Review: (Montreal) 2013 - Revue et Corrigée

                                                     (photo by François Laplante Delagrave)
Politically Corrected
by Élaine Charlebois

In this year’s edition of Revue et Corrigée, cast members took on the hot topics of this past year in Quebec, from the controversy surrounding the mayor of Huntingdon to, of course, the provincial government’s proposed Charter of Quebec Values. 

Though I may not be as well-versed in francophone pop culture as I would like to be (therefore missing a few of the references from time to time) I still got a huge kick out of the show. Among other wild impersonations, a Hairspray-inspired sketch featuring newly elected Montreal mayor Denis Coderre ended in a particularly entertaining manner when the man himself stood up to receive the audience’s laughter after the song and dance was over. Other highlights included Véronique Claveau’s uncanny impersonation of Céline Dion and Marc St-Martin’s recurring appearance as TV personality Julie Snyder.

Though all performers were solid throughout the show, none could compare to Suzanne Champagne’s spot on impersonation of Pauline Marois in the closing sketch. Champagne completely transformed into the controversial premiere imitating her ‘madame-tout-le-monde’ persona to a tee. Though I did genuinely enjoy most of the skits, the perhaps too many Charter-related pieces were overly silly for my taste. The predictable image of the niqab and headscarf-wearing Muslim woman was over-used as the opposition to the Charter of values. 

Nevertheless, for those who are clued in to Quebec’s popular culture, Revue et Corrigée 2013 will be a real treat! 

Nov. 26 - Jan. 5

Running Time: 2 hours with one intermission