In the musical, Tony Bredelet and Leelou Garms play Joshua and Nefertari.
20min/Gabriel None
“The Ten Commandments: The Desire to Love” arrives at the Geneva Arena on December 7, 2024. In this new version of the musical, Tony Bredelet (35 years old) and Leelou Garms (19 years old) respectively play Josué and Nefertari. As a couple in real life, the two artists confide in each other about this adventure.
Does the fact that a version of the musical already existed put pressure on you or do we not think about it?
Tony Bredelet: We think about it, but it's not pressure because the goal is to do things the way we feel. We were selected based on our emotion, our history. I think it's especially not because we have anything in common with the old performers. Personally, I don't put too much pressure on myself, but after that it will depend on each person.
Leelou Garms: For me, it's my first musical so that obviously adds extra pressure. And moving on after a show that was so successful is not always easy. It's true that at the beginning, when we started filming, I was a little scared, but I think that as the dates progress, we become more confident.
Can you describe your characters?
LG: Nefertari is the wife of Ramesses II. She is torn between her husband and Moses. This is the famous dilemma. She searches for herself a little throughout the show. Some not very cool anecdotes happen to him. Come see the show to discover them (laughing).
TB: Joshua is Moses' right arm and becomes his successor upon his death. He is the leader of the slaves, then that of the armies. He will “grow” with Moses throughout his journey and help him lead the Hebrew people to the Promised Land.
You are in a relationship. Is it reassuring to know that the other person is there if needed?
LG: Of course! It adds a certain strength. With him on the show, I feel really supported. It's very reassuring. And if he had to leave the show one day, I don't know if I could continue (laughing).
TB: What's also nice is that we often debrief together: what we did well, what went less well. And after each song, we come to see each other to find out how it went (laughing). We are still reassuring ourselves. In general, artists lack a little self-confidence, even if we don't show it on stage. In this profession, humility is very important. Even though she is much younger than me, she certainly reassures me as much as I do that I can do this for her. It's about balance and it feels good.
How do you feel when you go on stage in front of the audience?
TB: We have good pressure. The main goal is really to make people feel emotions. When I sing “The Maximum Penalty”, if people don't feel the emotion – with everything that Giuliano Peparini (editor's note: the director) has implemented for this number – it will really touch me. But in a bad way, because that would mean that I did my job badly and that I would not have lived up to the words and the emotion.
LG: It’s true that making people feel emotions is our main goal. All the songs in this show are very touching and very poignant. And each title has its identity and its history. No matter the emotion, whether it is joy or sadness, as a performer we must make it felt. It puts a certain pressure on carrying these songs.
“The maximum sentence”, a particular title
Tony Bredelet considers “The Maximum Penalty” to be one of the most beautiful songs of the show. It must be said that it is special for him. “I come from the provinces so it was a bit impossible to become a singer. At 16, I won a singing competition with “The Maximum Penalty”. I am someone who believes a lot in energies and I have always wanted to make music my profession. And twenty years later, I find myself singing this song on stage. It's as if things have come full circle. If we really believe in it and do everything we can to achieve it, it can happen,” he said.
