Paul Mirabel, the dazzling success of an endearingly shy man

Paul Mirabel arouses astonishing enthusiasm. As soon as the ticket office for his new show, For lovewas opened, around 250,000 seats were sold in a few weeks. At 28, this comedian is starting a two-hundred-date tour this fall, which will take him to all the Zéniths in France, to the Dôme de Paris, and should end in 2026 at the Accor Arena Bercy. A dazzling success due, in particular, to a video that went viral (more than 25 million views) of his appearance, in 2020, at the Montreux Comedy Festival, in Switzerland.

In a humorous landscape saturated with proposals, Paul Mirabel’s journey and his rapid conquest of the public are exceptional. This tall guy with blond hair and round glasses, this shy man with a soft voice who arouses sympathy, attracted a full house from Zebrahis first stand-up, in 2021. It is often said that the second show is the most difficult to write, as the public’s expectations are high after such sudden notoriety. For love is no exception to this rule.

When the curtain of the Parisian Théâtre des Variétés (where he performs until December 28) opens, the decor has the merit of being original. The stage is covered with a large Plexiglas stage filled with inflatable red heart-shaped balloons. Planted in the middle of this warm floor, in a square demarcated by white neon lights, Paul Mirabel, microphone in hand, is true to himself: immobile, reserved, with an apparent vulnerability that is immediately endearing. Taking the opposite view from the vast majority of stand-ups, he does not harangue the audience when he arrives and never loses his Olympian calm.

Then begins a first story about the oddities brought about by his new notoriety, which he gently makes fun of. He gets honked at in the street, asked for improbable selfies, addressed because he “a funny face”. It amuses him (especially when we call him “Paul Niney”), because he knows it is out of love. And then, thanks to his « petite » celebrity, this football fan from Montpellier found himself one day at the table opposite Kylian Mbappé. The football star will become the common thread of the show, a way for Paul Mirabel to put what is happening to him into perspective.

Stories of the heart

This introduction is not wildly original, but allows the comedian to move on to his stories of the heart. “It’s when I’m getting hit on the most that I’m least interested. I have a girlfriend »announces the young man to 2 million followers on Instagram, one knee on the ground, to the background of the Champions League anthem. This personal victory full of self-deprecation triggers warm cheers from the audience.

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