New York life | Echoes of Inspector Gamache in New York

Once a month, our journalist Richard Hétu takes us into the news in New York, where he has lived for almost 30 years.

(New York) What do playwright William Shakespeare, former wrestler Raymond Rougeau and chief inspector Armand Gamache, hero of Louise Penny’s detective novels, have in common?

Sitting in an Italian café located a stone’s throw from Union Square Park in Manhattan, Jean Brassard answers this question by retracing the thread of a New York life which allowed him to touch almost all the living arts .

When he arrived in New York in the 1980s, the kid from Charlesbourg, a suburb of Quebec, polished and refined his English by studying the Shakespearean repertoire with the late John Basil, then director of the American Globe Theater.

In the 1990s, he acquired endurance – and practiced improvisation – by co-hosting with Johnny Rougeau’s nephew the endless World Wrestling Entertainment galas, presented on the professional wrestling giant’s French channel.

Today, his perfect mastery of the language of Shakespeare and his inspiration serve him wonderfully in one of the most recent roles he has landed: narrator of the audio versions of Louise Penny’s best-sellers intended for the English-speaking public.

“In this case, I’m the man for the job! », says Jean Brassard, with a mischievous look, between two bites of a tuna panini.

He was chosen from among several Quebec actors to narrate the 19^e investigation by Inspector Gamache, The Grey Wolf (The gray wolf), released at the end of October, as well as its sequels. He replaces the British actor Robert Bathurst, narrator of the 13 previous investigations, from whom Louise Penny chose to part ways after expressing the desire to entrust the narration of the original version of her novels to a Quebec actor.

Overflowing creativity

“Louise’s stories are so anchored in Quebec culture, in the Quebec language, even if she writes in English,” says Jean Brassard. “She is constantly spiced up her story with words or lines in French. To the ear, it has to ring true. They made me listen to books by previous narrators. Indeed, there were places where it sounded false. »

The narration of books is only one aspect of the professional life of Jean Brassard, whose first base in the United States was the Boston Ballet, at 21 years old. In New York, he played in the theater, did cabaret, sang Montand, Aznavour and even Vigneault.

He also recorded his own songs, wrote plays and played several supporting roles on television and in the cinema. Recently he was part of the cast of the film Oh, Canada by Paul Schrader and the miniseries The Artistwhich will premiere in spring 2025 on the new streaming platform The Network¹.

“I audition constantly. Sometimes I work, like the other actors! », laughs Jean Brassard, summarizing his approach.

“Through it all, I still try to lead my own projects. I just finished the first draft of a play. I have another project in the works that I can’t say anything about yet. At times, we say to ourselves: “But couldn’t you concentrate on just one thing?” But it’s not me. My only thing is creativity. In my case, it comes out from all sides and from all sides! »

An “inspired” choice

But the narration of Louise Penny’s novels presents a particularly exciting challenge in her eyes. According to his calculations, when he entered the world of the Anglo-Quebec author, he already had 80 books to his credit as a narrator. These included the English translation of Emmanuel Macron’s memoirs, Revolutionand that of the novel which earned Nicolas Mathieu the 2018 Goncourt Prize, And Their Children After Them.

“Louise’s fan club is huge,” explains Jean Brassard.

English-speaking listeners of the audio versions of Louise Penny’s novels were also very familiar with Robert Bathurst, the previous narrator. After giving him a cold, even hostile reception, they ended up getting used to the voice of this actor who we notably saw in Downton Abbey.

“There was still some concern about how a new narrator would be received,” says Jean Brassard. “It was an additional challenge that I had never had to face: to bring something new as a narrator while maintaining the integrity of this universe and these characters. »

Magazine specialists Audiophilewhich lists the audio versions of books published in the United States, were won over. They described as “inspired” the choice of Jean Brassard as narrator of the 19^e investigation by Inspector Gamache. And they gave it an Earphone Award for best audio version of the year in the mystery or suspense novel category.

“Brassard’s accents, whether French-Canadian, Italian or continental French, create indelible characters,” the magazine wrote before concluding its review with these words: “Exciting and entertaining². »

“Finally a Quebec narrator”

Opinions were more divided among listeners, according to Jean Brassard, who toured social networks to gauge their reactions. He had been warned.

“Lorelei King, the director I worked with, said to me: ‘When Robert Bathurst started [après le décès du premier narrateur]Louise’s fans murdered him.” It was horror. Fans were complaining, “We can’t listen to this new guy.” Eventually, they got used to Robert. »

The narration of the 20^e investigation by Inspector Gamache, The Black Wolfis due to begin next summer. Jean Brassard will then resume the routine he established last July during the 19^e investigation. In the morning, he will hop on a CitiBike, the New York twin of the BIXI, to cover the distance between his apartment in the Chelsea district and the studios of the MacMillan publishing house, near Wall Street, where he will spend six to seven hours read aloud.

“The work I did as a fight night host helps me,” he says. Spending three hours in stadiums talking non-stop gives you a lot of endurance! Often, technicians ask me: “Do you want to take a break?” I answer: “No, no, it’s okay, we’ll continue.” »

The greatest pleasure

He is proud of the artistic life he has built in New York alongside his husband, visual artist David Krueger. But the New York he knew in his early days is nothing more than a distant memory.

“Poor New York!” “, he exclaims when asked to take a look at the evolution of his adopted city over the last 40 years. “In the 1980s, we were poor, we were young, we were artists. We could do a lot of things with so little money. We could live the artist’s life. It was vibrant. It was alive. Everything has become very expensive. Living in New York has become astronomical. »

But his greatest pleasure in New York costs him nothing. During the summer, when his schedule allows, he goes to his favorite corner of Central Park, near the Lovers’ Bridge. There, he plays tunes borrowed from the French song repertoire with an accordion inherited from his father.

“I play for three or four hours in the afternoon. It’s a pleasure. It’s so free. People pass. The children stop. I create an atmosphere. It’s so just for the love of being there. »

1. Visit Jean Brassard’s website

2. Listen to an excerpt from the audio narration of The Grey Wolfby Louise Penny