This summer, Marie-Pier Labrecque has set herself a very specific mission: to restore Lili St-Cyr’s letters of peerage in a music show centered around the rise of the burlesque icon.
Lili St-Cyr’s name may not have caught on in today’s generation, but the grand dame of burlesque has left an indelible mark on the metropolis and its nightlife.
The American stripper experienced her most successful years in Montreal, her name making its mark on the big marquee stages of the Gayety Theater or even in the El Morocco cabaret, which drew crowds in the 1940s.
But who was she really? The woman behind the figure has disappeared from collective memory. To many, her name evokes one stripper among many others, and few remember her disrupting conventions with her art. And that’s exactly what Marie-Pier Labrecque wants to express by slipping into the skin of the burlesque icon with Lili St-Cyr – Le spectacle musical.
“I knew very little about her myself,” testifies the actress.
“But as I delved into his story, I discovered a character that was much denser and more interesting than I had imagined, but also very modern. “Lili St-Cyr was the Beyoncé of her time: a woman who has become a master of the art of seduction,” she continues.
Actually. Lili St-Cyr’s fame was so widespread at the time that even Marilyn Monroe enlisted her services to perfect her art, Marie-Pier Labrecque points out.
Misty Montreal
It’s therefore her meteoric rise in foggy and smoky Montreal that we’ll follow in the music show, which draws equally on reality and author Mélissa Cardona’s imagination.
So while some events will be true, we will still take many liberties in the name of entertainment. An example ? Lunou Zucchini will portray the fictional character of Sophie Leblanc, a cabaret singer who fears losing her place in the spotlight in favor of stripper.
“The fictional elements feed the action. And at the same time they remove the didactic aspect; We want people to know more about who Lili St-Cyr was, but first and foremost we want to entertain them,” says Marie-Pier Labrecque.
On tour
And even before the very first performance of the show, we know that the troupe – which also includes Kathleen Fortin, Maxime Denommée, Roger La Rue and Stéphane Brulotte – will spend several months in the world of Lili St-Cyr: a tour will extend over the next year and took them to various stages in Quebec.
Thereafter ? Hard to say. But one thing is for sure: Marie-Pier Labrecque is ready to wear Lili St-Cyr’s sequined outfits for a long time to come.
“He’s such a complex character, I know I won’t be able to get into it next year,” she says.
Lili St-Cyr – The Musical Show will be presented at Kingsey Hall in Kingsey Falls on June 30, 2023. A tour of the province begins in September. The show’s album is available now on the platforms.