(Paris) For the past week, a Quebecer has been starring in one of the biggest productions of the Parisian cultural season. But if Tommy Tremblay, from Beauport, embodies Molière in the City of Lights, it is a little thanks to chance, and a lot thanks to his perseverance.
Tuesday, in the immense hall of the Dôme de Paris located near the Porte de Versailles, the 24 members of the troupe of Molière, the musical show are warming up in preparation for the evening performance. Tommy Tremblay, PETiTOM by his stage name, rehearses a few bits of choreography, then comes to join us. Three hours before the start of the show, the singer-dancer-actor-acrobat is not particularly nervous.
“We worked on the show for eight months. I spent all this time building the character of Molière, I was obsessed with him. But there we can have fun. On stage, that’s where I have fun. »
For the 29-year-old artist, it’s like a dream come true. Two years ago, supported by his manager Arnaud Schaumann who himself left a permanent job to take care of him full time, he took the gamble of making more trips to France to try his luck there.
“Quebec remains my home, but I wanted to grow up, to make music here. I have always loved Stromae, Orelsan, the careers of Céline Dion and Garou fascinate me. We can create bridges. »
He spent two years getting to know Paris – “I discovered that I had a real liking for France! » –, to knock on a lot of doors, to meet a lot of people. “The name PETiTOM started circulating. Then I was asked to come and audition for this show. I was filming in Canada, I had four days off, I said “OK, let’s take the plane, go”. »
The audition goes well and PETiTOM is chosen to play a supporting role in this urban opera project around the life of Molière, created by the musical comedy mogul in France, Dove Attia (The Ten Commandments).
Ladislas Chollat agreed. “It had all the makings of a musical. » Above all, he had the energy of the character, the “extravagant crazy teenager” side of young Molière that they were looking for, capable of singing and dancing at the same time or doing backflips at will. What they didn’t know was whether PETiTOM had the interiority necessary for the second act, when Jean-Baptiste Poquelin comes of age.
“I didn’t tell him why, and I made him act out Cyrano’s death,” says Ladislas Chollat. “And there, he was touching, even by videoconference,” remembers Dove Attia. When I saw him, I said: I think we have our Molière. » They did not regret their choice. “He really stuck to the character,” emphasizes Ladislas Chollat. He went all out with what I asked him to do. »
This is how PETiTOM made its way, “little by little, victory by victory”. “I love my bit by bit. I auditioned for lots of leading roles, but I never got them. There, I had to play another role… and I was given the first one! » With the responsibilities that come with it, but he feels ready. And he wears it with confidence and pride. “Because I know I worked to get there. »
If you are a fan of televised artistic competitions, you probably know PETiTOM. In 2011, when he was 16 and still called Tommy Tremblay, he was one of the popular participants of Mixmania 2. Then we saw him as PETiTOM in Danser pour verre, Révolution and La Voix, and even at Véronique Cloutier’s Zénith last year.
Beyond the visibility, PETiTOM believes that the competitions have above all given him the professionalism which means that he is capable of assuming a main role today, with all that that entails in terms of sacrifices and a strict lifestyle – he features in over 80% of the scenes in this lengthy two-part show.
“In France, no one knows me. We don’t care about Revolution. It’s “ah, you have the talent, ah you have the work ethic!” That’s what brought me here. »
Since PETiTOM knew he had the role, he read everything about Molière to immerse himself in it. It was his involvement that impressed David Alexis, an actor-singer accustomed to musical comedies. He plays his father in the play, and he adores him.
“He’s a mix of talent, kindness and modesty. We can only love him. But beyond talent, he works a lot, which is the best cocktail. It’s a big responsibility, this role, because Molière is a bit of a French identity. And he does it very well. »
In fact, the fact that a Quebecer was chosen to embody a mythical figure of French culture bothered no one. PETiTOM has erased his Quebec accent and frankly, the audience doesn’t see anything – “They’re surprised when I go to talk to them after the show! “, he laughs. “But above all I am told that my interpretation honors Molière. »
“I didn’t even ask myself the question, because he was the right person, Quebecois or not,” says director Ladislas Chollat. Dove Attia likes to say in interviews that his Molière is Canadian. “And then his mother tongue is the language of Molière! »
Dove Attia predicts the multitalented PETiTOM – “It’s very rare to have all these talents” – a great career, if he knows how to seize his chance. PETiTOM has been working on an album for a long time. “We’re planning something heavy! “, he said, smiling. You have to strike while the iron is hot. “Yes, we have momentum. »
For now PETiTOM is taking advantage of this adventure which allows him to use all his talents. “This is the project I’ve been waiting for all my life, without knowing it. » Approached with a very pop urban angle close to hip-hop which he particularly likes.
The pressure on his shoulders is great – “He has no right to be sick! », says Dove Attia, laughing. It’s already done, he spent the first week with a bad flu. We don’t wish him gastro! “I’ll do it anyway. Michael Jordan once played while suffering from food poisoning. It’s a mentality! But I don’t wish it on myself. »
He continues to develop his love of the game and to invest himself emotionally in the show which will be presented until February in Paris, then which will go on tour in France and elsewhere in Europe. “I’m really into Molière. I don’t want to say to myself at the end, “Ah, I didn’t give it my all”. » But even though he is in the present moment, sometimes after the show, before falling asleep, he looks at his life and can’t believe it.
“A few years ago, I was in my room writing songs, in my little three and a half in Montreal, telling myself that maybe it was going to happen. But I had drawn and written that life, I had a plan, like one makes a plan of a house. I made every effort to make it happen, and it is happening. And I continue to write the rest. »
