered through his huge repertoire and played several hits from his solo career and from Beau Dommage. (RGM)
Les Cowboys Fringants in the Plains of Abraham, Quebec
Cowboy Fringants show on the Bell Stage at FEQ on the Plains of Abraham in Quebec, Monday, July 17, 2023. Photo Stevens LeBlanc
Robert Charlebois, who was the opening act, said he thought it was the biggest deal in Quebec since the SuperFrancoFête. The 90,000 people who attended the late Karl Tremblay's extraordinary moment of courage with heavy hearts certainly did not want to contradict him. An unforgettable night! (CB)