After more than a decade away from the stage, José Gaudet will go on a solo tour next year at the age of 53. For the comedian and presenter, this return to his roots comes at the right time. “It was about time I started!”
After Les Grandes Gueules ended in 2014, José Gaudet moved on to more “serious” projects, most notably co-hosting It Ends Well The Week on TVA for nine years. But in the spring of 2022, he felt the call of humor and announced his departure from the show.
“I thought it was time to make room in my life to try another project,” he told the Journal.
This project is a solo comedy show titled Y’tait time!, which he will begin rehearsals in May 2024. More than 15 years have passed since José Gaudet’s last tour; the last Grandes Gueules show took place in 2009.
José Gaudet collaborates with Productions 6e sens (Lise Dion) for this first solo. Courtesy of Julie Perreault
“I was already on tour with a 45 truck [pieds]. There I go to the resort [wagon] with a suitcase. It’s a different thing, a different world. I find it super fun and exciting. I come to propose myself. A microphone, lighting and that’s it.”
Since the end of Les Grandes Gueules, José Gaudet had never really thought about going alone. When he saw Mario Tessier start his first show, Seul comme un grand, in 2014, he was happy for his friend and not at all jealous.
“I really couldn’t have imagined touring at this point in my life. There were children’s ages [ils avaient 10 et 12 ans à l’époque] and the situation I was in. My garden was full. I was happy for him. I knew it made him happy. His anger at going on stage was stronger.”
Clash of ideas
Almost ten years later, he’s finally ready to take the plunge. For this first solo tour, José Gaudet is collaborating with Productions 6e Sens (Lise Dion). “I worked with them a lot,” he said. Lise directed the second Grandes Gueules show. We had written a number for his third show. And on her fourth show, she picked me up to take over as artistic director.
After writing alone for eight or nine months, José Gaudet recently brought writers into his project. “I wanted to have 80 to 100 pages written before I put people in charge,” he says. I really wanted to leave myself. We are not reinventing the wheel. I’m José, 52-53 years old. I’ve been in show business for 30 years and I come here to share my vision of certain things.
Danis Durocher and Jean-Christian Thibodeau help him with the lyrics. “I will also have two other writers from the Grandes Gueules era. […] I started looking for people who had different visions. What I want now is the collision of ideas.”
Like dinner with friends
Although he prefers not to list the themes of his show for the time being (“The show is in a year, I think that’s too fast”), José Gaudet mentions that his proposal will not be at all reminiscent of that of Les Grandes Gueules. “The fashion [à l’époque] should be irreverent, provocative and completely crazy. But I’ve always wanted to make people laugh in life and that’s still a big focus on this show.”
“There are very few days in my life when someone doesn’t say to me: Hey, I’d like to have dinner and spend an evening with you, we could have a lot of fun!” That’s exactly what happens. I designed this show to make it look like you came to my house and we had a conversation. I will not introduce the José of television or radio. It’s the José in his basement that people want to see. The way I speak and tell my story is similar to dinner with friends.”
Even before José Gaudet publicly announced his show, José Gaudet and his team reached out to venues across Quebec. And the response was very positive, he says. “The rooms arouse interest and trust,” says José. I realize that I have the audience of Grandes Gueules, It Ends Well, the Week, Rythme-FM and the Panzer broadcasts. I didn’t realize how wide the range of potential people want to come. If I only take 2% of these people, the rooms will be full. It’s sick!”
José Gaudet will give the lecture It was time! at the Salle Albert-Rousseau in Quebec City, October 30, 2024, and at the Théâtre Maisonneuve at Place des Arts, November 14, 2024. For all dates: josegaudet.ca.