Comedians Olivier Martineau and Mathieu Cyr form an unshakable duo when they go on stage together, but as soon as one of them finds himself alone backstage, it’s a different story, to the point where anxiety can take hold of them.
If the show Before the end of the world begins as a duo, the two comedians also each do a solo number. In turn, they find themselves alone in the dressing room during part of the performance.
“When I’m alone in the dressing room, sometimes it’s a long time. I have time to think about my youthful mistakes,” Olivier Martineau says with a laugh.
During these 45 minutes, the latter takes the time to analyze the performance of his accomplice and the reaction of the audience, which can bring its share of anxiety.
“Mathieu does the first section and, sometimes, I say to myself: ‘Oh boy, I have to be strong tonight, because he’s going all out,’” explains the comedian.
He also gets nervous when the audience doesn’t laugh as much as they expected.
“It happens that I hear him perform on fire and you feel that the room is a little quieter. These evenings, we will have to use gum,” illustrates Olivier Martineau.
Behind the scenes with family and friends
Mathieu Cyr received a visit from his children backstage during the visit of the QMI Agency. A situation that happens occasionally, when the schedule allows it.
“We sometimes invite people who want to see the show from the side, because it’s a really different experience to see the show in the audience versus in the dressing rooms and backstage,” explains Mathieu Cyr.
According to the duo, this different perspective really allows you to understand what comedians feel on stage.
“You feel the blurry moments,” adds Olivier Martineau, referring to the moments when the duo could have to deal with an unexpected event during the show.
The end of the world in a dressing room
Their show is called Before the end of the world. And if the apocalypse were to occur when they left the stage, while they were still in their dressing room, could Olivier Martineau and Mathieu Cyr survive for long?
“In this box, we survive very well, but there are other boxes, maybe half an hour maximum,” joked Mathieu Cyr.
Olivier Martineau takes the opportunity to recount the time when he found himself meeting the gaze of a spectator seated in the second row while he was brushing his teeth in what served as his “dressing room”.
“The good news is that when [la loge est] a bit of a haystack, you know that you are building a memory,” notes Mathieu Cyr.
The tour for Before the end of the world continues until January 2025.
