A few months before the start of his new solo exhibition in Quebec, sheepDoors are already open in Paris for comedian Mehdi Bousaidan. After opening for Fary in front of more than 15,000 people at the legendary Roland Garros stadium this summer, he will be opening for Roman Frayssinet for six nights at the Olympia in Paris.
“It was quite extraordinary!” says Mehdi Bousaidan about his time at Roland-Garros last July. For the first time in history, the famous tennis stadium opened its doors for a comedy show. It was the popular Fary who decided to play there. And he invited Mehdi Bousaidan to his first four games.
“We know each other well because he often came to Montreal to play at Just for Laughs and Zoofest,” says Mehdi.
Mehdi Bousaidan on stage at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. Courtesy of Mehdi Bousaidan
In November 2022, a few weeks after completing his first tour for the show Demain, Mehdi Bousaidan decided to cross the ocean to “test the waters”. He has performed in France a few times in the past, notably at the Paris Humor Festival (FUP) and the Jamel Comedy Club.
But this time he went there with the aim of settling there long-term. After a successful month, Mehdi decided to settle in Paris for several months last April. Here he decided to write and rehearse his future show.
A few days after arriving in the City of Light, Mehdi contacted his friend Roman Frayssinet, with whom he studied at the National School of Humor, and Fary. They both invited him to come and open for them.
“I think I had only been in Paris four or five days when Fary told me to pack my bags and we would play in Guadeloupe and Martinique,” he says. We did a tour of the French departments.”
One hour in Paris
In Paris, Mehdi has noticed that many comedy clubs have sprung up in recent years, allowing equipment to be used very effectively. “I must have been to about twenty different comedy clubs in Paris in the last few months,” he says.
For a month and until December 23rd, he has been playing every Saturday evening at 8:30 p.m. at the new comedy club Le Sacré in the heart of the 2nd arrondissement. “It’s a former nightclub that was converted into a comedy club this summer,” says Mehdi. All the big underground DJs started there, like Daft Punk and Justice. It’s a comedy club but with the sound of a techno nightclub! There are around 120 places.”
In this club, Mehdi Bousaidan presents an hour-long show, half of which is intended exclusively for the Parisian audience. “I won’t be able to use it anywhere else because it’s too niche. […] It speaks a little bit about my transition to what it’s like to be a Quebecois in Paris and everything that strikes me from the outside,” he says.
Worried about technology
Next year, the 32-year-old comedian will present his show Mouton in Quebec from January to June. He then hopes to play a French adaptation abroad in September.
“I would like to tour all over France,” he said. […] My goal is to spend half and half, six to eight months there and the rest here. And I could go from one show to another.”
His second solo exhibition, Mehdi Bousaidan decided to call it Sheep because “a lot of things are developing around us, we don’t really understand what’s happening, but we’re coming along.” We’re just going somewhere as a gang, but we don’t know really where we’re going. We’re all in this boat.”
Other themes in the exhibition include the position of men and women in society, identity conflicts and technology. “I see technology advancing at a ridiculous rate, and we don’t know how much that can backfire,” he says.
Mehdi Bousaidan will present his show sheep 4th-5th-6th-26th-27th January (Cinquième salle de la Place des Arts, Montréal) and February 8 (Olympia de Montréal). Ticket sales begin on Thursday at 10 a.m. For information: mehdibousaidan.com.