She talks loud, plays big and scolds without embarrassment, “and yet it’s not Shakespeare,” warns Christine Morency, who was greeted as a rock star on Wednesday evening between two columns of smoke with thunderous applause, right before her premiere at the Olympia.
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“Tabarnak! I’m you Celine! she exclaimed. In any case, I have Celine’s health tonight,” she said from the start, her voice hoarse from laryngitis. The comedian also had to have the approval of an ENT during the day to be able to do his show without risking his health.
A gifted storyteller, the humorist speaks openly about some of her misadventures, each funnier and more unexpected than the last, that have made her a lady of grace – or almost. She recounts staying at the Ritz, going on a “date” at the waterslides, and winning a ticket to La Ronde — and where she’s since credited her step with a large candle that allowed her to cling to his place, in the tornado.
His colorful vigour, his bloody punches and his clownesque gestures are an added value for his stage character, who definitely knows how to make people laugh without being vulgar – even if sometimes a little. The Olympia audience also had little rest to catch their breath during that 90-minute presentation as the jokes flew.
It’s evident that Christine Morency has her own – and very colorful – way of bringing audiences into her world and making them laugh while making them think. This is especially true of her number – frankly successful – about sexual misconduct, which she concludes by underlining the aberration of having to do such a number to denounce these gestures. “I don’t understand why I can say ‘no’ to a dachshund but not to number 6 [un spectateur dans la salle choisit pour illustrer l’homme sur six qui commettra des inconduites sexuelles au moins une fois dans sa vie]”.
At a certain moment of his show, the few sections of golden curtain covering the stage fell, simultaneously revealing an installation of fans. “Well, that’s me: big fans of the chain,” she exclaimed. She occasionally meditates there to catch her breath or to enjoy a gag. Light animations are also projected there at certain times, specifically a male attribute that completes a joke.
For the premiere of this first solo show, the energetic comedian was solid, even if she felt a little short of breath here and there due to illness.
The comedian documented the downside of the making of his show Grace in the documentary series Christine Morency: No Filter, which airs every Wednesday on the Z airwaves. Crave subscribers also have access to episodes.
Christine Morency will be back at the Olympia on Thursday, continuing her tour of Quebec for at least another year.