Going on stage, solo, in Montreal has always been Shirley Théroux’s greatest dream. And he almost slipped through his fingers because of the pandemic.
The meeting had initially been set for April 2020, but the first wave of Covid-19 will have wanted it otherwise. After five postponements, the singer finally sees the light at the end of the tunnel: she will finally take the stage at the Gesù in Montreal on Thursday evening to present her first solo show, Chanter pour parle.
“I care about this show. I could not imagine myself one day stopping my career without having sung on stage in the city where I grew up”, she breathes.
At the end of the line, Shirley Théroux is feverish. You can feel it in his voice, in his speech. Because she has long feared having to put a cross on this so expensive project.
“I was even ready to mourn it. I would have been very disappointed; I think I should have been scooped up. But I wouldn’t have been bitter. I no longer allow myself to be affected by the negative, by what is ugly and unpleasant. I want to laugh, be happy and move forward. I don’t have time for the rest, ”she announces with all the confidence that we know of her.
A matter of attitude
It is precisely this attitude that has allowed him to get through the last two years. Because the confinements were hard on her heart as a mother and grandmother. And they even stole his creativity for several months.
“I could sit at my piano, or even in my studio to paint, and I was not able to create. It was total emptiness. But the hardest thing was seeing my son come and bring me food during the first lockdown and not being able to hug him. Same thing for my grandchildren. That, having to be deprived of human contact and affection, it was appalling, ”she breathes.
“I am a singer”
Some will find it hard to believe that Shirley Théroux has never had the opportunity to tread the stages of the metropolis as part of a solo show. It must be said that she quickly turned to television, a medium that monopolized her during most of her career.
His roadmap is impressive. From Y’a plein de soleil to the unmissable Tannants, Shirley Théroux has been part of our cultural and television landscape for nearly 60 years.
But she is, by her own admission, a singer. And she will remain so forever, always carried by her successes Do like the bird, (It’s beautiful) A man, As you are young and others I will always be yours.
“I spent my life on television sets, but I am a singer. At 11, I skipped my classes to sing in talent contests!” she recalls.
She will therefore continue to practice this profession that she loves so much. Because after the release of her biography, expected in bookstores in the fall, Shirley Théroux will hit the road for the Noël une tradition en chanson tour, alongside Luce Dufault, Johanna Blouin and Joe Bocan, to name a few. this.
And retirement in all this?
“Never in life, promises Shirley Théroux. I will never stop singing. Never.”
Shirley Théroux will present her show Chanter pour parle at the Gesù this Thursday.
Reading, TV, radio… Shirley Théroux likes to keep abreast of new offerings in her three favorite fields.
Last book read:
The Twelve Months of Mary, by Marie-Chantal Perron
“I loved The Twelve Months of Mary, by Marie-Chantal Perron. She writes so well! And the illustrations by Geneviève Boivin-Roussy are magnificent.”
Last series watched:
Raspberry time, on Club illico
“I really like the Le temps des raspberries series. Sandrine Bisson… what a great actress! Otherwise, I’m so disappointed that District 31 is over. I can’t wait to see the show that will take its place. The bar is high, but we make so much good television here, in Quebec.”
Last radio program listened to:
“It’s so good with Claude Saucier. On weekends, I pour myself a small glass of white wine and listen to it while preparing my dinner. I feel like I’m reliving my youth, I know all the songs by heart.”
