The year 2024 has been eventful to say the least for Patricia Paquin. She experienced a roller coaster of emotions, but also beautiful moments of happiness and exciting challenges, like the show The EXseparableswhich she presents with Mathieu Gratton.
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Let’s first talk about this show which is in a way a sequel to the one they both presented 15 years ago. “We presented it 100 times in two years of touring. We were even nominated for an Olivier Award for best show of the year. It was a great success, we were happy,” confides Patricia about this first stage adventure with her ex. The 15 years that have passed since they went on stage together is the guiding principle of this new version. “In 15 years, things happen. I didn’t have my other children yet: my Gabriel turned 14 on September 11, and Florence was 9. Life has gone by, Mathieu had a boy at the beginning of 2023. We both have a new reality. People had talked to us several times about returning to the stage, but I didn’t want to because the children were little and we had just opened Chez Cheval in Saint-Hilaire. And then there was the pandemic. And the day I said, “OK, we’re doing it,” it was like a bubble to the brain; the kind of decision you immediately regret, but it all happened naturally. It is with complete humility that we return to the stage. I am not a theater character. It’s the closest thing to animation and what I was doing on the radio. I have direct contact with people, the reaction is instantaneous. It’s really fun.”
An appreciated presence on stage
Benjamin, the son of Patricia and Mathieu, also takes part in the adventure. “He is now 23 years old. He’s there for one number and he’s happy to do that with us. The spectators are so happy to see him, he is so good! This is actually one of the highlights of this show. It’s really fun to see him develop into a handsome young man.” The EXseparables is directed by Joël Legendre, while Mathieu signed the texts and Louis-Philippe Rivard is the script-editor. The show was presented in run-in a few times this summer, and performances are planned on tour in Quebec until January. “There is also Ghislain Dufresne (Mathieu’s ex-partner in Crampe en masse) who is with us throughout the show, providing musical support, songs and acting.”
It was said to be a busy year for Patricia. There was the sale of his house and the move to a new residence, the opening of the second Chez Cheval in Sainte-Julie, the preparation of the new show and, of course, the death of his parents. “Just before the Gemini gala last year, while I was getting my makeup done because I was going to present an award with my beautiful Benjamin, I was called to tell me that my father was being taken into palliative care. When I made my presentation with Benjamin on stage, I was in a daze, but afterwards, I felt a sense of calm. I looked at Benjamin, who was meeting everyone and having fun with, among others, Marie-Mai and Rosalie Vaillancourt, and I told myself that I had to take advantage of the moment. My father died two days after the gala, on September 19,” she says.
As for Patricia’s mother, she died this year, on June 15. “My mother knew for five years that she had pancreatic cancer, but she held down the fort. She took care of my father at their condo, before he entered the hospital, and it was from September 19 that his health began to decline.
The sense of timing
Before going to present her show in Val-Morin, Patricia went to the hospital to see her mother. “Florence was with me, and also my friend Sabrine. We knew it was only a matter of time… I left my cell phone with my friend just in case, and at the very end of the show, she received a call from the hospital. People were still clapping in the room when she handed me the phone and was told that my mother had left. I immediately thought that, like anyone who gave lessons in diction, drama, and who loved show business, she had finally waited for the curtain to fall before leaving. I think the image is beautiful. She died nine months after my father. Both my parents were 88 years old.”
What followed was busy for Patricia and her loved ones. “I was the executrix of my parents’ will, which was quite time-consuming. My sisters, my brother and I had to empty their condo. While cleaning up their things, we experienced some moving moments and others that were quite funny. Then, we organized the small farewell ceremony, which took place at the beginning of August. I told the kids that after we got through all this, we would go to Disney. “It was my way of thanking them for supporting me in this and accepting all the changes that happened.”
She did not know then that another change was going to occur in her life, namely her replacement, by the management of Rythme FM, on the midday show alongside Marie-Eve Janvier. “I was told the news while I was finishing up my Disney vacation, 65 hours before I was due back on the air. Our trip was somewhat overshadowed by this unexpected call. I’m disappointed, but life goes on. I am self-employed; It doesn’t know me well to think that I’m going to stay stuck on that. It no longer belongs to me, she adds. At almost 56 years old, I can say that I love my life, my family, and that I am moving forward. Also, it was 10 years ago on July 28 that Louis-François and I got married. The fall is going to be very busy with shows, but still, I’m really enjoying having more time to myself. I got back into Bikram yoga and I also continue to run. These are truly my own moments that allow me to refocus and energize myself.”
For details and ticketing EXseparablewe consult musicorspectacles.com/artistes/les-exseparables and we follow Patricia on social networks.
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