Choristers, from father to son

DAY

The show Les Choristes, Michel Olivier Girard has played it dozens of times. But this year, the experience will be very different since he will share the stage with his son Rafael for the very first time. And a few weeks before the first performances, one thing becomes obvious. “It is certain that I will cry”, announces the actor, laughing.  

Meeting together in a café in the north of the city, Michel Olivier Girard and his 10-year-old son Rafaël leave no doubt: the complicity that unites them is as obvious as endearing. In short, we know for a fact that the father is not bluffing when he gets emotional when talking about their first performance on stage, scheduled for December 28.

“If we are together for salvation, it is certain that I will cry. No doubt about it. To experience his first applause, hand in hand with him… just thinking about it, I'm moved”, says Michel Olivier Girard. 

The actor will therefore resume his role of Professor Langlois, character he defended in Quebec three years ago. His son Rafaël, meanwhile, will lend his features to the young Caron, one of the boys from the boarding school for young people in difficulty where the plot is set, obviously, borrowed from the French film Les Choristes, international success in 2004. The staging, still provided by Serge Denoncourt, will be reviewed and refreshed for this new series of performances. 

Accustomed to the stage

If Rafaël Girard is in his very first role, the stage is no stranger to him. A member of the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal, he has already trodden various stages for masses and concerts, including those of the Maison symphonique de Montréal, earlier this year. He will also attend midnight mass at the Saint-Joseph Rratoire. 

Nevertheless, the presence of his father at his side represents a not insignificant “great comfort” for this first dramatic experience.

“I'm a lot less nervous because I know he's going to be there. It really makes a big difference. And since my father has already done the show, he can help me prepare better or answer my questions, ”says the boy.

Rafaël Girard does not hide his ambitions to follow in his father's footsteps either, eyeing the profession of actor himself. 

“I see my father working and I see myself doing the same thing more late. I think I would have a lot of fun,” he says.

The Acolytes adventure

On the sidelines of his career as a actor. Last year, Michel Olivier Girard launched into a whole new industry by marketing his very first range of spirits, Acolytes. This line has also improved, last month with a new product with the arrival on the shelves of a rum cream flavored with… root beer. An obvious nod to the favorite soft drink of the A&W chain, of which he has been the spokesperson for 15 years now. 

“It's not just a passing thing ; I'm totally into this project. I created it to last,” he says. 

The show Les Choristes will be presented at the Monument-National in Montreal starting December 28.