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Notre-Dame de Paris
The Making of Bruno Pelletier, Hélène Segara, Patrick Fiori and Garou
Paris
25/12/2000 -
Notre-Dame de Paris made its official debut at Midem, the international media fair, in 1998 - which seems highly appropriate when you consider that the media has played such a key role in Notre-Dame de Paris's success. The cast who performed at Midem opened the show in Paris at the Palais des Congrès a few months later. And from that moment on the French media went wild, inviting the show's songwriter and composer and practically all the main players to promote Notre-Dame de Paris non-stop on radio and TV.
The musical might not have made the same explosive impact on the French public if Plamondon and Cocciante had not assembled such a strong cast. But the pair chose their Esmeralda and Quasimodo wisely, not to mention the singers who carried off the other main roles. French and Quebecois singers, major stars and complete unknowns, shared the stage together night after night, playing to capacity audiences. And before Quasimodo rang his final bell, several cast members had gone on to launch major solo careers.
Quebec: two points!
The chart success story began with Le temps des cathédrales, the first single released from the studio album of Notre-Dame de Paris. Recorded by Bruno Pelletier, a singer who had already achieved star status back home in Quebec, Le temps des cathédrales went rocketing up the French charts within weeks of its release. The success was largely due to Pelletier's impressive vocal performance. The Quebecois singer hit high notes no-one had ever dreamt possible in the male register and brought the same charisma to the role of Gringoire (Esmeralda's husband) in the studio as he had on stage. But this was hardly surprising given that Pelletier already had solid stage musical experience behind him. In 1992 he starred in the Michel Berger/Luc Plamondon production La légende de Jimmy, then went on to triumph in the Quebecois version of legendary French rock opera Starmania.
While bringing the house down in Notre-Dame de Paris, Pelletier kept a close eye on his solo career. And in August '99 - while continuing his nightly performance as Gringoire - he put out his fourth solo album D'autres rives (recorded between studios in Paris et Montreal). As Pelletier continued to pace beneath the walls of Notre-Dame on stage in Paris, his career continued at mega-star pace back home. Pelletier had already won enough 'Felix' awards to decorate his house from top to bottom, and in 2000 his compatriots honoured him once more, voting him Quebec's Singer of the Year (just as they had in 1997 and 1999). Meanwhile, Pelletier also carried off a second award for Best Pop/Rock Album of the Year.
Following the chart success of Le Temps des cathédrales, French radio and television were crying out for a second hit from the show. And this soon came in the form of Belle, a collective effort from Daniel Lavoie, Patrick Fiori and Garou. While Lavoie and Fiori were already major stars, 25-year-old Garou had been a complete unknown before landing the role of Quasimodo. Bringing powerful, husky vocals and a magnetic stage presence to the role of the world's most famous hunchback, Garou brought the house down night after night in Notre-Dame de Paris.
Garou's only stage experience prior to the role of Quasimodo had been performing with a blues band on Quebec's bar and club scene - no matter, after a few nights swinging from Notre-Dame's bells, Garou was transformed into a major star. What's more, Garou's stage charisma, his mighty vocals - not to mention his sparkling eyes - soon brought him to the attention of Celine Dion herself. The international diva even invited Garou to perform at her special Millennium show on December 31st 1999 and the pair went on to record a duet together, entitled Sous le vent.
Needless to say, the song features on Garou's debut solo album, Seul (released in November of this year) alongside tracks from a host of other famous songwriters and composers including Luc Plamondon, Romano Musumara, Richard Cocciante, Didier Barbelivien and Franck Langolff. But despite this all-star line-up, Garou's first solo effort is sadly lacking in creativity. The album may be impeccably produced and well put together, but the songs are strangely lacking in soul and emotion. This does not appear to have bothered Garou's new fans, however - they rushed out to buy the album in their thousands and ten days after its release Seul went gold, selling over 100,000 copies!
France: two points!
While Garou was riding high in the French album charts with Seul, his co-star Patrick Fiori was bringing the house down with a series of concerts at the Olympia in Paris. Swapping the coat of armour he wore on stage as Phoebus in Notre-Dame de Paris, Fiori slipped into a swanky suit and tie and set off on a major French tour to promote his own solo album Chrysalide. The Corsican-born singer's face was already familiar to French music fans who remembered him representing France at the Eurovision Song Contest in 1993 with Mama Corsica.
Fortunately, Fiori's musical tastes appear to have matured since Eurovision and the set he performed on his new tour shone with beautifully crafted songs and professionalism. Fiori seemed at pains to put his Eurovision past behind him, pointing out in what appeared to be an interminable series of interviews that he had spent hours in rehearsal with his musicians perfecting a finely-tuned "symbiosis" between his voice and their instruments. In the same interviews, Fiori vented the anger and frustration he had felt during Notre-Dame de Paris at having to perform with backing from a pre-recorded soundtrack!
Like fellow members of the cast from Notre-Dame de Paris, Fiori benefited from the huge media success of the musical, however. Given his charm and 'leading man' good looks, he had no trouble conquering the female market. And his much-publicised relationship with singer Lara Fabian (from whom he is now separated) only added to his appeal in showbiz magazines!
Meanwhile, another of Fiori's NDP co-stars, Helene Segara, has also gone on to rocket to fame after her stint as the beautiful Esmeralda. Ms. Segara had actually launched a solo career prior to joining the show, shooting up the French singles charts in 1996 with her hit Je vous aime adieu. Managed by Dalida's brother, Orlando, the young singer from the French Riviera, is now the proud owner of a best-selling album, Au nom d'une femme (released in 1999 this has sold over 1 million copies to date!) and a new hit single, Il y a trop de gens qui t'aiment.
Preceding her friend Patrick Fiori at the Olympia, Helene brought the house down at the legendary music venue in October, playing to capacity audiences four nights running. France's new diva is currently on tour until next spring (and will be returning to perform in Paris at the Palais des Sports on January 26th 2001).
Let's hope Helene Segara's new-found success will help her digest her final days with Notre Dame de Paris - for the show ended on a rather sour note for both Helene and Patrick Fiori. When the best-selling musical was adapted into English and taken to London's West End, French members of the cast were not invited to climb aboard the Eurostar. But their Quebecois colleagues - Bruno Pelletier, Garou, Luck Mervil and Daniel Lavoie - were. Apparently, the Quebecois members of the cast were considered more proficient when it came to mastering the English language!
No matter, Patrick Fiori and Helene Segara certainly benefited from the huge media hype surrounding Notre-Dame de Paris and, like their Quebecois colleagues, used the publicity to full effect when pursuing their solo careers. The phenomenal success of Notre-Dame de Paris has not only provided a springboard for a host of solo careers - the show has also opened the way for a new breed of French musicals hoping to attract the same audiences world-wide. So keep your eyes peeled for forthcoming productions of Dix commandements and Romeo et Juliette, which we will be previewing in Le Petit Journal later this week.
Garou Seul Sony 2000
Patrick Fiori Chrysalide Epic 2000
Helene Segara Au nom d'une femme Orlando/East West 2000
Valérie Passelègue
30/11/2005 -
01/02/2000 -
30/06/1999 -
