Waitress | Joël Legendre, scattered and fulfilled

Denise Filiatrault advised him not to put all his eggs in one basket. “Write, teach, act, direct, radio…” Others found him scattered, urged him to grasp an art and stick to it. But Joël Legendre never deviated from the teachings of his mentor.

The 57-year-old artist owes the longevity of his career – 40 years next year –, he is convinced, to this versatility which has led him from dubbing to animation, and recently to playwriting. There was never any question for him of considering plans other than show business.

“I always wanted to do this so much that insecurity never came first,” confides Joël in a dressing room at Espace St-Denis, his second home these days, as the performances of his new pride, the musical Waitress.

“The love of the profession has always been stronger than the fear of not doing it. I was ready for anything. Yes, I wrote columns in Sherbrooke for The Christines [Lamer et Chartrand, à Radio-Canada, en 1994]I have staged for groups of 50 people in Saint-Hyacinthe. Looking back, sometimes I think thatEnfanformeI could have let it happen [rires] ; I knew very well that it would not lead to major roles in the cinema! But it was part of my journey. I have never done anything other than my job to pay my rent. »

Busy schedule

This year, it is the staging which monopolizes Joël Legendre.

Its first half of 2024 was dedicated to laying the foundations for We are (in Sherbrooke from August 2, then on tour), to sponsor the rehearsals of ExSeparablethe second comedy show as a duo of the ex Patricia Paquin and Mathieu Gratton, then to imagine the very first version in the world of Waitress in French.

This summer, he is working on putting together a new version of the film in four months (while it normally takes 12). La Cage aux Follesin residence in October at St-Denis, as well as Broadway in lighta collective celebrating the legendary repertoire of illustrious musicals (at the Montreal Casino in mid-October).

Between two sessions with his actors, he puts together the tables (yes, in June!) for the next edition – his sixth – of Christmas a tradition in song.

The work will come later multicoloredthe first solo of the drag queen Barbada, for which he has nevertheless already had two meetings and which he promises to be very family-friendly.

Don’t throw any more, is the yard full? Please note that Joël Legendre also managed to write, in “spare time”, a new book of vegetarian recipes. Lunches for everyone – 100 veggie recipes to reinvent your dinners will be published in August by Éditions de l’Homme.

“I have colored binders covered with the poster for each project. Most of my work is done between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. I am super methodical. I maximize every second. I never go to bed without finishing answering my emails. It gets on everyone’s nerves, but it allows me to do eight productions at the same time and not get out of breath. »

Like on Broadway

Last week, Joël intensively trained Marie-Eve Janvier, Julie Ringuette, Sharon James and the rest of the troop of Waitress in days lasting from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m.

We feel him proud of having succeeded in joining the preserve of the directors of the summer musicals of (late) Just for Laughs – we do not know for the moment whether the new owner ComediHa! will continue the tradition – especially dominated in the last decade by Serge Postigo and Serge Denoncourt.

“Now that both Serges are working in Europe, it has opened doors for me,” Joël jokes.

Pour Waitress, the latter is in fact a director. He works in close collaboration with New Yorker Abbey O’Brien, dispatched by the American team of Waitress (including director Diane Paulus and singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles) to ensure that the framework of the work, inspired by the 2007 film of the same name, is respected. Jenna, a reserved young woman from a remote part of the United States, cooks up pies that might help her escape the sadness of a violent home.

Joël Legendre had to audition with the American female creative core of Waitress. A formative experience for this Broadway fan, who visits the avenue of New York theaters three or four times a year to binge on the latest musical plays.

When Joël Legendre gets involved in a production, it’s not just half. He never waits for a props designer to find his equipment, ready to drive for hours in a truck to get the bistro stools which will form the body of the frame of Broadway in lightor to scour all the wigmakers in the city to style his actors’ hair We are.

Humanly, what type of director does he consider himself to be?

“I need some nice people who are on time!” I am very relaxed, but the work must be done on the agreed dates. I compliment a lot, which the older generation of directors did less, for fear that the actor’s head would get blown away. I know that an actor wants to be loved by his director…”

Musical comedy Waitress is presented at Espace St-Denis, in Montreal, until July 28, then at the Salle Albert-Rousseau, in Quebec, from August 10 to 31

Visit the musical’s page